Author Notes
Porchetta meets the culinary king of fowl - quail. At our house, we experiment with alot of porchetta inspired variations. This remains a favorite. —sumradagnoth
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Ingredients
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8
quails, sleeve-boned
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fennel pollen
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1/4 cup
extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tbsp
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8
thin slices of pancetta
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1/2 cup
dry white wine
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1/4 cup
finely chopped italian parsley
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1/2 cup
fresh breadcrumbs
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2
cloves garlic, minced
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3
links of sweet italian pork sausage, removed from casing
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1/2
bulb of fennel, 1/4" dice
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1
small bunch of sage, chopped, plus a handful of whole leaves
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1
egg, lightly beaten (or use 2 quail eggs!)
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salt, to taste
Directions
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Preheat your oven to 350.
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Make the stuffing: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large roasting pan over medium heat. Add fennel and garlic and a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the sausage and cook until just cooked through. Stir in chopped sage and check seasoning. Remove to a bowl and allow to completely cool.
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Mix the egg into the stuffing mixture.
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Season quail with salt and a light dusting of fennel pollen.
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Place a conservative amount of the stuffing into each quail and tie the legs with twine to secure them. Wrap each bird with a piece of pancetta (secure with toothpicks if needed).
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Heat the rest of the oil in the same roasting pan over high heat and quickly brown the birds on both sides. Transfer quail to a plate and turn off the heat.
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Add wine to the roasting pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add quail back to the pan and place in the oven.
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While the quail is cooking, fry the whole sage leaves in a bit of extra-virgin olive oil. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and lightly sprinkle with salt.
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Cook in the oven until everything is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Make sure the pan doesn't dry out. If it does, add a splash of more wine. Remove quail to a serving platter. Cut into slices, if desired.
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Add parsley to the pan juices and drizzle over the top of the quail. Top with fried sage leaves and serve.
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