Roasted quail in pinot noir sauce w/wilted spinach

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 teaspoons Olive oil
1 Onion; quartered and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Sugar
1 cup Dry red wine; preferably Pinot Noir
1 cup Defatted reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons Currants
2 tablespoons Drained capers
2 tablespoons Chopped fresh rosemary or 2 tsp. dried, crushed
4 Quail; about 6 oz. each
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp. cold water
1 teaspoon Olive oil
1½ tablespoon Pine nuts; coarsely chopped
1 pounds Spinach; stemmed, washed, torn, and drained
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

WILTED SPINACH

After lurking about for quite some time, thought I'd contribute this great recipe that I made for company a few weeks ago. It's rather time consuming, but well worth the effort. I guess you can substitute Cornish game hens for heartier appetites, but you'll need to increase the sauce. Enjoy! Source: Eating Well New Favorites Cookbook Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large heavy ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sugar and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring often, until the onions are deeply colored and caramelized, 7 to 10 minutes. Add wine, chicken broth, currants, capers, and rosemary. Simmer until reduced to 1½ cups, about 15 minutes.

Transfer the sauce to a small bowl and set aside. Rinse and dry the skillet. (The sauce can be prepared ahead at this point and refrigerated for up to 2 days).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. With a sharp knife, split each quail down one side of the backbone. Turn over and press to flatten. Remove any excess fat. Lightly season both sides of the birds with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining 2 tsp. oil in the skillet over high heat. Brown the quail, breast-side down, for 4 minutes. Turn and brown the other side for 4 minutes more. Return the sauce to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the quail, breast-side up, and baste with sauce. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for about 15 minutes, or until the thigh juices run clear when pierced with a knife.

To Make Wilted Spinach: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add pine nuts and stir until golden, about 1 minute. Add spinach in batches if necessary, and toss until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the quail to a warm platter. Return the skillet to the stovetop and whisk cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, pour the sauce over the quail and surround with Wilted Spinach.

Serves 4 253 Calories per serving: 20 G Protein; 9 G Fat, 14 G Carbohydrate; 74 MG Sodium; 1 MG Cholesterol.

Posted to TNT - Prodigy's Recipe Exchange Newsletter by Karen & Herb Finkelman <Karen@...> on Oct 31, 1997

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