Back when Jill & Ruffin got married, they sent us home with possibly the best party favors on the planet… 2 jars of honey from their beekeeping efforts and 22 frozen, cleaned quail that Ruffin had hunted earlier in the spring. Talk about hospitality! The first time I remember eating quail was around the holidays around my mother’s mother’s large, fancy, beautifully set dining table with all my aunts and uncles, so I mostly associate quail with feast days. It doesn’t HAVE to be that way. Quail are a very lean source of protein and have a lovely, mild, chicken-like flavor. Plus you can get them EASILY down south (For starters, you can get expensive ones in the grocery store, but then if you want to get more local, all over Texas, Alabama, & Louisiana people have set up quail hunting farms, and locally in Laurel, MS are some good folks raising, cleaning, and selling them straight to customers.)
It was my dad’s birthday, so we sort of had a feast day on our hands, but also we were having our weekly family brunch. For that reason, my dad wanted simple fried quail with a country style gravy and grits, so that’s what he got. (In fact, HE was the cook since in my family cooking your own birthday brunch/dinner/cake is normal because we all love to cook so much). It was DELICIOUS. Homey, flavorful, creamy….it was JUST right for a fall meal. If you make it, let me know what you think, OR tell me below about other ways you love to cook quail since I’ve still got some.
- FOR THE QUAIL
- 10 quail, cleaned, washed and butterflied
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon of cajun seasoning
- 1 Cup milk
- 1½ sticks crisco + 2 Tablespoons butter
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1 Cups all purpose flour
- ½ Onion, minced
- ⅓ jalepeno, minced
- ½ Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon of flour
- 2 Cups rich chicken broth
- Wash the quail and remove the legs and wings. (Reserve the legs & wings for another dish... I have a great pot pie!) Split the breasts down the middle of the ribcage or cut out the backbone so they lay flat.
- Mix the flour, salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, add the milk.
- Dredge the quail breasts in the flour, then dip into the milk, and then back into the flour. Place on a plate or drying rack.
- Put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to let it set.
- Then mince your onion, garlic, and pepper.
- In a deep, heavy bottomed skillet or electric flyer heat the crisco and butter until it is 350 degrees.
- Fry the quail in batches and then let the additional grease drain.
- In a large dutch oven or other skillet with a lid, use 2-3 Tablespoons of oil from the frying pot and sautee' the onion, garlic, and pepper.
- Add the tomato paste in and cook it until it's browned
- Add in one heaping Tablespoon of flour and stir. Let it cook until it is thick and slightly like a roux.
- Mix the milk from the dredging into the sauce. Stir until incorporated.
- Pour the chicken broth in and stir. Let cook on medium heat until thickened.
- If it is too thick to pour, add in ½ cup more stock or water until it is pourable.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Place the quail in the sauce and cover with the lid
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Serve with grits.
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