Category Archives: Quail – Recipes

FOUR DIFFERENT EGGS FOR BREAKFAST

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Fried eggs for breakfast. The unique thing was not the bit of chili and butter in the pan but that the eggs were from top to bottom: bought brown hens egg , pure white egg, laid by my Ancona hen, egg laid by my guinea fowl hen and a pretty speckled egg laid by my quail hen.  In the pan the pale yellow is the bought egg and the middle egg beside it is the guinea fowl egg. The latter took a bit longer to cook than the others. Very tasty treat. Yolk color is more often than not an indication of quality of the feed consumed and the general well being of the bird.

Frittata di Borragine e Cacciatore (Frittata with Borage and pork sausages)

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This morning’s breakfast was a feast put together by Mrs BYF (I knew it was breakfast, because I did not have wine with the meal). Borage (Borago officinalis) is one of the plants that actually thrives in Dunedin’s whether, so one has to make the most of it. The flowers and young leaves are delightful in a salad and the older leaves can be cooked like spinach as a side vegetable. Making a frittata with home made Cacciatore sausages was not only very pretty, but also exquisite.

RECIPE

Fry some onions and garlic in butter and olive oil in a heavy pan, ad the sausage and fry until it starts to color, then ad the borage leaves and cook until almost done. In the mean time, lightly beat 24 quail eggs (6 chicken eggs) with six tablespoons of water. Ad a bit of grated parmigiano cheese, salt and pepper and pour into the pan with the other ingredients. Turn the temperature down to medium and leave, without stirring, for a few minutes until it just starts to set on the top. Now put in in the oven under the grill until lightly brown. ENJOY !!! (If after 10H00 a good red wine is permitted)

Quaglia Marinata al Forno

GROWTH AND DRESSING PERCENTAGES

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I slaughtered another batch of quails today. The law of averages is playing up and a batch of 38 quails produced 29 males and ONLY 9 females. So the bank is empty, but the fridge is full. Being a scientist and engaged in a breeding program endeavoring to improve the Coturnix coturnix in New Zealand, I of coarse monitor many parameters and wish other people would also provide concrete actual results (especially those Americans claiming to grow gigantic everything, which is not always good even though they may be big), so as to be able to monitor and compare progress and set standards. In my egg producing breeds, I am of the opinion that I have reached optimum body size. For the dual purpose breeds, I am still selecting for larger birds and am  making  some definite headway. Here are some results obtained from the last 180 quails slaughtered :

Body mass at 21 days of age (all sexes of all breeds) – 114 g (averages still on the rise)

Body mass at 35 days of age (males of all breeds) –  188 g (averages still on the rise)

As I slaughter on day 35, here are the slaughtering results :

Live mass – 188 g

Dressed mass (back bone out, skin on, wings clipped) – 105 g (56%)

Gizzards, livers, harts, etc – 11 g (6 %)

Stock Meat – Back bone, wings, etc –  34 (18%)

Intestines (Discards) – 10 g (5 %)

Feathers, heads, blood, feet, etc (Discards) – 28 g (15%)

QUAGLIA MARINATO AL FORNO

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One of my favorite Quail recipes is marinated quails on the coals. Very easy – on slaughtering day, place the quails in a container and add enough olive oil to cover them well inside and out. Now add some salt, pepper, chili, rosemary, oregano, garlic and a few slices of lemon. Those that I do not marinate go straight into maximum vacuumed sealed bags and if consumed within a week, I store them in the fridge only – the rest goes into the freezer, if any. Leave in marinade for one day while turning it over every so often. Grill on a medium to hot fire and as these are young and tender, it only takes a few minutes to do. Serve with polenta and a very good red wine – ENJOY !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quails and the Wife of Henry VIII

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Whenever I read anything my interest is immediately caught by the word ‘Quail’.  I was reading a piece about Hilary Mantel when I came across the following quote by her regarding Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII :

“Jane Seymour, during her pregnancy with the future Edward, couldn’t get enough quail, and they kept sending them over from Calais,”

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/culture/2012/10/unquiet-mind-hilary-mantel

I can fully understand her addiction, I love eating quail and fortunately I have to cull now and then. There are so many delicious ways to prepare quail (pasta sauce, risotto with the livers and gizzards, tasty stock etc) but my favorite remains  Qualie Saporite con Pancetta, Salvia e Polenta 

The Fritter Ace Makes Quail Risotto Leftover Fritters

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We have caught the first of the winter colds from the grand kids, it is freezing, it is going to rain for 10 days straight, the fire wood is damp, not in the mood for cooking lunch ……..what else to do but make fritters from yesterday’s leftovers!  Honestly, is there anything  I have not frittered yet 😉 It is a super fast comfort food, always popular with the household.

Quail Liver Risotto, or any risotto leftovers,  makes a lovely fritter, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, and lunch is ready in no time at all.

Fritters 

Heat about 1cm of oil in a pan  – the fritters should sizzle when they go in

While the oil heats up put the leftovers in a mixing bowl, and add a bit of veg like peas, leftover carrot or potato to pad it out. Add one or two eggs and about 3 tablespoons of flour. Mix well and drop spoonfuls in the hot oil .  When golden on one side turn over until golden on the other side. Serve with a salad.

Go back to reading in bed.