01/31/2023
I've got a quick and easy recipe for you!
I made this last night with our own quail and eggs, and it was sooo very good (and so very easy and quick!) Frozen quail defrost very quickly in a bath of cool water on the counter. You can chose to make this only a couple of hours before dinner time. No need to marinate overnight :D It was so quick, dinner was ready over an hour early. So I set the Ninja to keep it warm. Then I changed my mind and set it to crock pot on high until dinner time making the meat even more tender and fall off the bone. Not bad!
I used my awesome Ninja pot but you can use an Instapot or even your crock pot or stove if you want. Using the pressure cooker setting on the Ninja or Instapot really shortens cook time. For crock pot (or stove), you want let it stew on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Substitute up to three pounds of chicken if you don't want quail.
Ninja Moroccan Tagine Quail
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• 6 quail, defrosted
• Salt, about 1 tsp
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 large shallots (or green onions), sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup halved dried fruit (dates, golden raisins, apricots) (optional)
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped pistachios (optional)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (we use swerve because we are living sugar free)
• 1 (14-ounce or 1 3/4 cups) can diced tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
• Stir fried cauliflower rice, for serving
• Juice from ½ lemon, optional
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, optional
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, optional
• Boiled quail eggs, optional
1. Pat the birds dry. Season all over with the salt.
2. Add the olive oil to the Ninja, hit Sauté, and Adjust to select the More or High setting. After 3 minutes of the oil heating, working in batches as needed, add the birds and cook until browned on all sides, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer the birds to a plate.
3. Add the shallots, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon and stir to combine; cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Use a little broth to deglaze if necessary.
4. Add broth, tomato paste, brown sugar, and tomatoes. Add dried fruit and ⅓ cup of pistachios (optional). Stir until combined.
5. Return the birds to the pot and turn to coat. Secure the lid, moving the valve so it is in the sealed position. Hit Cancel and then hit Manual or Pressure Cook. Pressure cook for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually vent to release the remaining pressure. Or just leave to keep warm.
6. May add lemon juice to the pot, or garnish with lemon juice.
7. Serve the birds and sauce over cooked cauliflower rice. Top with onions and mint (and remaining pistachios if using).
8. Optional: serve with pan fried boiled eggs and diced cucumber with mint.