Chef Steven Manall of Belmond Charleston Place’s Palmetto Cafe in Charleston, South Carolina makes a spicy Andouille sausage and rice stuffing for quail and then surrounds the quail with a rich gumbo. The dish is so tasty that it has become his go-to dish for entertaining.
recipe
yields
4 servings
4 whole quail, cleaned and partially deboned
2 pounds raw andouille pork sausage
1 cup cooked long grain white rice
½ cup finely diced white onion
½ cup sliced white scallion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
Gumbo (recipe follows
1 cup sliced green scallions
Gumbo Filé for garnish
Hot Sauce
4 strips bacon, sliced
2 cups diced white onion
2 cups diced green pepper
2 cups diced celery ribs
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ cup chopped parsley
12 cups chicken broth, low sodium
1½ cups dark roux (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dash of hot sauce
3 cups vegetable oil
5 cups all-purpose flour
Stuffed Quail
Gumbo
Dark Roux
steps
Stuffed Quail
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Rinse and dry quail. Be careful not to tear flesh.
- Remove andouille from the casing and mix with rice. Add onions, scallions, parsley, garlic, and thyme, and mix thoroughly.
- Gently stuff sausage mixture into cavity of quail. Tie together legs of quail with kitchen twine.
- Place quail in baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- After 1 hour, remove lid, and skim excess oil from surface. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
Dark Roux
- When making roux add equal parts by weight fat and flour.
- Place heavy, iron skillet with deep sides over medium heat and heat oil until just smoking.
- 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.
- 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.
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- From Chef Steven Manall of Palmetto Cafe in Charleston, South Carolina