Valentine's in North Africa: Sautéed Quail with Paprika Sauce and Moroccan-Spiced Vegetables

Yes, I do realize that we're in mid-April and I'm now JUST getting to the Valentine's Dinner I made for Marshall and I in mid-February.  I actually have recipes from meals and dishes I made toward the end of December of last year sitting in my "Food Blog" photo folder on my hard-drive.  We'll see just how quickly I'm able to catch up.  However, lately I've just been randomly selecting meals from my photos and going from there.  I've actually wanted to post the meal I made for Valentine's Day for a while now, but honestly at this point that's not saying a whole lot...

Anyway!

I've come to realize that the medium I have become most comfortable with for expressing my love (not to mention happiness, frustration, and all the other emotions of the spectrum) is food.  I love the food, of course, but being able to make a delicious meal and cook it for the people I love is something that's become quite apparent recently.  For Valentine's Day this year, I decided to do something a little special for Marshall (and me, of course).  Getting some slight inspiration from the episode of Friends where it shows what might've happened if Monica remained fat (and Ross never got divorced, Rachel married Barry, and so on), I decided to make an entire meal Marshall and I could eat with our hands.  If you know Friends as well as I do, you'll know the reference.  If not, no worries; just be content that I am a bigger nerd than you are.  I also wanted to cook something that I had never made before.  After some thinking and some searching through Epicurious.com, I came up with the following menu:

• Sautéed Quail with Paprika Sauce
• Moroccan-Spiced Vegetables
• Moroccan Couscous, and
• [Homemade] Cardamom Ice Cream

The ice cream, of course, was to be eaten with spoons, otherwise that would've been a much bigger mess than I wanted to clean up.  I found the quail and vegetables as a recipe duo and only later found the Moroccan couscous recipe on Food Network's website (thank you, Ina Garten!). 

Since Valentine's Day fell on a Monday and I didn't want to have to fight with the hordes of couples going out to dinner that night, I offered to make dinner the night before.  We would eat in, have a good home-cooked meal, and just stay relaxed.  On that Saturday, I went ahead and made the base for the Cardamom Ice Cream.  Sitting in the fridge overnight allowed the flavors to meld and really infuse the cream.  For some reason, I believe Marshall was out during the day on Sunday, so I had time to focus on preparing the meal.  The quail was the only worrisome part of the meal, as I had never cooked with it or even bought it from the store.  I found some at my favorite bankrupt Italian market, Cosentino's, and they turned out to be just fine.  They had already been cleaned and had their backs removed, which made my job a WHOLE lot easier.

The meal, and the night as a whole, was perfect.  I enjoyed eating with my hands, even though I don't think Marshall was as keen on the experience as I was.  The couscous was a delicious last-minute choice to round out the meal.  I loved the bright and smoky paprika sauce, which blended well with the vegetables and the couscous.  The quail was delicious, too, and not as gamy as I thought it might be.  I believe we almost forgot about the ice cream.  It was beautifully creamy, silky, and spicy, without being super sweet.  Definitely a perfect ending to our meal.

This is definitely a meal for a special occasion.  I could totally see turning this into a themed event:  a big group of friends over, lots of brightly-colored throw pillows and rugs on the floor, dimmed lighting, and everyone seated on the floor around a low table enjoying some delicious food and wine... 


Sautéed Quail with Paprika Sauce
Serves 4

6 (6-8 ounces each) Whole Jumbo Quail (I was hard-pressed to find quail this precise.  Seriously, any amount of quail will do)

Paprika Sauce
1 Garlic Clove
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Paprika (preferably Sweet Hungarian, definitely not "hot")
1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
1/8 teaspoon (or to taste) Cayenne Pepper

Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Canola or Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1.  If it hasn't been done already, with poultry shears or sharp knife cut off the necks, feet, and first 2 wing joints of each quail and discard (most frozen quail at the store will have had this already done).  Cut out and discard the backbones and halve each quail lengthwise through the breast.  (I don't think I did this step and simply left each bird whole and it turned out just fine).  Set birds aside.
2.  Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt.

