Barbecued quail with grapes, beans
and macadamia nutsSERVES 4
Pickled grapes are quick to make, will last up to a month and are
great paired with roast duck, pork or lamb or added to salads.
Fresh grapes also work well if you just can’t be bothered.4 butterflied jumbo quail (see
note), at room temperature
60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive
oil, plus extra for drizzling
600 gm mixed green beans and
yellow beans, trimmed
1 celery heart, thinly sliced,
plus a handful of pale,
tender leaves
½ Spanish onion, quartered
and thinly sliced
½ cup (loosely packed)
oregano
35 gm (¼ cup) macadamia
nuts, coarsely chopped
2 tsp sherry vinegar
QUICK-PICKLED GRAPES
80 ml (⅓ cup) sherry vinegar
40 gm caster sugar
200 gm red grapes, halved1 For quick-pickled grapes,
bring vinegar, sugar, ½ tsp salt
and 120ml water to a simmer in
a saucepan over medium heat,
stirring to dissolve sugar. Add
grapes, and set aside to lightly
pickle while you cook the quail.
2 Heat a barbecue orchar-grill
pan to high heat. Drizzle quail
with a little oil, place on
barbecueskin-side down and
grill, turning once, until golden
and charred (2-3 minutes each
side). Cover with foil and rest.
3 Drizzle beans with a little oil
and grill, turning occasionally,
until just tender (2-3 minutes).
Combine with celery, onion,
oregano, macadamia nuts and
drained grapes (reserve 2 tbsp
pickling liquid) in a large bowl.
4 Shake olive oil, vinegar and
reserved pickling liquid in a jar
to combine, season to taste,
drizzle dressing over salad and
serve with quail cut into pieces.
NoteQuail are available from
select butchers and grocers.Charred prawn sandwich with
fennel, lemon myrtle and limeSERVES 4
These make a fine summer lunch or dinner as they are,
but switch the bread for mini milk rolls and you’ll have
a simple canapé guests will lap up.8 slices soft white bread
600 gm peeled uncooked
prawns, cleaned
Olive oil, for drizzling
2 small fennel bulbs (fronds
reserved), thinly sliced on
a mandoline, crisped in iced
acidulated water (see
cook’s notes p176)
1 cup (firmly packed)
watercress sprigs
Lemon wedges, to serve
LEMON MYRTLE-BUTTERMILK
SAUCE
50 gm mayonnaise
50 ml well-shaken buttermilk
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Finely grated rind and
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp dried ground lemon
myrtle (optional; see note)1 For lemon myrtle-buttermilk
sauce, whisk ingredients in a
bowl and season to taste.
2 Heat a barbecue or char-grill
pan to high heat and grill bread
until lightly charred and toasted
(1 minute each side).
3 Drizzle prawns with oil,
season to taste and grill,
turning once, until just opaque
(2-3 minutes).
4 To serve, spread half the
toasted bread slices on one
side with sauce to taste, top
with prawns, drained fennel,
fennel fronds and watercress,
season to taste, sandwich
with remaining toasted bread
and serve with lemon wedges.
NoteLemon myrtle is available
from select delicatessens and
online from herbies.com.au and
outbackpride.com.au.62 GOURMET TRAVELLER