Stuffed quails with porcini risotto

Stuffed quails with porcini risotto

Ingredients

Risotto filling

• ½ onion, diced small
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup carnaroli rice
• ¼ cup white wine
• 3 cups of chicken stock
• ¼ cup mushrooms,
• ¼ cup dried porcini chopped
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp white truffle oil
• ¼ cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Quail

• 4 quail, deboned and left whole
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 clove of garlic, smashed
• 1 sprig of thyme

Sauce

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 sprig thyme

Method

1. To make the risotto, heat the olive oil in a pan and gently fry the onions until soft and translucent. 
2. Add the mushrooms and they rehydrated porcini and mix well.
3. Add rice and stir, coating the rice in oil for 2 mins. 
4. Deglaze with white wine and cook until almost all the wine has evaporated. 
5. Add hot chicken stock in one third increments, constantly stirring the rice in the same direction to build up the starch. (The rice might need more or less chicken stock, there is no exact measure but 3 cups should be pretty close)
6. Once the rice is cooked a little less than al dente fold in butter, cheese, oregano and truffle oil and season with salt to taste. 
7. Spread on a baking tray to cool. 
8. To make the quail, spread the bird out, skin-side down, and place 3-4 tbsp of the risotto filling into the centre of the bird.
9. Crossover the skin to keep the risotto inside and place the birds upside down in a hot pan. Season with salt and pepper and fry on all sides until golden.
10. Melt the butter in the same pan that the quails are in and add the garlic and thyme.
11. Baste the bird with the melted butter and then take out of the pan and let it rest for 3 – 4 mins before serving.
12. Add the fresh cream and truffle butter to the pan and allow to thicken a little.
13. Serve the quails on mashed potato with sauce around the potato and on top of the quail.

This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on 4 March, 2017.