Recipe: Roast Quail with Fennel and Red Onion

This is 100% my own recipe, only inspired by my love of quails and things I had in the fridge at the time. I made it for my mom this past summer and she LOVED it, so I thought I'd share it (not all my recipes pass the test). The spices in this dish are strong Middle Eastern spices, and offset the gamey quail nicely. Plus, the sweetness of the red onion is a good contrast to the anise-like taste of fennel. 

If you can't find any quails you can substitute in any chicken or game bird. The recipe serves 4 people who have an appetite, or 8 people who eat like birds (no pun intended!).

Ingredients:

- 8 quails, fresh
- 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed
- 2 medium-sized red onions, sliced
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sumac
- 2 tablespoons ground cardamom
- Salt, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 185 ℃ (or 375 ℉). In an oven dish, liberally cover the bottom in olive oil. Add the sumac, ground cardamom, and salt to the oil and mix well.

Rinse your quails and place them in the oven dish, rubbing in the spiced oil on all sides. Chop the red onions and fennel bulbs into slices and add them to the oven dish, mixing well to coat with the spiced oil.

Roast in the oven between 45 minutes and an hour (depending how crispy you like your quail). Serve hot.