"Quail" news and stories

While I can't really try this exact recipe for myself, since it includes nuts, I was completely charmed by the above recipe for Stuffed Quail with Pancetta, Butternut, and Leeks with Pistachio Pesto Sauce -- led by Executive Chef David McMillan. It not only looks and sound delicious, but there's also a lot of great tips and techniques inside the 11-minute video.

It outlines how to prep the stuffing, the ingredients (butternut squash and garlic), plus all the finer points of those tiny quail and how to whip up a single-serving pesto with a mortar and pestle.

The best recipes and videos are the ones that give you more information than merely a simple recipe -- extra tips, food intricacies, cooking techniques -- and this flick definitely delivers.

I've never shot a rifle, but I guess I grew up in a hunting household since my Dad bagged a few bucks in his day. Sadly, the meat usually had to be pickled into submission as sauerbraten. Since then I've savored venison tenderloin, saddle of rabbit and various small game birds. Thankfully I've never shattered a tooth on a stray shotgun pellet. The only inconviences I've suffered have been bones and price gouging. These annoyances always seem to coincide with such small fowl as quail.

All of which brings me to this post's subject. Season Shot is a product aimed at hunters and gourmands alike. When I first saw the earnest testimoniaIs by the company's founders on its web site I thought the whole thing might be a hoax. It offered biodegradable buckshot that promised to prevent shattered incisors while injecting flavor into fowl. Now I don't know what to make of it. The ammo's flavor lineup, including cajun, lemon pepper and teriyaki, has just been announced. Hoax or not: gotta love that tag line.
[Many thanks to Ben for the tip.]