ingredients
serves 4
4 quails, each weighing 150 g (5 oz)
1 tsp salt
4 black peppercorns
1 stick celery
2 shallots
1 small head radicchio
1/4 head endive
4 oz (100 g) lamb's lettuce
1 small orange
1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
Good pinch each salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp (1 1/2 oz) 40 g butter
method
1. Wash quail, put in saucepan with salt and peppercorns, cover with boiling water and bring back to the boil. Skim off any scum as it forms.
2. Trim, wash and finely chop celery. Peel and quarter shallots, add with celery to saucepan and poach for 30 minutes very gently, making sure water just barely moves.
3. Wash, pick over and drain radicchio, endive and lamb's lettuce.
4. Tear radicchio into bite-sized pieces, shred endive and mix the three together.
5. Peel orange and cut into rounds, then arrange over salad. Combine orange juice with vinegar, salt, pepper and oil for dressing.
6. Remove skin from quails, cut off breast meat in one piece and set aside. Chop rest of meat.
7. Melt butter and saute quail breasts for 1 minute on each side, tossing rest of meat briefly in hot butter.
8. Pour dressing over salad and arrange warm quail meat on top.
