Name: Roast quail with pancetta
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 quail, wings removed (pre-order quail from your local butcher); olive oil; sea salt; rind 1 orange, thinly sliced; then segment orange and gently squeeze out some of the juice and reserve; rind 1 lemon, thinly sliced; then segment lemon and gently squeeze out some of the juice and reserve; 3 sprigs rosemary (about 10cm long), plus extra to garnish; 4 slices pancetta or streaky bacon; 1 bulb garlic, halved crossways; 125 millilitre dry white wine; 1 cup pitted black olives; 2 tablespoon butter

Roast quail with pancetta

Family-owned vineyard and restaurant Poderi Crisci adds Italian flair and passion to its roasted quail recipe. Recipe by Luca Villari & Antonio Crisci. Photography by Todd Eyre.

Serves 4

Prep

30M

Cook

25M

Total

55M

Ingredients

4 quail, wings removed (pre-order quail from your local butcher)

olive oil

sea salt

rind 1 orange, thinly sliced; then segment orange and gently squeeze out some of the juice and reserve

rind 1 lemon, thinly sliced; then segment lemon and gently squeeze out some of the juice and reserve

3 sprigs rosemary (about 10cm long), plus extra to garnish

4 slices pancetta or streaky bacon

1 bulb garlic, halved crossways

125 millilitre dry white wine

1 cup pitted black olives

2 tablespoon butter

Method

1.Preheat oven to 200°C. Rub quail with olive oil and season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

2.lace orange and lemon rind in a small bowl with the picked leaves of 1 rosemary sprig and the lemon segments. Mix thoroughly then stuff into each quail.

3.Lay 1 slice of pancetta on a chopping board. Place a stuffed quail at one end of pancetta and roll from one end to the other to cover the breast of the quail. Tie quail with butcher’s string to hold pancetta in place. Repeat with remaining quail.

4.Lightly oil a medium-sized roasting tray. Chop remaining 2 rosemary sprigs roughly, add to tray and arrange quail, breast-side up, on top. Place garlic bulb halves cut-side down on tray around the quail.

5.Roast for 25 minutes. Halfway through cooking, turn over the garlic halves and toss in the white wine, olives and reserved lemon and orange juice. Place back in the oven and finish cooking.

6.When ready, remove quail to rest on a warmed plate. Pass the cooking liquid through a sieve into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Take off heat and whisk in the butter with a pinch of sea salt and pepper.

7.To serve, cut string off quail and arrange on a serving platter. Squeeze garlic cloves from the cooked bulb halves and arrange on platter. Scatter with olives and orange segments. Drizzle with the cooking liquid and garnish with picked rosemary.