Quail is an amazing and versatile protein. Its delicate in flavor with a subtle sweetness to it. I love cooking with quail and coming up with different ways to serve it. So what better way than to have  quail bursting from homemade ravioli with a delicious (and easy) wine sauce. These quail ravioli are a labor of love.  So if you love food, love quail and love making homemade pasta this recipe is right up your alley! This recipe will make you look like you have been cooking in a fine dinning kitchen years! So go ahead and impress your guests and serve your harvest in the most beautiful way possible!

QUAIL RAVIOLI WITH CHARDONNAY PANCETTA SAUCE AND CRISPY QUAIL SKIN:

By Bri Van Scotter, Wilderness to Table

For the Pasta Dough:

·      1-Cup All-Purpose Flour

·      1-Egg, large

·      ½ tsp. Kosher Salt

·      2 TBS Water

 In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the flour and egg and 1 tablespoon of the water. Use the kneading hook to knead the dough. Knead the dough for about 8 minutes. Add the other tablespoon of water if needed to make the dough soft, yet not sticky.

Once the dough is kneaded, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This helps to relax the gluten so you don’t have a tight dough.

After the dough has chilled take half of the dough, wrap the other half in plastic wrap. Take one half and run it through a pasta machine to make thin sheets. Repeat with the other half of dough.

For the Filling:

·      1 Cup Quail meat, cooked and shredded, skin reserved for garnish

·      ½ Cup Ricotta, full fat

·      4 TBS Chives, Chopped

·      1.5 tsp. Kosher Salt

·      1 tsp. Black Pepper, ground

·      ¼ tsp. Nutmeg, ground

·      10-Quail Eggs, yolks and whites separated

Combine all the ingredients together till well combined.

For the Sauce:

·      ¼ Cup Pancetta, diced

·      ¼ Cup Shallots, small dice

·      1 tsp. Garlic, minced

·      2 TBS Butter

·      ½ TBS All-Purpose Flour

·      2-Cups Chardonnay Wine

·      Salt & Pepper to taste

In a sauté pan add about 1 tbs. of vegetable oil to the pan, and add the pancetta and shallots. Heat to medium high heat, and cook till the pancetta is slightly crispy. Then add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Then add the butter and flour, whisk to combine. Then whisk in the wine. Let simmer and thicken for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as needed. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and be able to hold position when you run your finger down the back of the spoon.

For the Crispy Quail Skin:

·      Skin from the quail pieces

·      ¼ Cup Cornstarch

·      Kosher Salt

·      Vegetable oil

In a saucepot pour about 2 inches of oil into the pot. Heat the oil to 350F, and keep the temperature there. Use a paper towel to remove excess moisture from the skins. Then dredge the skins in the cornstarch and then fry them till they are golden brown and puffed up. Remove them from the oil and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle with Kosher Salt right away after they have been removed from the oil. This helps the salt to stick to the crispy quail skin.

Assembly:

To make the ravioli take the pasta sheets place one down on a cutting board then place 3 to 4 dollops of filling (about 2 TBS each) onto one sheet of pasta. The use your thumb to create small well in the filling and place 1 quail yolk in each of the holes. Then slightly whisk the egg whites in a bowl, take a pastry brush and brush a circle around each mound of filling. Then take another sheet of pasta and place it on top. Gently press the top sheet of pasta around the filling to encapsulate the filling. Use a round cutter to cut out a perfect circle about ½ inch around the filling. Remove the excess pasta dough and repeat the process till all the dough is used.

Then set the ravioli aside on a sheet tray nicely spaced so they do not touch each other.  Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the ravioli in small batches. Cook the ravioli for about 2-3 minutes per batch. Over cooking will cook the egg yolk inside and you want the yolk to still be runny on the inside

To plate:

Place 3-4 Ravioli on a place top with the chardonnay sauce and garnish with the crispy quail skin. You can also garnish with micro green and fried sage as well.