Quails in Escabeche
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 45-60 min., but prepare 24 hours before serving
Guatlles amb Vinagreta, traditional Catalan dish often used for tapas. Instead of quails you can also use poussins or Rock Cornish hens.
Escabeche is an age old technique used to preserve food. Fish, mussels, poultry or game are poached or fried in olive oil. Then they are marinated for at least 24 hours in garlic, herbs and vinegar and served at room temperature.
Ingredients:
2 quails per person, 1/2 Rock Cornish or poussin (aka coquelets or spring chicken) per person.
Use a good quality wine vinegar, so the delicate flavor of the meat will not be overpowered by the acidity of the marinade. The dish must be made a day ahead to give full effect to the escabeche marinade.
- 6 tbsp. olive oil
- 8 quails or 2 poussins (split poussins in half lenghtwise)
- flour for dusting
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 6 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- zest of a lemon
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine
- 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) sherry vinegar
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) water
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 scallions
- 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
Preparation:
Dust the quails or poussins with flour. Shake off the excess. Set aside. Heat 3 tbsp. of olive oil over medium high heat and pan-fry the quails or poussins for about 10-15 min. or until nicely brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and reserve. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and add them to the quails or poussins.
Clean pan with a towel paper and add the remaining 3 tbsp. olive oil and sauté carrots, onions, mushrooms and garlic for 2-3 minutes or when they begin to soften. Add the cloves, bay leaf, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Return quails or poussins to the pan and arrange them nicely so that they are snuggly side by side. Add the wine, bring it to a quick boil for about 2-3 minutes. Add vinegar and water and again bring it to a rapid boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, taste for salt and pepper. Add the scallions. Remove the dish from the heat and let it marinate overnight in a cool place or the refrigerator. Baste it occassionally with the wine-vinegar marinade.
Before serving warm the dish to room temperature and sprinkle it with the chopped parsley. As a main dish you may serve it with boiled new potatoes.