Fried Quail With Sausage And Oyster Cream Food

SOUTHERN FRIED QUAIL

Steps:

• Rinse the quail and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• Generously season each bird with salt and pepper both inside and out.
• Place quail in a pan and sprinkle over a generous amount of flour, turning the quail in the flour to thoroughly coat the birds.
• Meanwhile, in a well-seasoned black iron skillet, add enough oil to cover the pan to a depth of about 1 inch.
• Bring the oil to frying temperature (about 325) over medium-high heat.
• Add prepared quail to the hot oil and fry 4 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown all over.
• Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

BUTTERMILK FRIED QUAIL

Steps:

• Mix the buttermilk with the all the spices (except the salt). Coat the quail with the mixture and set in a covered container for as little as an hour, and as much as 8 hours.
• When you are ready to fry, pour the oil into a large pan - a big cast iron frying pan or Dutch oven is ideal - and heat over medium-high heat. You want the oil to almost submerge the quail halves.
• Meanwhile, take the quail out of the buttermilk and let it drain in a colander. Don't shake off the buttermilk or anything, just leave it there.
• Let the oil heat until it is about 325°F; this is the point where a sprinkle of flour will immediately sizzle. Do not let the oil smoke! When the oil is hot, pour the flour and salt into a plastic bag and shake to combine. Put a few quail into the bag and shake to get it coated in flour. NOTE: If you want your quail "extra crispy," let the battered birds sit on a rack until the flour absorbs the moisture of the buttermilk coating. Then give them a second shake in the flour bag. You'll get a much thicker, crunchier crust that way.
• Fry for about 4 to 5 minutes. Fry gently - you want a steady sizzle, but nothing raging, and you definitely don't want the quail to just sit in oil. You might need to adjust the heat a bit. Turn the quail over and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes. You will probably need to fry in batches, so just leave the unfried quail in the colander until you are ready to flour them up and fry them. Don't let the floured pieces sit.
• When the quail are good and fried, let them rest on a rack set over a paper towel to drain away any excess oil. Serve hot or at room temperature.

COUNTRY FRIED QUAIL

Steps:

• Spread the quail open and pat dry with paper towels.
• Combine the 1/4 c flour, 1 t salt and 1/2 t pepper.
• Dredge the quail in the seasoned flour.
• Pour oil to 1/4" depth in the skillet and heat.
• Add the floured quail to the oil when it's hot and brown on both sides.
• Remove the quail from the skillet.
• Combine the 3 T flour, 1 c water (or milk and water), and 1/2 t salt.
• Add to the drippings in the skillet and stir to combine.
• Add the quail back in the skillet.
• Add enough water to come halfway up the quail.
• Cover and reduce the heat to low.
• Simmer for 30 minutes or until the quail is done and the gravy has thickened.

CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHINESE SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin-side down and cook until browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, about 5 more minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.
• Wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned around the edges, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk 3/4 cup water, the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger in a small bowl. Return the chicken skin-side up to the skillet; add the oyster sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is slightly reduced, about 7 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the scallions.
• Divide the chicken and sauce among plates. Serve with rice.

GRILLED QUAIL WITH OYSTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
• Sprinkle the quail inside and out with salt and pepper, and arrange them in a baking dish. Wrap the breast of each quail with half a slice of bacon, folding it under and neatly overlapping the ends. The quail should be placed, breast-side-up, in the baking dish.
• Blend the oil, vinegar and thyme, and spoon an equal amount of the sauce over each quail. Place in the oven, and bake 13 to 15 minutes. Put under the broiler briefly to crisp the bacon.
• To prepare the oyster sauce, heat the butter in a heavy skillet or casserole, and add the prosciutto and leeks. Cook about 1 minute, stirring, and add the cream and pimento. Cook over relatively high heat about 10 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup.
• Put the oysters in a small skillet, and cook over moderately high heat, shaking the skillet briefly until the oysters just start to bubble. Take care not to overcook the oysters, or they will toughen. Drain the oysters, and add them to the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the quail and serve immediately.

SOUTHERN PAN-FRIED QUAIL WITH GRITS

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the quail; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain and discard marinade., In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne and remaining salt and pepper. Coat quail with flour mixture., In a large skillet, cook quail in oil in batches over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 165°. Drain on paper towels. Remove to a serving platter and keep warm., For gravy, stir flour into pan drippings until blended; cook and stir for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Gradually add the cream, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened., Meanwhile, prepare grits according to package directions. Add the cream cheese, cream, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cream cheese is melted and grits are heated through. Serve with quail and gravy; sprinkle with bacon and green onions if desired.

FRIED QUAIL WITH SAUSAGE AND OYSTER CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to its lowest setting and place a cooking rack over a sheet pan in the oven. Rinse the quail, pat dry, then dust in the flour. Do not season the flour; the sausage is very salty and spicy.
• Fry the quail in a small amount of oil or lard in a skillet over high heat until they are golden brown, turning once, about 10 minutes. Remove to the rack in the oven to keep them warm while you prepare the cream sauce.
• Drain the oysters and set aside, reserving the liquor. Put the sausage in a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until all of the grease is rendered out and the sausage is evenly browned. Remove the sausage from the pan and allow it to drain. Pour off the grease and discard.
• Add the cream and the oyster liquor to the pan and reduce over high heat until the sauce is just shy of the desired consistency, stirring often and scraping any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and crumble the cooked sausage into the cream. Add the oysters, heating the sauce through until the oysters just begin to curl, just a minute or two. Remove the birds from the oven to plates. Pour the sauce over the birds, dividing the oysters and bits of sausage equally among the plates.