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Quail with Saffron Couscous

If you’re handy in the kitchen, this quail and saffron couscous recipe will take you no more than 30 minutes to have dinner ready on the table.

Ingredients

Saffron Couscous

Instructions

Step #1 Set oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and allow it to preheat for at least 10 minutes after it comes to temperature. Meanwhile, cut out the spine on each quail with kitchen shears. With your fingers, peel out the ribs on both sides of the inside cavity.

Step #2 Rub each bird with olive oil, salt, cumin, thyme, coriander and sumac. Place birds on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil and roast on the middle rack in a 450-degree oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until skin turns golden and birds are cooked to your liking. If your oven heats unevenly, rotate the cookie sheet halfway through cooking.

Step #3 In a mortar and pestle, grind saffron to a powder and stir in hot water. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of chicken stock, 4 tbs. of butter and the saffron water to a boil. Then remove pan from heat, and stir in couscous and cover. Allow it to sit until stock is absorbed and couscous becomes tender, about 5 minutes.

Step #4 In the meantime, add pine nuts to a dry skillet/pan and toast until pine nuts become partially golden, stirring frequently. When couscous is tender, fluff with a fork and stir in toasted pine nuts, 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, freshly chopped cilantro and salt, to taste. Serve roasted birds immediately with couscous.

Recipe Card

Quail with Saffron Couscous

Written by Jenny and Rick Wheatley Visit : Visit authors website

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Prep Time: 5 min - Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients

8 whole plucked quail

Salt

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Dried thyme

1/2 tsp Coriander

1/2 tsp Sumac

Olive Oil

Saffron Couscous

2 cup(s) Couscous (Moroccan)

1/4 tsp Saffron threads, loosely packed

2 tbsp Hot Water

2 cup(s) Chicken Stock

4 tbsp Butter

Salt, to taste

1/3 cup(s) Pine Nuts

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

Freshly Chopped Cilantro

Instructions

Step #1 - Set oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and allow it to preheat for at least 10 minutes after it comes to temperature. Meanwhile, cut out the spine on each quail with kitchen shears. With your fingers, peel out the ribs on both sides of the inside cavity.

Step #2 - Rub each bird with olive oil, salt, cumin, thyme, coriander and sumac. Place birds on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil and roast on the middle rack in a 450-degree oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until skin turns golden and birds are cooked to your liking. If your oven heats unevenly, rotate the cookie sheet halfway through cooking.

Step #3 - In a mortar and pestle, grind saffron to a powder and stir in hot water. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of chicken stock, 4 tbs. of butter and the saffron water to a boil. Then remove pan from heat, and stir in couscous and cover. Allow it to sit until stock is absorbed and couscous becomes tender, about 5 minutes.

Step #4 - In the meantime, add pine nuts to a dry skillet/pan and toast until pine nuts become partially golden, stirring frequently. When couscous is tender, fluff with a fork and stir in toasted pine nuts, 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, freshly chopped cilantro and salt, to taste. Serve roasted birds immediately with couscous.

About the Author

Jenny and Rick Wheatley

Jenny and Rick Wheatley both grew up in Southern California and connected over a shared love of the outdoors. They started their wild game cooking blog Food for Hunters in 2011, where they share recipes, photos and thoughts on wild food. Today, Jenny and Rick continue to hunt, fish, forage and cook in the Cornhusker State of Nebraska. Their recipes have appeared in numerous publications, including Petersens Hunting, Game and Fish, Nebraskaland and North American Whitetail magazines.

The Nebraska Center for the Book awarded their book Hunting for Food: Guide to Harvesting, Field Dressing and Cooking Wild Game the Wildlife Honor Award in 2016.

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