Vine leaf wrapped quail - Turkish Cuisine

Sucuk on its own can be overpowering so it’s great to pair it with something sweet. I found candied immature walnuts in the Egyptian Bazaar and thought it would be a great combination with the spicy sausage-stuffed quail. You can buy candied walnuts and figs in Middle Eastern grocers here, but if you want to make your own, you’ll need to start this recipe a couple of weeks ahead of time to give them time to shine.

Ingredients



6 jumbo quails, boned, wing bones and drumsticks left in

12 large vine leaves preserved in brine, rinsed and pat dried

sunflower oil, for deep-frying

drizzle of olive oil

100 g cured sucuk, cut into small dice (see Notes)

1 sprig rosemary, broken into 4

6 candied green walnuts, with syrup

6 candied figs, with syrup

Sucuk filling



500 g beef chuck steak, coarsely minced

125 g lamb tail fat, coarsely minced (see Notes)

2 small cloves garlic

25 g sweet paprika

7 g ground black pepper

7 g ground cumin

25 g table salt

2 tsp water

75 g par cooked baldo rice (see Note)

1 small sprig of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped

10 parsley stalks, leaves and stalks chopped

Candied green walnuts



35 whole green walnuts

1.5 kg caster sugar

1litre water

3 cinnamon sticks

6 cloves

500 g glucose

juice of 1 lemon

Candied figs



1 kg dried white figs, soaked

1.5 kg caster sugar

½ lemon, seeded and finely chopped

Cook's notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.



Instructions



If making your own candied walnuts and figs, you will need to begin this recipe 2-3 weeks ahead.



Preheat the oven to 250°C



To make the sucuk filling, place the meat, garlic, spices and water in a bowl. Using clean hands combine well, then add the remaining ingredients and combine well. Divide the mixture into 6 portions.



Place the boned quails, skin-side down on a work surface and place the filling in the centre of each, then mould the quail around the filling. Place a vine leaf, vein-side up on work surface, place the quail on top and wrap up (similar to putting a nappy on a baby!). To help secure the filling and leaves, thread 1 skewer through the end of the legs to secure and another just underneath the wing bones.  Place the quail, breast-side up on a lined baking tray and cook for 10-12 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.



Meanwhile, fill a medium saucepan or deep-fryer three-quarters full of sunflower oil and heat to 170°C. Deep-fry the remaining vine leaves, in batches for 30-40 seconds or until crisp, then remove and drain on absorbent paper.



To serve, heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped sucuk, rosemary and a drizzle of the oil from the resting quail and cook until golden and crisp. Add the candied walnuts and figs and a little of the syrup, then bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Remove the skewers from the quail, then place on a serving platter with the walnut, fig and sucuk mixture spooned over the top. Top with the deep-fried vine leaves and serve immediately.