GRILLED QUAIL
MY FAVORITE way to serve delicate quail is with a fresh fava bean purée, which is easy to make by cleaning and boiling young spring fava beans, and mashing or whipping them in a food pro cessor with plenty of good olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and a pinch of sugar.
- 8 boneless quail
- 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄2 cup white wine
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, pounded to a paste
- 1 scant teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons crushed pink peppercorns
Instructions:
- Split the quail in half lengthwise from the backbone without separating the two halves. Remove any viscera.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange and lemon juices, white wine, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pink peppercorns. Place the quail in the bowl, toss to coat with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Heat the grill to medium. Place the quail opened side down on the grill.
- Brush with the marinade every minute or so and grill, turning, for about 4 minutes per side, until done. The quail should be light pink on the inside.
- Remove and serve