Stuffed quails for the festive table

Baked quails stuffed with freekeh and chestnuts is a dish that isn’t prepared every day, but Rosh Hashanah is certainly not an ordinary day.

Quail is a young bird that’s worth seeking out at butchers. Even if they don’t have them available, you can place an order in advance. The recipe also includes flavorful fennel root, but you can substitute it with the white part of a leek, peeled and halved kohlrabi, or cauliflower florets.

Ingredients:

4-5 quails

Juice of one lemon

3 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons silan (date syrup)

2 tablespoons oil

1.5 cups freekeh

2 cups boiling water

1 onion, diced

½ cup vacuum-packed, chopped chestnuts (100 grams)

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (optional)

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped

3 pieces of fennel, cut into eighths (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions:

1. Clean the insides of the quails and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (high heat). Grease a baking dish.

2. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion and chestnuts until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the freekeh and fry for another minute. Pour in 750 mL of boiling water, add the pomegranate molasses, nutmeg, cumin, and a teaspoon of salt, and simmer covered for about 20 minutes on low heat, until the freekeh is very tender.

3. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning. Mix in the parsley. Stuff each quail with the mixture. Transfer to the baking dish along with the fennel.

4. In a bowl, mix lemon juice, soy sauce, and silan for about 30 seconds. Brush the marinade over all the outer parts of the quails and the fennel (reserve some of the marinade). Sprinkle salt and pepper over the quails and fennel. Cover the dish with parchment paper and aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and brush the quails again with the marinade. Bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the quails are golden and completely crispy.

Micha Levi-Alchalel, in collaboration with Sugat.