Spicy Seared Quail with Kale Slaw

I’m in New York doing all sorts of things, one of which is to go through 100 years worth of family stuff that has been collected since my great grandparents. I have to decide what goes into a garage sale, what gets donated, what goes to the dump, and what gets boxed up into a nice clean plastic box and tucked away.

Why do we humans collect so much stuff? Does it make us feel all protected, as if we’ve built a fortress of books and clothes and dishware around ourselves?

And furthermore, why is it so hard to get rid of said stuff? I feel nostalgic every time I see something get hauled away. Like today, we gave my first red bicycle to a boy who didn’t know how to ride yet. And I immediately had flashbacks to the moment I set sail on that thing and could officially ride without training wheels. It was a glorious moment, I remember it vividly. I hope the blond curly haired boy enjoys it as much as I did.

Because at the end of the day… it’s not like I’m going to sit down and read all of the old magazines my great grandfather had stacked in piles. As romantic as it may sound. And so some stuff we must part with.

This has nothing to do with this recipe, except to explain why I didn’t post it a few days ago when I wanted to. I’ve been elbow deep in boxes of Beatles records and dishware and driving the truck to the dump and waiting in line at Costco in order to buy more plastic boxes.

My life is so glamorous.

And speaking of glamorous, you should make this recipe! It is two recipes really, both of which are wonderful and can be made separately or apart. And you can get quail at most places these days. Mine was actually left over from a cooking class I taught at Whole Foods. So it ain’t wild, but it sure was convenient to have it all plucked and de-boned for me. I tell ya. And this spice mixture will work so well on any poultry! So quail is not mandatory.

Here is what you will need to make the quail: quail that has been deboned, except for the legs and wings, smoked paprika, cayenne, ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, whole wheat flour, olive oil, salt and pepper

Here is what you will need to make the kale slaw: kale (the purple kind is pretty), apple (I like Pink Lady, but any will do), poblano pepper, olive oil, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

To start you drop the kale, apple, and poblano into a food processor and pulse it.

A course chop is all you need, you want it to have some nice chunks in there. I like running into that bite of apple.

Transfer to a bowl and add the salt. This will encourage it to start tenderizing quickly.

Add your white wine vinegar.

Then your balsamic vinegar.

Then your olive oil.

Stir and set aside in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld.

Meanwhile, make the spice mixture by combining all of the spices for the quail along with the flour.

Give it a stir.

Pat the quail dry, then drop it in and coat on both sides.

Like so. A gentle coating will do.

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium-high heat, then drop the quail in. They should sizzle, that is how you know the pan is hot enough.

Brown for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with salt and pepper to help them crisp up.

Remove the kale from the refrigerator and season with salt, pepper, and the vinegar and olive oil to taste. Stir and serve on a platter.

Add the quail over the bed of kale slaw and serve.

These dishes can also be served separately. The kale slaw is such a fun alternative to cole slaw. Plus I like saying the name. Kale Slaw, Kale Slaw, kale slaw.

Enjoy this guys + gals!

Print Recipe

“Kale Slaw”

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch purple kale
• 1 apple
• 1 poblano pepper seeds removed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

• Combine the kale, apple and poblano in a blender and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Let sit in the refrigerator so that the flavors meld. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.

Print Recipe

“Kale Slaw”

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 bunch purple kale
• 1 apple
• 1 poblano pepper seeds removed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

• Combine the kale, apple and poblano in a blender and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Let sit in the refrigerator so that the flavors meld. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.