Smothered Quail

Ingredients

• Quail 12, dressed domestic or wild, bone-in, skinless
• Creole Seasoning
• Blended Oil or Vegetable Oil 2 Tbs
• White Onion 1 large, julienned
• Chicken Stock 1 cup (see below)
• Long-Grain White Rice cooked, for serving

For The Chicken Stock

• Chicken Bones 2 lb, raw or roasted (roasted bones will result in a darker stock)
• Onions 2 medium, coarsely chopped
• Carrots 2, peeled and coarsely chopped
• Celery 2 stalks, coarsely chopped
• Garlic 1 medium head, cut in half crosswise
• Whole Black Peppercorns 1 Tbs

Cook It

Chicken Stock

1. Place the chicken bones in a stockpot set over low heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, peppercorns, and 1 gallon cold water and cook at a very low simmer (do not boil) for a minimum of 3 hours.
2. 2.      Cool and strain the stock. Discard the solids. Can freeze in an airtight container for 2 months, or keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Quail

1. Season the quail with Creole seasoning.
2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the quail, breast-side down, and cook until the quail are hard seared and release easily from the pan, about 10 minutes. Transfer the quail to a plate.
3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
4. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until it has begun to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Add the stock and deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid has reduced by one third, about 10 minutes.
5. Return the quail to the pan, breast-side up. Slide the pan into the oven and bake until the quail has an internal temperature of 165ºF, about 15 minutes.
6. Serve with rice and top with sauce from the pan.

Recipe excerpt from Modern Creole: A Taste of New Orleans Culture and Cuisine by Eric Cook with Jyl Benson, Photography by Sam Hanna. Reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith Books. Modified slightly for style.