Quails & Wild Asparagus and a new contest

Wild Asparagus

Italian version below

This month I'll participate at some contests in Italy ( that's why sometimes I write in my original language ) : one of these is about "Quails and Asparagus" , two ingredients not so easy to mix ...I was looking for some inspiration . I  could have a risotto , not very original yet even if very very good . Better source to " find " recipes for me is "Mother Nature" so....we went for a walk in the countryside .

April is an amazing month if you love to eat wild  and here in Provence nature is generous ! After two hours of searching we came home with a basket full of  a variety of herbs and flower too. And we found a bunch of wild asparagus.

I thought that wild ones would match better than cultivated  ones with quails , their taste is subtile pretty bitter but not too much....I had my recipe ! And not to forget my venitian origins.....some rice but in a different way .

Quails & Wild Asparagus with Black Rice

For two servings:

2 quails

a bunch of wild asparagus

a bunch of Lupulus and Silene

1 little onion with leaves

100 gr of black rice

20 gr of claryfied butter

15 gr of cold butter

"fleur de sel de Guerande"

1 and 1/2 liter of water

Humulus Lupulus

The edible part of Lupulus

Silene

Roast gently the quails with 10 gr of claryfied butter and a pinch of salt for about one hour ( very slowly ). Cut the onion in four pieces and let it fry gently in the pan of quails till lightly golden. Keep aside.

In the meantime put to boil the water with 1 csp of salt , wash the asparagus and the other herbs separately , add the Humulus and Silene , let cook 3 minutes then drain it with a holed-laddle . Add now the asparagus and let cook till tender but firm still , drain the same way and keep the broth : reserve a cup ot it in a tiny saucepan.

Now put the rice and the leaves of the onion  into the broth ,it will take 1/2 an hour to cook "al dente" , cut the tails of asparagus and simmer into the reserved broth till half consumed as it will be the "sauce " for asparagus .

Once cooked the quails cut the legs and the breasts for a better presentations . Set aside .

Now you are ready to combine the dish ( not so simple really)

Drain the rice( keep some broth)  and finish to cook it in the pan of quails ( it 'll give a good taste) add also the herbs finely chopped , mix well .

Put the pieces of quails to warm with a bit of claryfied butter , filter the reducion of asparagus , bring to boil and add 15 gr of  cold butter  while whisking .

Make a circle of rice on the dish with a cutting-round ,press well to fix it. Put the pieces of quails and onion on the top ,the asparagus aside, pour the warm sauce onto the asparagus and serve.

Con questa ricetta partecipo al contest La sfida del 2  con lo chef  2 étoiles Claudio Sadler e Wonderbox 

Versione Italiana

Quaglie con asparagi selvatici 

Nella mia biblioteca culinaria ci son due libri di Claudio Sadler , dunque quando ho visto questo contest mi son detta : partecipo ! E subito dopo ....ma che fai ? Sei impazzita ? Si , evidentemente.

Per giorni mi son arrovellata a cercare una ricetta ...asparagi e quaglie non é facile , non saprei spiegare perché :questione d'istinto. Finalmente ieri son andata a passeggiare in un bosco di querce qui vicino ,in cerca d'ispirazione . Ed ecco spuntare qui e là .....asparagi !!! Selvatici . Una rivelazione . Quel gusto sottile ,quasi evanescente e leggermente amarognolo : immaginavo le quaglie sgambettare tra le erbe.....un mariage parfait !Nella mia ricerca ho trovato anche dei germogli di luppolo e un po di silene . What else?

Poi , per non smentire le mie origini veneziane , una base di riso . Il risotto era un'idea possibile ma scontata .

Mi ritrovo con una ricetta basata su pochi ingredienti ma complicata nell'esecuzione .Portate pazienza .