Braised Quail And Caramelized Shallots With Soft Polenta Food

QUAILS WITH ROSEMARY ON SOFT POLENTA

Steps:

• To prepare the quails, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place 1 sprig of rosemary in the cavity of each quail, cutting the sprigs as needed to fit. Wrap 2 pieces of pancetta around each quail and tie securely with string. Set aside.
• To prepare the polenta, combine the water and salt in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisking constantly, add the cornmeal to the pan very gradually, pouring it in a light, steady stream. Change from a whisk to a wooden spoon and reduce the heat so that the mixture is at a slow simmer. Stir constantly until the polenta thickens, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, when the polenta is almost done, place the quails in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Remove the string. Divide the polenta among 4 plates and top each serving with 2 of the quails. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and serve immediately.

BRAISED QUAIL AND CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS WITH SOFT POLENTA

Steps:

• MAKE THE POLENTA You can either follow the instructions on the package or use these instructions: In a deep, heavy pan, bring the water, lightly salted, to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Beating continually with a whisk, add the polenta slowly and gradually. Stir constantly as you cook the polenta until it reaches the consistency of a creamy porridge, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt to taste and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, then cover and set the polenta aside in a warm place until you are ready to serve. MAKE THE QUAIL Preheat the oven to 400F. Season the quail inside and out with salt and pepper, and place a bay leaf inside each one. Wrap each quail in a slice of pancetta, securing it with a toothpick. In a wide, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Cook the quail until they are lightly browned with crisp skin, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Sprinkle the wine over the quail. When the wine has evaporated, add the chicken stock and the shallots. Cover the pan with foil or an ovenproof lid and place it in the preheated oven. After 5 minutes, uncover, then cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the quail and set them aside in a warm place. Skim the fat from the pan, then let the remaining juices simmer over low heat until they are reduced by half and the shallots are brown and burnished, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. To serve, divide the polenta among 4 wide soup bowls. Place a quail on top of each bed of polenta and spoon the shallots and sauce over the birds.

CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a 12-inch ovenproof saute pan, add the shallots and sugar, and toss to coat. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the shallots start to brown. Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper and toss well.
• Place the saute pan in the oven and roast for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the shallots, until they are tender. Season to taste, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot.

CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots with a pinch of salt.
• Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, then add the thyme.
• Lower temperature and continue to cook until shallots are light gold and melted, about 15 more minutes.
• Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Serve at room temperature.

CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Peel shallots and cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices.
• Heat oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the butter and shallots. Sprinkle with sugar and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook shallots until they begin to brown evenly, then turn heat down to low and continue to cook until very soft, about 10 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS ON SOFT POLENTA WITH BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups hot water and mushrooms in small bowl. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 30 minutes.
• Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (orange part only) from oranges in long strips. Squeeze juice from oranges; reserve peel and juice. Tie bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, and cloves in square of moistened cheesecloth.
• Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in wide pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 12 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer onions to small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pot. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Add 3 lamb shanks to pot. Sauté until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining shanks. Return onions to pot. Using slotted spoon, add mushrooms, then mushroom soaking liquid, leaving any sediment in bowl. Add orange peel and juice, herb bundle, wine, and tomato paste. Boil 5 minutes, scraping up browned bits.
• Return lamb to pot, arranging in single layer. Add broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer 30 minutes. Partially uncover pot. Simmer until lamb is tender, turning every 15 minutes, about 1 1/2 hours longer.
• Transfer lamb to bowl. Tilt pot and spoon fat off top of sauce. Boil until sauce is thick enough to coat spoon lightly and is reduced to 5 cups, about 35 minutes. Discard herb bundle and orange peel. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Return lamb to pot, spooning sauce over to coat. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate lamb, uncovered, until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm over low heat before continuing.)
• Spoon polenta onto large platter. Arrange lamb atop polenta. Spoon sauce over lamb and serve.
• *Dried porcini mushrooms are available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores, and many supermarkets.

BRAISED QUAIL

Steps:

• Clean the quail and pat dry.
• Place a slice of pancetta, a sage and rosemary sprig, and a sliver of garlic.
• Heat the oil in a large, lidded frying pan and brown the quail all over quickly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add extra rosemary and sage leaves and the white wine.
• Put the lid on, turn the heat down to low and cook very slowly adding more wine and chicken stock as needed. Cook until well done.
• Serve with polenta and a salad of radiccio or rocket if you want to.

BRAISED QUAIL WITH WHITE WINE

Steps:

• Wipe the quail dry with paper towels and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Using a frying pan that can go into the oven and on top of the stove (preferably cast iron) soften the shallot in the butter. Add shallots to a bowl with the mushrooms, breadcrumbs, parsley, tarragon, salt and pepper. Mix well and moisten with a little of the white wine. Stuff the mixture into the bird cavities.
• Heat the oil in the skillet. Add the stuffed quail, breast down and brown lightly. Add the remaining wine and the garlic cloves. Cover and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn the quail breast up, turn up the heat to 400 and continue cooking for five to 10 minutes or until the quail are cooked.
• Remove the quail to a heated platter. Bring the sauce in the skillet to a boil over high heat and reduce by about a third. Remove the garlic cloves and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the quail, sprinkle with almonds and serve.

SOFT POLENTA WITH ROAST SQUASH, KALE & HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Boil the kettle, put the shallots in a bowl, pour over kettle-hot water and set aside for 10 mins. This will make them much easier to peel. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Once cooled a little, drain and peel the shallots, and halve any large ones. In a large roasting tin, toss the shallots and squash with 1 tbsp oil and some seasoning. Roast for 25 mins.
• Add the thyme, garlic, chilli, nutmeg, kale, lemon zest and hazelnuts to the roasting tin. Season and toss with the remaining oil. Return to the oven for another 15 mins.
• While the vegetables are roasting, bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan. Pour in the polenta in a thin, steady stream, whisking continuously. Cook for 2-3 mins, then add the milk, season well and stir in the cheese. The polenta should have the consistency of loose mashed potato. Keep warm until ready to serve - the polenta will form a skin and thicken if left for too long, so cover with a piece of baking parchment, and stir in some extra milk if you need to.
• To serve, pour the warm polenta onto a large serving platter and top with the roasted veg. Squeeze over a little lemon juice and finish with some parmesan shavings.

CARAMELISED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large frying pan and cook shallots over a high heat for 5 mins. When they are golden, drain off and throw away the oil. Add the butter, bay and thyme and toss with seasoning. Cook for 5-8 mins, stirring so that the butter doesn't burn.
• Pour over the stock and cook until the shallots are tender and the sauce is reduced and sticky.