Monday, November 15, 2010

Marinated Grilled Quail

When we were in Scottsdale in September, we visited the Heard Museum which prides itself on an accurate display of arts and cultures of Native peoples, especially those from the Southwest US. The collections include Southwest American Indian cultural art, fine art, and contemporary pieces in addition to beautiful jewelry, textiles, baskets, ceramics, and beadwork. After exploring the museum, I somehow landed in front of the book shelf in the gift shop, and that's where I found the James Beard Foundation award-winning book Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations by Lois Ellen Frank. This informative book tells of food traditions that continue today, the seasonality of the food, and the sustainable ways in which food has always been hunted and gathered by Native peoples. The recipes range from very traditional ones such as piki bread, which a young woman must master before being considered a suitable bride, to the more modern pumpkin corn soup with ginger-lime cream and blue corn gnocchi with guajillo chile sauce. The 100 plus dishes in the book have all been adapted to current tastes and modern kitchen equipment. There's an entire chapter devoted to chiles which I'll be turning to frequently. It includes fresh green chile soup with tumbleweed greens, chile turnovers, and red and green chile sauces. With chiles in mind, I had to try the marinated grilled quail which was served with a dried chile and honey glaze.

I really like quail and usually order it when it's featured on a restaurant menu, but for whatever reason, I had never before cooked quail at home. We always have fresh, local quail ready and waiting at Whole Foods, and I finally bought some. The quail were washed, patted dry, and their tiny, little wings were removed. The wings went into the freezer for stock some other day. Then, the quail were marinated in a mixture of chopped sage, parsley, rosemary, chipotle chile powder, chopped fresh serrano chile, olive oil, minced garlic, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. They sat in the marinade in the refrigerator for several hours. Then, the glaze was made from rehydrated, dried New Mexico chiles, and I added a dried cascabel just because I had it. The softened chiles were pureed in the blender with some of their soaking water and honey, and then the puree was passed through a sieve. The quail were cooked on the grill for about five minutes per side, and then I spooned some of the glaze over them and let them grill for another minute per side. I sauteed CSA zucchini, corn, and green beans for a side dish, and the quail were served split in half with more glaze drizzled over top.

If you haven't had quail, it's mild for a game bird, and you definitely don't want to overcook it. Five minutes per side of grilling was just right for these birds, but any smaller and the time should be reduced. The searing heat of the grill crisped the skin, and the marinade left the meat flavorful and tender. I especially liked the glaze with its earthy chile heat tempered by the honey. Next from the book, I want to try the spicy pinto bean ravioli or maybe Indian tacos with frybread.



26 comments:

  1. 7 years in Phoenix/Scottsdale and sadly, I never found a really good Southwestern restaurant out there. Kind of a shame, all things considered. Cookbook sounds amazing. I may have to hunt that one down on Amazon, it sounds right up my alley.

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  2. I saw this title and had to click to see what you did to the quail...I was rewarded with a sexy, saucy looking quail!

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  3. A magnificent dish! That recipe is so interesting.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. Oh my gosshhh... I am drooling endlessly that quail looks amazing!! I really want to eat that right now!!

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  5. These look amazing. Your pictures are wonderful. Also sounds like a great cookbook. I will also have to look it up.

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  6. I have never made quail... (probably too many hungry mouths to feed!) This recipe looks wonderful and I love the use of the chiles. I'm a firm believer in cookbook shopping on vacation too!

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  7. Super tempting quail just like a restaurant quality.

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  8. Like you, I've never made quail at home but love to eat it... my favorite was in a Vietnamese restaurant that no longer exists in Redwood City, CA.

    I will definitely look for quail at Whole Foods and try to make it at home...

    very inspiring post!

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  9. Now, that is a finger-licking good dish if there ever was one! ;)

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  10. I don't eat quail but you make them really delicious..

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  11. I am uncomfortable eating quail because its such a tiny little bird, silly i guess, but I have to say, you do make it look fabulous.
    *kisses* HH

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  12. Having done quail a few times recently, may I say, great job! They are so worth the effort and the photo was scrumptious!

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  13. Never ate quail before but at the sight of the picture I started drooling.

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  14. i am totally craving for some right now..they look fantastic.

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  15. Mmmm, this is a classy little number, love the colour of the sauce, beautiful dish Lisa.

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  16. I was just looking at soem quail at the supermarket the other day! :o That sounds absolutely delicious :D

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  17. I never cooked quail...you sure know what to make it look very appetizing...love the presentation of this dish Lisa.

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  18. such a perfect grilled quail ! The sauce look so delicious too.

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  19. I have been thinking about Quail recently. I have never tried it before let alone cooked it but I'm keen to give it a go.

    Your grilled Quail looks delicious!

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  20. Sometimes you can find treasures in the oddest of places...like this cookbook! I love so many of hte flavors you described that I'm sure I would find so many good recipes in it. This quail for example sounds seriously tasty!

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  21. The quail dish looks lovely, as always. I've never cooked quail either but I too always order it if it shows up on a menu. I like the sound of those indian tacos on fry bread!

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  22. OMG! Quail is not something that crosses my mind to cook - in fact, I am not sure that I have ever tried quail - but this looks delicious enough for me to want to try it! :)

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  23. ironically, i hit what i truly believe was a quail with my car just last week. it upset me greatly, but one look at this and i don't feel quite so bad. is that macabre, or is that macabre? :)

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  24. I also love quail and haven't made it at home. It looks excellent, with that glaze!

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  25. We've definitely never tried to make quail at home. Love it though - seems like such a fancy meal! Hats off!

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