Quail Braised in Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Two pots, an hour, and very little standing over either of them. The quail brown deeply in one while tomatoes and shiitakes cook slowly in the other. Then everything comes together for the final twenty minutes, when the browned quail finish gently in the sauce.

A quail runs about four to five ounces. Cut in half it browns in minutes, which matters here because the browning is where most of the flavor in the finished pot comes from.

Quail has a richer, more pronounced flavor than chicken, so it holds its own against an assertive tomato and mushroom sauce.

After browning, the quail finish cooking gently in the tomato and mushroom sauce. That gives the sauce time to pick up the browned flavor from the birds while keeping the quail from spending too long over high heat.

We sell our quail whole and dressed, four birds to a pack. Plan on two birds per adult, so three packs make dinner for six.

• Serves: 6
• Whole Quail: 12 birds, 3 packs, 2 per person
• Prep time: about 20 minutes
• Cook time: about 40 minutes
• Total time: about 1 hour
• Equipment: kitchen shears, a wide skillet, a heavy pot with a lid
• Also works with: chukar partridge or pheasant

• 3 packs Whole Quail, 12 birds, thawed and halved
• 2 1/2 lb ripe tomatoes, about 8 medium, chopped
• 12 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup vegetable oil, for browning
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Before you start

Thaw the quail completely in the refrigerator. For a faster thaw, keep the packaged quail under cold running water. Do not thaw poultry at room temperature.

Halve the quail

1. Lay a quail breast side down. With kitchen shears, cut down one side of the backbone and lift it out, then turn the bird over and cut straight down through the breastbone to split it in two. Keep the backbones for stock.
2. Repeat for all twelve, then pat the halves dry.

The tomato and mushroom base

1. Put the tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, celery, garlic and thyme in a heavy pot. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Cover and cook on low, stirring now and then, while you brown the quail. It should soften and start to look like a sauce.

Brown the quail

1. Heat about a quarter inch of the vegetable oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Season the quail halves with salt and pepper.
3. Working in batches, brown the quail well on both sides, adding a little more oil between batches as needed. Brown for color only. The quail will finish cooking in the sauce.
4. Transfer the browned quail straight into the tomato and mushroom pot.

Braise

1. Nestle the browned quail into the sauce.
2. Cover and cook gently for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring the sauce occasionally. During the last few minutes of cooking, stir in 1 tablespoon of the parsley.

Check for doneness

1. Check the thickest part of a thigh with an instant-read thermometer, without touching bone. The quail are done at 165°F.

Serve

1. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot, two halves and plenty of sauce per person, scattered with the remaining tablespoon of parsley, with bread or rice to catch it.

From the Steadfast Table

Quail is small, so appearance alone is not a reliable indicator of doneness. Poultry can sometimes remain pink even after reaching a safe internal temperature, so temperature, rather than color, should determine doneness. Cook quail to an internal temperature of 165°F.

This pot will hold on low heat while people arrive, but do not leave it sitting off the heat. Keep raw quail at 40°F or below and separate from ready-to-eat foods. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. Do not rinse raw poultry.

Our Whole Quail are cleaned, dressed and packed four birds per package. For this recipe you will need three packs to serve six. Find us at one of our farmers markets, or check the current list of shops and farm stores carrying Steadfast Farms products on Find Our Products.