This was inspired by Greg Malouf. He does a very similar thing with duck. It’s very tasty. That’s about all of the story I have here.

QUAIL WITH WALNUT SAUCE

(serves 6 as an entrée or snacky)

6 quail
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon warm water
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Walnut sauce (recipes follows)
Seeds from ½ a pomegranate and a few picked mint leaves to garnish

Make a glaze for the quail by combining honey, pomegranate molasses and warm water.
Butterfly the quail by cutting down the backbone with poultry shears and then press down gently so the quail is kinda flat and even.
Place quail in a bowl. Douse them with a splash of olive oil and then season all over with salt and pepper.
Set aside for 5 minutes to let them absorb a little goodness.
While you’re just standing around, make sure you have some nice coals in your fire pit (or you could use a 180 – 200 C oven).
Set the quail on the grill bone side down over low heat. Allow the little birds to get licked by smoke and heat for 20 minutes, and baste with the glaze a few times while it’s cooking.
Flip quail and cook skin side down over medium coals for another 10 minutes, basting as you go.
Once quail has a few nice caramelized bits and is cooked, rest for 5 minutes.
Pour warm walnut sauce into a serving dish, arrange quail on top and garnish with any remaining glaze, fresh pomegranate and mint leaves.
Serve with rice on the side.

WALNUT SAUCE

1 onion, fine dice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
200 g walnuts, toasted and blitzed into a coarse meal
500 ml stock or water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon each turmeric and black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Heat a splash of oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add onions and garlic and sauté until soft.
Add tomato paste and cook out for a minute or two.
Add spices and sugar and cook out for another minute.
Add walnuts, pomegranate molasses and stock and turn heat down to low.
Simmer sauce for 1 hour, stirring regularly to avoid stickage.
Set aside while you grill your quail.