A dish a hunter might prepare for his family even if his sack holds only a few birds, the quail are pan-roasted, pasta is added to its good liquors, the whole roasted in the oven, and carried to table as a piatto unico—one-dish meal.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse the quail in cool water and dry them, inside and out, with absorbent paper towels.
Step 2
In a mortar with a pestle, grind to a paste the reserved livers, the juniper berries, the peppercorns, the cloves, the garlic, and 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt. Spoon a bit of the aromatic paste into the cavity of each quail. Wrap each quail in a slice of pancetta, securing it with a toothpick and slipping two leaves of sage between its breast and the pancetta.
Step 3
In a large terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron casserole over a lively flame, heat the olive oil and sauté the salt pork. Place the quail in the casserole and brown them on all sides. Lower the flame, sprinkle on the fine sea salt, add the wine and the vinegar, bringing the quail and its liquids to a gentle simmer. Cover the casserole tightly and braise the quail for 12 minutes.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Step 5
Cook the pasta in abundant boiling, sea-salted water for 4 minutes. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
Step 6
After the quail have cooked for 12 minutes, add the pasta to the casserole, stirring it about in the braising juices and repositioning the quail so that they nestle in the pasta. The pasta and the braising liquors will protect the scant flesh of the frail little birds while the casserole roasts, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes. This will permit the pasta to finish cooking and to absorb the braising juices, for the quail to char and crisp prettily while they complete their roasting.
Step 7
Carry the casserole to table, serving the pasta and a quail to each one.
