Spatchcocked quail with couscous stuffing
These delicate baby birds can be cooked very efficiently on
a kettle barbecue with a lid. If your barbecue doesn't have its own lid,
improvise with a large upturned wok with a wooden handle - and discover the
satisfaction of using an improvised tool that actually works. Serve with a
salad of halved cherry tomatoes soaked in really good olive oil, seasoned and
scattered with plenty of fresh basil.
Cut the backbones away from each quail and place them in a
pan. Add the water and bring to the boil, then simmer gently to reduce the
liquid by half. While the stock is cooking, wipe the insides of each bird with
kitchen paper. If you find a heart inside, add it to the stock pot. Place each
quail in turn breast uppermost on a board, and flatten it by pressing firmly on
the breastbone. Carefully loosen the quail skin over the breasts with your
finger, creating a pocket for stuffing later.
Grate the rind from the lemons. Set half the rind aside and
put the rest in a flat dish. Squeeze both lemons and add the juice to the dish
with 30ml/ 2 tbsp of the oil and 15ml/1 tbsp of the chopped tarragon. Add the
quail, turn to coat them well, cover and leave to marinate while you prepare
the couscous stuffing. Place the couscous in a medium bowl and add the chopped
dried peppers and seasoning. The stock should have reduced considerably by now.
Strain 200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup over the couscous, cover with a dry cloth and
leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Mix in the reserved lemon rind with the olives and the
remaining tarragon and oil. Spread the mixture on a plate to cool, then cover
and chill. When cold, ease a little stuffing into the breast pocket on each
quail. If using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes.
Prepare the barbecue. Pin the legs and wings of each quail
to the body by driving a long skewer right through from either side to form a
cross. If you want, wrap the leg tips with foil to prevent them from getting
too charred.
Once the flames have died down, position a lightly oiled
grill rack over the coals to heat. When the coals are medium-hot, or with a
moderate coating of ash, place the spatchcocked quail on the grill rack and
cook for about 5 minutes, moving the birds around occasionally. Cover with a
lid or tented heavy-duty foil and cook for 10 minutes. If they are plump and
nicely browned they will almost certainly be done. If not, give them a further
5 minutes. Let them stand for a few minutes to cool a little, as they are best
eaten with fingers.
Serves 8
8 quail
400ml/14fl oz/ 1 2/3 cups water
2 lemons
60ml/4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
45ml/3 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves
125g/ 4 ¼ oz/generous 54 cup couscous
15g// ½ oz dried (bell) peppers, finely chopped
8 black olives, pitted and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
16 wooden or metal skewers |
