Sunday, September 13, 2009

Grilled: Half Pint Quail 2 Ways, 2 Days, Part 1

(Two grilled quail from Half Pint Farm)
I divided this post into 2 parts to keep it manageable. This one contains the recipe for the spatchcocked quail and the stuffed artichokes. Part 2 has stuffed quail and grilled corn.

I cut the spines out and popped those into the freezer as a contribution to the next batch of stock.

Then, I threaded the birds flat onto skewers so they would be easier to turn on the grill, and sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and dried rosemary.

Six artichokes (Half Pint Farm) were placed in a bath of acidulated water (1/4 cup lemon juice, 3 quarts of water). I put this on high heat for 30 minutes, then let them set for 10 minutes more before removing to drain.

I was going to peel and chop the stems, but found them a bit too bitter for my taste.

I removed the small chokes, harvested the soft interior leaves and heart, and chopped them.

To that I added two ounces of our own Tomme Collins, gluten free breadcrumbs, pepper, salt, and ground chipotle seasoning.


All stuffed and ready to go, but they would be cooked with the stuffed birds in part two.

Medium heat so the skin won't burn and peel, about 8 minutes per side, until they get some color.


Sweet, moist, slightly gamy and thankfully, not something I had to grow, kill and pluck myself. Kudos to Half Pint Farm for raising and harvesting something so tiny, delicate and lovely to eat.