Stuffed Quail with Gumbo

steps

Stuffed Quail

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Rinse and dry quail. Be careful not to tear flesh.
3. Remove andouille from the casing and mix with rice. Add onions, scallions, parsley, garlic, and thyme, and mix thoroughly.
4. Gently stuff sausage mixture into cavity of quail. Tie together legs of quail with kitchen twine.
5. Place quail in baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.
6. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes covered, then uncover, and bake until the quail begin to brown on top, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven let rest. Remove twine.
7. To assemble, place stuffed quail in center of large platter, and ladle Gumbo around. Garnish with diced green onion. Have filé powder and hot sauce on table for your guests to add as desired.

Gumbo

1. Add bacon to large cast-iron pot over medium heat, and cook until browned. Remove from pot, and let drain on paper towel lined plate. Turn up heat on bacon grease, and once sizzling hot, add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté until soft.
2. Pour chicken stock into pot, and bring to boil. Whisk roux into chicken stock then reduce heat to simmer and season with cayenne pepper. Cover pot, and let cook for 1 hour.
3. After 1 hour, remove lid, and skim excess oil from surface. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Dark Roux

1. When making roux add equal parts by weight fat and flour.
2. Place heavy, iron skillet with deep sides over medium heat and heat oil until just smoking.
3. Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until roux becomes smooth and thick. Continue to cook, constantly stirring with wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan, until roux darkens to desired color. Chef’s Note: Be careful not to produce specs of black. Roux must remain an even color throughout process. If specs appear, start over.
4. For dark brown roux, cook mixture an additional 35 to 45 minutes. It should resemble dark chocolate when ready. Remove dark roux from pan and cool completely.