Quails with pears and glazed pearl onions

Now that December has arrived we only have one thing on our minds, Christmas! Since there are several special meals to prepare on those days and we're eager to see ideas to start planning, Leti, author of Revelando Sabores, brings us a perfect recipe to impress friends and family that, without much fuss, turns out to be a delicacy: quails with pears accompanied by delicious glazed pearl onions.

I don't know if you've noticed, but... Christmas is already here!

If until now anyone had managed to ignore supermarket shelves full of holiday sweets, toy catalogs at the school gates and the hints from mothers and mothers-in-law about who is making this year's Christmas Eve dinner, I'm afraid from now on it will be impossible to ignore it.

And we've already entered a whirlwind of shopping, Christmas dinners with all the friends, family and WhatsApp groups you’re lucky enough to belong to, lights and nougat ads everywhere, but since we can't avoid it.... let's enjoy it!

Make the most of eating a lot, we'll go on a diet in January, drink in moderation, spend time with friends and family (yes, "the brother-in-law" also counts as family), play with the little ones, watch Christmas movies on TV, bake cookies and then eat them, go shopping at the last minute and not find the gift you're looking for, go to New Year's Eve parties...and everything that makes you happy.

And if you haven't planned your Christmas menu until now and the time has run out and you don't know what to prepare for the family, here's an idea that has it all: it's easy, economical, will make you look like a true cook in front of your guests and can even be prepared the day before to avoid last-minute stress.

Want to see what it is? Let's go to the recipe.

Cocotte redonda Evolution Le Creuset, skillet skillet Le Creuset and Nezumi plates from Tokyo Design Studio.

Ingredients

• 4 cleaned quails
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 200ml white wine
• 200ml water
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• Olive oil
• 2 ripe but firm pears

For the glazed pearl onions:

• 18 French pearl onions or shallots
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 125ml water
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

For the glazed pearl onions

1. We start by peeling the onions. Put a saucepan on the heat with water and when it boils add the onions and blanch them for 1 minute. After this time drain them and peel them. You'll see they peel very easily this way.
2. Next put in a frying pan, or in the skillet in my case, the oil and butter and, when they bubble, add the sugar and then the pearl onions and sauté them, turning them carefully so as not to break them, so they brown well on all sides.
3. Once they are browned season with salt and pepper and add the water.
4. Cover the pan and leave them on the heat about 40 minutes, until the pearl onions are tender but keep their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.

We continue preparing the quails

1. We start by thoroughly cleaning the quails, if they have any feathers or viscera remaining.
2. When they are clean season with salt and pepper, both inside and out, and using kitchen twine, tie their legs so they keep their shape during cooking.
3. Cover the bottom of the casserole with olive oil, 3 or 4 tablespoons are enough, and heat it over medium heat.
4. Once the oil is very hot, we put the quails into the casserole, in as many batches as needed so they fit comfortably, and brown them for a few minutes on both sides, until a crust forms to seal them and prevent them from losing juices during cooking.
5. Once they are golden brown, we remove them from the casserole and, in the same oil, removing some if there is too much, add the onion, diced.
6. Sauté for a few minutes, until you see it's tender but without browning, and then add the wine and, with a spatula or wooden spoon, we gently scrape the bottom of the casserole to recover the juices and bits that have stuck to it and thus make the most of all their flavor (deglaze).
7. Turn up the heat so the alcohol in the wine evaporates.
8. We return the quails to the casserole and add the water, the bay leaf, and the garlic clove that we will have crushed in the mortar.
9. We put the lid on the casserole, lower the heat to minimum, and cook for about 15 minutes.
10. While the quails are cooking peel the pears using a sharp knife, cut them in half and remove the seeds (with the melon baller it's great).
11. Once the 15 minutes have passed, we add the pears to the casserole and cook everything for 20 more minutes.
12. After this time check the meat's doneness. If it's still a bit firm leave to cook 5 or 10 more minutes.
13. When you see the meat is tender add the pearl onions you had set aside and let everything cook together a couple of minutes so the flavors blend well.

Enjoy your meal!

Cocotte redonda Evolution Le Creuset and Nezumi plates from Tokyo Design Studio.

Notes

• Like all stews, this dish can be prepared in advance; this way not only can we get ahead with the kitchen work, but the flavors of the stew will settle and it will be much tastier.
• If the quantity of pearl onions I indicate seems like a lot for the dish, you can prepare half, or prepare the amount I indicate and keep the leftovers in the fridge, since they keep perfectly and are a perfect accompaniment for almost any kind of meat.
• You can substitute the 200ml of water indicated in the recipe with the same amount of chicken stock.

I hope you like the recipe; it has been a hit at my home, and whatever you prepare for these days, enjoy the food and all your loved ones very much. May these be days of great happiness...