The chef reveals the secret of a dish which is a delight for the eyes and the palate.
Quail is a tradition which has made the culinary history of the island of Capri, and for this reason it could not fail to be on the menu at da Tonino. A bird which lends itself to a variety of cooking methods, care must, however, be taken when preparing it because its delicate meat can be dry if not cooked at the right time. In the past, the most common cooking on the island was grilled, on which they were placed whole; alternatively, they could also be prepared stewed.
Quail has always had a fixed place on the menu of the restaurant da Tonino, ever since it opened, when Tonino Aprea himself used to offer it stuffed with sausage, pine nuts and raisins on a crostone of bread and myrtle sauce. Thanks to the great sensitivity of Chef Salvatore Aprea, today this dish is re-proposed in a very personal version, in a modern key but which deeply respects tradition, using the same ingredients with a different interpretative key; so much so that, on the menu, the dish is called quaglia “da Tonino” 2.0.
Quaglia “from Tonino” 2.0
For 4 people
4 quails of 200g
300g sausage
30g toasted pine nuts
30g raisins
100g quail stock
100g myrtle liqueur
150g carnaroli rice
1 shallot, finely chopped
100g peas
1/2 liter vegetable stock
50g butter
50g parmesan cheese
Q.s. Salt
Q.s. Pepper
Q.s. Extra virgin olive oil
Q.s. Breadcrumbs
Q.s. flour 00
1 egg
4 purple potatoes
1 bunch of friarielli
Procedure
Portion the quail into breasts and legs, season with salt and pepper and brown in a pan with a little oil. Deglaze with myrtle and add the stock; finish cooking for 3 minutes.
In a bowl combine sausage, pine nuts and raisins and mix everything, after which form small sausages and wrap in a leaf of friarielli; finish cooking in oven at 180 degrees for 8 minutes.
Boil the purple potatoes in their skins, peel them, mash them and season with salt, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil; put the mixture into a piping bag.
In a saucepan, put a little oil with the shallot, brown, add the rice and toast, deglaze with white wine and then add salt and broth to cover. Add the peas and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring continuously. Once cooked, stir in butter and Parmesan cheese. Spread on a plate and let it cool, then form small supplì and bread them in sequence with flour, egg and breadcrumbs; at the moment of serving, fry them.
Serving
In a flat plate start with the purple potato, then lay on top alternating supplì, leg, breast and sausage and repeat. Finish by topping with the myrtle sauce.