Quail in Brandy with Peas

Ingredients

8 quail, 4 to 6 oz each
4 oz butter
about 1/2 cup brandy
1/2 onion, chopped
1-1/4 shelled fresh peas
chicken stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
8 oz prosciutto, cut into strips

Method

1. Wash the quail, pat dry and truss each with a skewer.
2. Melt half the butter in a pan, put in the quail and cook briskly for 15 minutes.
3. Moisten with brandy and let this evaporate almost completely.
4. Transfer the quail to a serving dish with the cooking juices, remove the skewers and keep hot.
5. In a separate pan, fry the onion in the remaining butter, add the peas and a little stock, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook until tender.
6. Just before removing the peas from the heat, add the prosciutto. Garnish the quail with peas and prosciutto and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: The Complete Italian Cookbook

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Today’s Comic

Freekeh and Turkey Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked cracked freekeh
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces ground turkey
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 Bibb lettuce leaves (optional)
6 (1-1/2-ounce) whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted
6 (1/8-inch-thick) slices red onion

Method

1. Cook freekeh according to package directions.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes.
3. Add turkey to pan. Sprinkle with chili powder, sugar, and pepper. Cook 6 minutes or until turkey is done, stirring to crumble.
4. Add cooked freekeh and tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes or until mixture thickens.
5. Stir in salt. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.
6. Place 1 lettuce leaf on bottom half of each bun, if desired. Spoon about 2/3 cup freekeh mixture over lettuce. Top each sandwich with 1 onion slice and top half of bun.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Everyday Whole Grains

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Today’s Comic

Italian Grilled Turkey Sandwich

Ingredients

1 lb boneless turkey breast, roasted & thinly sliced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and sliced
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and thinly sliced
2 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
8 slices of rye or multigrain bread
3 tbsp softened butter
4 tsp old fashioned grainy mustard
3 oz Provolone, sliced

Method

1. Heat butter and oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Slowly sauté onions and artichokes, stirring frequently until they are golden brown.
3. Add red peppers and set aside.
4. Butter one side of four slices of bread. Place bread butter side down in a medium-hot skillet. On the other side of each slice of bread, spread mustard.
5. Top each slice of bread with 1/4 of the onion, artichoke and peppers. Add turkey and cheese to each sandwich.
6. Butter the remaining four slices of bread and place butter side out on top of each sandwich.
7. Grill sandwiches on both sides, until lightly browned and cheese is melted.
8. Serve warm.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Chef Jason Wortzman

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Today’s Comic

Calypso Burger

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound bulk hot pork sausage
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
6 seeded sandwich rolls, split
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small red sweet pepper or 1/2 large red sweet pepper, stemmed, seeded, deribbed, and finely chopped
2 fresh jalapeno chilies, stemmed and minced
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup dark rum
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 small ripe tomato, seeded and diced, or 1/2 large ripe tomato, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon Angostura bitters, or to taste
vegetable oil for brushing on grill rack

Method

1. In a grill with a cover, prepare a medium fire for direct-heat cooking.
2. In a bowl, combine the turkey, sausage, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, black pepper, cloves, curry, and lime juice. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into round patties to fit the rolls; set aside.
3. When the fire is ready, heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan set on the grill. Add the onion, garlic, sweet pepper, and jalapeno and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, molasses, rum, and lime zest. Cook, stirring, until the liquid has nearly evaporated.
5. Stir in the tomato and bitters and move the saucepan to the edge of the grill to keep warm.
6. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the grill, cover, and cook until browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes.
7. With a wide spatula, turn the patties and cook until the juices run clear when the patties are pierced, about 5 minutes longer. During the last few minutes of cooking, place the rolls, cut side down, on the outer edges of the grill to toast lightly.
8. Transfer the patties to the bottom halves of the rolls, spoon on some of the pepper-tomato mixture, and cover with the roll tops.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: James McNair’s Burgers

Quails with Burnt Miso Butterscotch and Pomegranate and Walnut Salsa

Ingredients

150 g white miso paste, at room temperature
50 ml mirin
30 g light brown sugar
2 tsp sherry vinegar
40 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp sunflower oil
8 whole quails, de-boned with wing tips left on (1.1 kg)
coarse sea salt and black pepper

Salsa

150 g pomegranate seeds (seeds of 1 medium pomegranate)
70 g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
35 g pickled walnuts, rinsed, skin removed, finely chopped (optional)
2 tsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp Valdespino sherry vinegar (or another good-quality sherry vinegar)
1 tbsp olive oil
20 g parsley, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C.
2. Use a rubber spatula to spread the miso paste out thinly and evenly on a parchment-lined baking tray. Place the tray in the oven and roast for 20–25 minutes, until the miso has turned to dark caramel: the sides should look burnt and the middle a dark golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Scrape the burnt miso paste off the parchment paper, breaking it as you go, and transfer the pieces to a food processor, along with the mirin, sugar, vinegar, butter and 1 tablespoon of water. Blitz well for 5 minutes to form a smooth aerated paste.
3. Place all the ingredients for the salsa, apart from the parsley, in a medium bowl with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 3 tablespoons of water. Mix well and set aside until ready to use, stirring the parsley in just before serving.
4. When you are ready to serve, set the oven to its highest grill setting.
5. Place a large sauté pan on a high heat and add the oil. Season the quails with 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper and, once the pan is hot, add them skin-side down in batches. Fry for 5 minutes, turning once, so that both sides get some colour.
   
6. Transfer the quails to a parchment-lined baking tray and spread 1 tablespoon of miso butterscotch evenly over the skin of each bird. Place the tray under the grill and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the miso starts to bubble and caramelize.

7. Serve at once, with the salsa spooned on top or alongside.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Ottolenghi