Quail is something I didn’t learn how to cook until fairly recently. I’ve been making roast chicken since I was a teenager, but I never had the chance to make quail until I moved to Europe and it’s in every grocery store. I’ve already uploaded my Roast Quail with brown butter four seasons vegetables, but this time I wanted to do a braised quail with mushrooms. This delicious way of cooking a bird is easy and makes quite the impressive meal.
Braising is the simple act of cooking something in a simmering liquid. In this case of the braised quail with mushrooms, I cooked the birds in a butter and veal stock with shallot and the sliced mushrooms. Overall it’s quite a simple recipe, although it does take a bit of time to complete.
To start with, make sure to dry your quails with some paper towel. I know it’s hard to get them completely dry, but just try to wick off most of the moisture on the skin. This is because the next step is to salt and pepper the skin, and then brown the birds in a hot butter and olive oil mix.
After you brown the quails on all sides on medium high heat, remove them to a side plate and get to work on the shallot and mushrooms. I use 4 shallots finely diced for this recipe, and 200 grams of cremini mushrooms. The mushrooms are thinly sliced so by the time this meal is finished they are almost melted into the sauce.
The mushrooms are cooking in the same butter and oil mixture than the birds cooked in. Right before you toss in the mushrooms (while the shallot is browning) use a wooden spoon to scrape up any black bits that are sticking to the bottom of your dish. This is flavor you don’t want to lose. Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the birds back in and then add your veal stock.
Right now the birds aren’t fully cooked but that’s okay. Once you add them into the dish with the liquid, you will cover the dish with foil, turn the heat down as low as possible, and let it sit on the burner for 20 minutes. Make sure the hole in the bird is completely submerged to get all the good flavors cooking the inside.
After 20 minutes the quail will be fully cooked. Remove the birds and turn the heat back up to medium. You want the sauce to reduce by at least 50%. This will thicken it as well as concentrate the flavor. Once you remove the quails add in some bay leaves and two sprigs of plucked rosemary.
This step takes around 15-20 minutes, but you just have to stir it around every once in a while and make sure nothing burns to the bottom of the dish. When it is reduced add a little bit to a serving dish, plate the quails, and then pour the rest of the sauce over all the birds. Enjoy your braised quail with mushrooms, and don’t forget, the proper way to eat is with your hands.
Braised Quail With Mushrooms
Equipment
- Braising Dish or Pan
Ingredients
- 4 Quails cleaned and plucked of course
- 3 cups Veal Stock store bought or homemade
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 4 Shallot finely diced
- 200 grams Mushrooms I used cremini but you can use whatever you like
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Flour AP
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 sprigs Rosemary plucked
- 1 pinch Salt to taste
- 1 pinch Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a flame safe braising dish or pan add the butter and olive oil.
- Take your quails and pat them dry with a paper towel. Then salt and pepper the skin.
- Place the quails into the hot butter/oil and let brown all over. A few minutes each side. Remove the birds and set aside.
- Add the shallot to the dish and scrape around with a wooden spoon to dislodge any black bits that might have stuck to the bottom from the quails. Add the flour and stir. Let cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and give everything a good mix. The mushrooms should absorb nearly all the liquid in the dish and then start to brown. After about 5 minutes of cooking the mushrooms add the birds back in and then fill the dish with veal stock. You may need more or less than the recipe calls for, depending on the size of your braising dish. You want the liquid to almost cover the birds, and definitely go inside the cavity.
- Cover the dish with foil and turn the heat down to its lowest setting. Let braise on the stovetop for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes remove the foil and take out the quails. Set aside. Turn the heat to medium high, add the bay leaves and rosemary, and let the sauce reduce, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. Let reduce 50% or for about 20 minutes.
- Add some mushroom sauce to a serving dish, then add the quails. Pour over the rest of the mushroom sauce over the quails and serve. Enjoy with your hands.
