Best Warm Salad With Crisped Spinach And Quail Recipes

WARM SPINACH SALAD

Warm Spinach Salad image

Provided by Rachael Ray : Food Network

Time 22m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices thick-cut bacon or 4 slices pancetta, chopped
3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 pounds triple washed spinach, stems removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered lengthwise
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for topping

Steps:

Heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add bacon to skillet and brown, reserve the crispy bacon bits and add the shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook 3 to 4 minutes then deglaze the pan with vinegar, turn spinach into pan and wilt down a bit but do not fully cook the spinach, just give it a few turns with tongs. Season the greens with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Place spinach on a serving dish and top with quartered eggs, shavings of cheese and reserved bacon bits.

WARM SALAD WITH CRISPED SPINACH AND QUAIL

Warm Salad With Crisped Spinach And Quail image

Provided by Molly O'Neill

Categories salads and dressings

Time 15m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 drops Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
Breasts from 4 quails
Kosher salt to taste
12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 quart of peanut oil, for deep frying
3/4 pound fresh spinach, stemmed, washed and dried well
Kosher salt to taste
4 cups mesclun
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Steps:

To make the sauce, place the olive oil, cream, vinegar, garlic, salt and Tabasco in a saucepan over medium heat. Boil, lower the heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
To make the quail, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the quail and saute about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet, season with salt, set aside and keep warm.
To make the spinach, heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot to 350 degrees. Carefully add the spinach (the grease will splatter) and fry until crisp, about 1 minute. Remove with tongs and drain on paper towels. Season with salt.
To assemble the salads, divide the mesclun among 4 plates. Top with the quail and sprinkle with the basil. Spoon the sauce over it all and garnish with the fried spinach and pine nuts. Serve immediately.

CRISPY SMOKED QUAIL SALAD WITH BOURBON-MOLASSES DRESSING

Crispy Smoked Quail Salad with Bourbon-Molasses Dressing image

This rich and smoky salad has become, hands down, the most popular dish on the menu at Bayona. I think it's owing to the combination of textures and flavors, and the way they all mingle together and complement one another. There are several components to this salad, and that's why it's so satisfying. The good news is that many of these steps can be done in advance. The trickiest technique is cold-smoking the quail, which infuses it with natural smoky flavor without cooking it. That means when we fry the batter-dipped bird at the last minute, the result is both crispy and juicy. At the restaurant we make a stock with the smoked quail wings and use it to enrich the dressing, but this is not necessary. If pears are not in season, apples make a good substitute.

Yield makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 24

Ingredients

1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon ketjap manis (see p. 14)
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 quail, partially deboned (about 5 ounces total)
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon walnut vinegar (or 1 teaspoon walnut oil)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup pure olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons bourbon
(makes about 3/4 cup or 4 to 6 servings)
1/2 cup rice flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
Marinated, smoked quail
Rice Flour Batter
1 ripe pear, cut into quarters, then each quarter into 4 wedges
4 cups young spinach or other salad greens, cleaned
Bourbon-Molasses Dressing
1/4 cup chopped celery hearts and tender leaves
2 tablespoons chopped Pickled Red Onions (p. 196)
2 tablespoons Cajun-spiced Pecans (p. 22)

Steps:

Whisk together the honey, ketjap manis, and oil in a medium bowl. Nestle the quail in the marinade, ensuring that each inside cavity is moistened, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Drain the quail and cold-smoke (see below) for about 15 minutes. The quail should not cook in the process.
Whisk together the molasses, vinegars, and shallot in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the bourbon.
Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. The batter should be the consistency of whipping cream in order to lightly coat the quail.
Heat 2 1/2 inches of the frying oil in a deep skillet (large enough to hold the quail in a single layer) to about 350°F. Dip the quail in the batter. Lift them out of the batter and hold over the container, letting the excess drip off. Fry the quail for about 4 minutes, turning once. Drain them on paper towels, cool slightly, and cut into quarters (2 legs and 2 breasts).
Place 4 pear wedges on each of four plates. Toss the greens with a few spoonfuls of dressing and the celery hearts and pickled onions, and divide among the plates. Top the salads with the quail and sprinkle with spiced pecans. Drizzle with more dressing, if desired.
Cold smoking allows you to cool the smoke before it reaches the food (so the food absorbs flavor without cooking. To cold-smoke, open the vents on both the bottom of the grill and the lid. Remove the lid and top rack from the grill, and center a disposable roasting pan on the coals. Place 1 1/2 cups of sawdust in the pan. Fill the drip pan between the grill and the hot coals with an aluminum or metal tub of ice. Cover the grill and smoke for 15 minutes.