3.  In a small heavy skillet heat the garlic paste and paprika in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Remove skillet from heat and stir in lime juice and cayenne.
4.  Pat quail dry and season with pepper and salt.  Divide oil and butter between two 12-inch heavy skillets and heat over moderately high heat until hot, but not smoking.  Add quail and sauté, skin sides down, until skin is golden, about 2 minutes.  Turn quail over and sauté 2 minutes more.  Turn quail skin sides down and sauté 1 minute more, or until skin is golden brown but meat is barely pink for medium.
5.  Serve quail drizzled with paprika sauce.
Credit:  Gourmet, September 1998, www.epicurious.com

Moroccan-Spiced Vegetables
Serves 4

1 Yellow Onion (large)
1 Garlic Clove
1 Fennel Bulb (medium, about 1/2 pound)
1 Zucchini (large)
2 Carrots (small)
1 Tomato (large)
2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1.  Cut enough onion into 1/4" dice to measure 1 Cup and thinly slice garlic.  Trim fennel stalks flush with bulb, discarding stalks.  Halve bulb and core.  Cut enough fennel bulb into 1/4" dice to measure 1-1/4 Cups.  cut enough zucchini into 1/4" dice to measure 1-1/2 Cups.  Cut enough carrot into 1/4" dice to measure 2/3 Cup.
2.  Peel tomato:  Ready a large bowl with ice and cold water.  Cut an X in the blossom end of the tomato.  In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the tomato for 10 seconds.  Transfer the tomato with a slotted spoon to the ice water to stop cooking.  Peel and seed the tomato, reserving the boiling water and ice bath.
3.  Cut enough tomato into 1/4" dice to measure 3/4 Cup.  Add carrot to boiling water and cook 1 minute.  Drain carrot into a colander.  Transfer carrot to ice bath to stop cooking and drain thoroughly.
4.  In a large heavy skillet, cook onion and garlic in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened.  Add fennel, zucchini, and carrot and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.  Add spices and cook, stirring, 1 minute.  Stir in tomato, salt and pepper to taste, and cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until fennel and carrot are just tender, 10-12 minutes.  Keep vegetables warm, partially covered.
Note:  Vegetables may be prepared 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.  Reheat vegetables with 1 to 2 tablespoons water.

Credit:  Gourmet, September 1998, www.epicurious.com

Moroccan Couscous
Serves 6-8

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) Unsalted Butter
3/4 Cup Shallots, chopped
3 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1-1/2 Cups Couscous
1/2 Cup Pinenuts, toasted
1/4 Cup Currants

1. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan, add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat.  Add the stock, salt and pepper, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Off the heat add the couscous.  Cover the pan and let sit for 10 minutes.
2.  Fold in he pinenuts and currants to the couscous and serve.
Credit:  Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa, Episode "Dinner and a Movie", www.foodnetwork.com

Cardamom Ice Cream
Makes 6 Servings


2 Cups Milk or Light Cream
1 Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise
8 Whole Green Cardamom Pods, lightly crushed
1/2 Cup Sugar (The original recipe called for 3/4, but that's too much.  I used 1/2 and it was great.)
4 Egg Yolks
3/4 Cup Whipping Cream
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cardamom

1.  Put the milk or light cream, vanilla bean and crushed cardamom pods into a heavy pan and bring slowly to a boil.  Remove from heat, cover, and let infuse for 20 minutes.  Take out the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the liquid.  Remove the crushed cardamom pods.
2.  Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow.  Gently reheat the milk mixture and beat a little of it into the egg yolks, tempering them.  Pour the egg mixture back into the cream and return the pan to a low heat.  Stir until custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (this may take several minutes, but keep an eye on the pot).  Do not let it boil, or you'll scramble the egg.
3.  Remove the pan from teh heat and continue to stir until it has almost cooled.  Whip the whipping cream lightly and fold it into the custard.  Add the ground cardamom and stir.  Place in a container and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
4.  When ready, add the cream mixture to an ice cream maker, following manufacturer's directions.
Adapted from:  The Spice House, Cardamom Ice Cream Recipe.