Passalacqua Winery

Roasted Quail with Sage and Squash Cornbread Dressing

Original recipe by Justin Townsend on Harvesting Nature and tested by our own Jessica Boone:

The standout wine with the finished dish was our Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. The wine’s flavors enhanced the quail and brought out its meatiness. The wine also stood up to the dressing and complemented it very nicely. All the flavors heightened each other, and the weight of the wine equaled the weight of the dish.

Read all of Jessica's recipe notes and wine pairing recommendations here.

Ingredients

6 semi-deboned quail
Cornbread from 1 box of jiffy corn muffin mix (OR your favorite recipe) prepared following ingredients and instruction
½ white onion, minced
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced squash or zucchini
2 cups chicken or turkey stock
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp minced fresh sage
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Preheat a large cast iron pan on medium high heat
Melt the 1 tbsp butter in the pan
Add the onion, celery, squash
Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently
Remove the pan from the heat and add the vegetables to a large mixing bowl
Crumble up the cornbread in the bowl
Add the stock, sage, and half of the seasonings
Stir until thoroughly mixed
Use the remaining seasoning to coat the outside of the quail pieces
Use the remaining 2 tbsp of butter to coat the inside of the pan, if not too hot
Add the mixture to the pan, top with the quail pieces, and bake for 20-30 minute or until the quail and the bread are a nice golden brown color.
(For larger birds, cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. This may require partially cooking the larger bird first then adding the dressing)