Quail meatloaf on polenta and braised cabbage 1) To make the quail stock:
Roast the reserved quail bones and skin in an ovenproof saucepan until the bones take on colour. Transfer the pan to the stovetop and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary, and sage. Add the wine and let it evaporate. Add the water and simmer the stock until it has reduced to one-quarter its original volume; you should have about 240ml of stock. Strain out the solids and reserve.
To make the meatloaf:
Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6.
Grind the reserved quail meat in a meat grinder; you'll need 450g of meat. In a medium bowl, immerse the bread in the milk until it's soaked. Meanwhile, combine the quail meat, sausage, eggs, Parmesan, parsley, and 1 tsp of the sage in a large bowl. Squeeze the bread to remove excess milk (discard the milk) and add it to the bowl. Mix well. Divide the mixture in half, and form each half into a loaf no wider than 7cm in diameter. Roll each loaf in the breadcrumbs. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Melt 60g of butter with the olive oil in a large ovenproof saute pan set over medium-high heat. When the butter solids turn brown, sear both meatloaves until browned on all sides (if they don't both fit, sear them one at a time, adding more butter for thethe second loaf). Add the shallots, garlic, sage sprigs, and rosemary to the pan. When the onion begins to color, add the wine, let it evaporate, and then add 180ml of the quail stock.
Bake until the juices run clear when pricked with a skewer, 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer the meatloaf to a clean plate, remove and discard the sage and rosemary sprigs, and make the sauce in the pan. Add the cream and use a hand blender to puree the pan sauce. Set the pan over medium heat and let it reduce to a pleasing saucy consistency.
To make the cabbage:
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large braising pan set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and carrots, season with salt and pepper, and stir. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low heat. When the cabbage begins to wilt, add the wine, and let it evaporate. Add the remaining 60ml of quail stock. Let the pan dry out, reduce the heat to very low, cover tightly, and braise until the cabbage is very tender and starts to colour and stick to the pan, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
To serve:
Cut the meatloaf into 1-cm thick slices and then cut each slice in half. Use an ice cream scoop to portion about 50g of polenta in the middle of a plate. Press a piece of cling film on top and flatten the polenta to a circle that's about 10-cm thick. Fan the meatloaf slices over the polenta, scoop some braised cabbage alongside and spoon the sauce over everything. Finish with freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results
