When preparing dishes in the period of Christmas festivities, we tend to amaze and bring something unusual to the table. Today dishes based on game they give ancient emotions, but in lightness. That's why a good one according to at this time of the year it cannot do without this type of meat, always highly appreciated by any palate.
For this we present a perfect second to amaze even the most demanding palates. With the quail in vine leaves you will make a tasty dish worthy of great chefs.
Characteristics of grape leaves
Many think that only the fruit of the vine can be eaten. In fact, in addition to the tasty grains ofgrape, precious for the production of wines and sparkling wines, you can also eat the leaves.
The use of this part of the vine took place mainly to exploit its own nutritional capacity. These unexpectedly are rich in anthocyanins, known in science as a type of flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory, anticancer properties and prevent neurodegenerative diseases.
Le vine leaves, moreover, they are rich in vitamin A, K, E, C, magnesium and tannins, all elements that have the ability to stimulate vascularization and a vasoactive and protective vessel action. In addition, they play an important role on the biliary secretion due to the presence of enzymatic substances.
Unlike the Middle Eastern countries where dishes based on vine leaves are of daily use, in our nation it is still difficult to create foods with vines and grapes as protagonists, which certainly ensure a mix of fundamental properties for a'healthy and balanced diet.
Around the world, vine leaves are widely used, even if indicated with different names depending on the area, such as Tokat, Dolmades, Sarmi, Vietnamese they have as their only element in common, the rcreation of innovative dishes.
The properties of vine leaves, if widely used in cooking, in addition to physical well-being, give cooking enthusiasts the opportunity to give free rein to the imagination creating innovative dishes.
A further characteristic of the leaves is that of transforming from a waste element into reusable product, essential for the relaunch of agriculture.
In the kitchen they are very versatile elements, but their most widespread use is as containers for rolls. Stuffed with meat, rice and spices like the famous ones Bulgarian Sarmis served at Christmas and New Year and spring rolls Albanesi, allow us to travel between different cultures culinary while staying comfortably at home, but enriching our gastronomic baggage.
The most common use is that fresh, taken directly from the plant. Since it is not possible to have them all year round, several have been tried over the centuries conservation methods, the most widespread is that of salt them and store them in containers immersed in brine. These previously blanched are ready to be used all year round.
Currently the use of these leaves and their conservation is not very widespread in Italy, most of the products we find in the supermarket are of foreign origin. Despite this, a small part of Italian trade is moving in this direction.
Characteristics of the quail
Le quail they are fowl and it is an easy hunt to practice because they are easy to find and filling the game bag is quite quick and satisfying.
Despite these characteristics, they have always been associated withhaute cuisine. When it comes to quail, in fact, one immediately thinks of a refined dish to show off on special occasions. The festive period is undoubtedly the most suitable for presenting dishes in which the absolute protagonist is the bird.
Cooking experts or novice cooks will have one in front of them easy to cook meat. Each dish can be made quickly, keeping the quality of the meat intact. The distinctive feature of the quail is to have loved ones keep.
Suitable for children or for those who cannot eat too elaborate foods, quail is not only delicate but also delicate rich in protein and easily digestible.
The size of the gallinaceous is not excessive, which is why most of the time the whole prey is presented to us inside the plate.
Once plucked adequately, if you are not particularly experienced you can ask for the help of your trusted butcher, you can cook it in various ways, because it is an extremely versatile meat.
For lovers of grilled meat, the quail can be grilled, the light pink skin once cooked to perfection will reveal a juicy and tasty meat to which it will be difficult to resist.
To preserve the have of the quail, you can decide to stew it. This is one of the most used cooking methods, because the extremely lean meat it risks getting too annoyed if it is not treated in the right way.
Now that we've seen the characteristics of grape leaves and the way to best cook quail meat all that remains is to discover the ingredients and the procedure for cooking our gallinaceous and make a festive dish to spend in the company of the family.
Ingredients
8 quails
100 g of lard in 8 slices
4 slices of homemade bread
1 lemon
8 vine leaves
oil
sale
pepper
Method
As previously stated, the quail it is not a large animal, so it usually comes presented in whole dish.
The first thing to do is pluck and remove the entrails. When the fowl is well cleaned, season with salt and pepper both inside and outside.
At this point, take the vine leaves e cover the quails until they are completely wrapped. To prevent the meat from drying out, the secret is to provide it with a high-fat element. In this case slices of lard they are the ideal choice.
Place them on the vine leaves, to keep them loose you can choose whether to use toothpicks or string.
Now is the time to put them in cooking. For best results, take a baking sheet on which you will place a grill on which you will arrange the birds. In this way the fat and the juices of the meat will be collected inside the plate and will avoid letting them come into contact with the quail.
Bake in the oven at 200 ° for about twenty minutes, once golden on the outside, turn the quail and continue cooking.
While the meat goes into the oven, take one padella put a few spoons ofoil. When will when it reaches temperature, fry the slices of bread and brown them on both sides.
When quail will be cooked, take it out of the oven and place it on slices of bread, and outline with lemon slices.