Pickled quail

SERVES 4 “Before refrigeration, the Spanish preserved meat, fish and vegetables in vinegar (a la ‘escabechada’),” says Emma Warren.

4 quail (about 120gm160gm each)

145 ml extra-virgin olive oil

4-6 baby carrots, trimmed and halved

½ small celeriac, cut into 1cm dice

½ fennel bulb, cut

into 1cm dice

1 red capsicum, cut

into 1cm dice

2 golden shallots,

thickly sliced

1 garlic head, halved

crossways

2 fresh bay leaves 1 marjoram or oregano sprig 10 green peppercorns

Pinch of saffron threads Juice of 1 lemon 250 ml dry sherry or dry white wine 60 ml (¼ cup) sherry or red wine vinegar 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock 1 Massage quail with 1 tbsp oil and season with a little salt. Heat a large frying pan over high heat, add quail and seal until golden (3 minutes each side). Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2 Heat 60ml oil in the same pan over medium-high heat.

Add carrot, celeriac, fennel, capsicum, shallot, garlic, bay leaves, marjoram, peppercorns and saffron and cook until vegetables just start to soften (5-6 minutes). Return quail to the pan, pour in lemon juice and sherry or wine and bring to a simmer. Add remaining oil, sherry or vinegar and stock, then cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until quail is cooked through (6-8 minutes). 3 Transfer quail, vegetables and liquid to a shallow serving dish and serve straight away or refrigerate overnight and serve with lentil and goat’s cheese salad (see recipe below). Pickled quail will keep, covered and completely submerged in the pickling liquid, in the refrigerator for

7-10 days.