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Quail with fregolone Sardo and parsley salad

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for quail with fregolone Sardo and parsley salad

By Lisa Featherby
  • 10 mins preparation
  • 18 mins cooking
  • Serves 4
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Quail with fregolone Sardo and parsley salad
Fregolone Sardo, a semolina-based pasta from Sardinia, offers a modern twist to the typical pasta salad.

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups fregolone Sardo (see note)
  • 2 cups (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves picked and coarsely torn
  • 1 punnet of amaranth cress, leaves only (see note)
  • 1 golden shallot, thinly sliced widthways
  • 2 tsp salted baby capers, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
  • 4 (about 180gm each) jumbo (extra-large) quail, butterflied (see note)
  • 20 gm butter
Anchovy dressing
  • 2 anchovy fillets
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 lemon, juice and finely grated rind only
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Main
  • 1
    Cook fregolone Sardo in boiling salted water for 12 minutes or until tender, drain, then refresh under cold running water, drain well and set aside.
  • 2
    For anchovy dressing, place anchovies and garlic in a mortar and, using a pestle, pound to a fine paste. Add lemon rind and juice and olive oil and stir to combine. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
  • 3
    Combine fregolone Sardo, parsley, amaranth cress, shallot and capers in a bowl and toss lightly to combine. Set aside.
  • 4
    Heat oil in a frying pan over high heat, season quail generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, add to pan with butter and cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a platter and drizzle pan juices over. Drizzle anchovy dressing over fregolone Sardo salad, toss gently to combine and serve immediately with quail.

Notes

Fregolone Sardo is available from Italian delicatessens. If unavailable, substitute with large couscous. Amaranth cress, also called pigweed, has a slight lemon-pepper flavour. It’s available from specialty growers, such as Darling Mills (02) 9655 1339 or select green grocers. If unavailable, substitute with other cress such as red chard or shiso. Jumbo quails are available from select butchers. Ask your butcher to butterfly them for you.
Drink Suggestion: Sardinian vermentino. Drink suggestion by Max Allen

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  • undefined: Lisa Featherby