Quail stuffed with ras el hanout scented maftoul with fennel, radicchio and feta

Serves 4-6 Starters and mains

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Method

Wipe the insides of the quails with kitchen paper and use half the lemon juice to rub over the cavities. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a dish large enough to fit the quails in a single layer. Add the quails, turn them in the mixture to coat the flesh evenly and leave for a minimum of 8 hours, or overnight.

Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing, which needs to cool before using to stuff the marinated quails. Heat 1tbsp
of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the maftoul and stir-fry until evenly golden, taking care as it burns easily. Add half the salt flakes and 200ml cold water (take care as it spits a lot). Reduce the heat and continue to simmer the maftoul for around 5 minutes until the water has reduced. Add another 150ml cold water, cover and continue to cook for around 5 minutes until tender.

Remove from the heat, taste and add a little more salt if needed, then add the remaining lemon juice, the ras el hanout and chilli flakes. Leave to cool a little before adding the lemon zest, pistachios and chopped chives. Cover and chill until ready to stuff the quail.

Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C F/Gas 6. Put the marinated quails on a roasting tray and scatter the remaining salt flakes over the skin. Break up the maftoul or couscous and pack as much of the stuffing as you can into the quail, then loosely tie the legs together with kitchen string. Keep any excess stuffing to add to the tray and heat through once the quails have almost cooked. Spoon the remaining 2tbsp olive oil over the quails and roast for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, to prepare the fennel and radicchio, cut the fennel in half lengthways and trim off a little at the root end and most of the top. Slice each half into 5-6 wedges. Trim the root end of the radicchio a little and cut in half, then slice each half into 6 wedges.

Heat the oil over a medium heat in a frying pan large enough to cook all the fennel in a single layer, or fry in batches.

Cook the fennel for 5 minutes on one side until golden, then turn and fry for another minute or so. Transfer to a plate, then add the radicchio to the pan and cook for around 2 minutes on each side until wilted and slightly golden. Transfer to the plate with the fennel.

Around 5 minutes before the end of the quails’ cooking time, add the rest of the stuffing to the roasting tray along with the fennel and radicchio and scatter over the crumbled feta. Snip the string from the legs, cover the tray with foil and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Check the birds are cooked through, then allow to rest
in a warm place for around 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe featured in the May/June 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.