And suddenly it is Christmas again… I like the atmosphere of Christmas, but apart from that it has no real special meaning to me. Sure, I am happy that they days are getting longer again, but not more than that. It is more an enjoyable day to spend with someone close to you.
Marion is reading on the couch while enjoying a good glass of wine. And I work on my blog. The sound of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons on a nice volume finds its way through the apartment. And it is good this way.
Today I prepared for Marion and me quail (“kwartel”). It is the first time that I prepared quail, so I better do it the first time for Marion and me alone. We always have to laugh when something really goes wrong (and there is always something in the freezer when it turns out not wise to eat :P). But when you have visitors you want everything to go well.
Miranda, my chef cook friend, always tells me that good preparations are the half work. Especially when you make something for the first time… and for once I listened to her (just kidding, I always listen to her good advices)…
As first I fried some small pieces of bacon in hot pan without butter or oil (bacon has enough oil itself). Added some fine-cut chicken filet, grounded nuts, some raisins, thyme, salt and pepper.This all I friend for about 5 minutes.
The friend mixture I used to fill the two quails. Another good advice here from Miranda to make sure I had special oven wire for the quail. Normal wire will burn in the oven and it should not contain any plastics that can melt.
Finally I wrapped the two quails in bacon.
The inside of an oven scale I buttered with real butter. The two quails went into the scale. I filled the scale with the left over of that what I used to fill the quails. On top of that fine-cut carrots and unions.
The scale was placed for 45 minutes in the oven on a temperature 220 degrees. Meanwhile I prepared some small potatoes (with peel) and as vegetables a mixture of carrots and snow peas.
And the two dishes were ready…
And even when I say myself so, I tasted very good!!!
Tomorrow Marion’s parents will come to Heemskerk. They are always good company. And later in the evening Marion and I will leave for Schiermonninkoog to spend some nice quiet days in a house we rented there (in the very quiet part of the isle). I am really looking forward to that… no mobile phone, no internet… just relaxing and enjoying!