La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

What better bird to serve with chicos than the
Garlic and Cumin Pesto Quails. Quails are a small Mexican game bird with a more "chickeny" flavor than regular chicken. The thing to remember about cooking this delicacy is that you should not overcook it or leave it in the oven too long because it will dry out and become tough. I learned this the hard way when I cooked this dish for several people and had to wait 45 minutes to serve the birds. At $15 for four birds, you don't want to start over again. If you are having trouble finding them, go to Whole Foods.

If you are not too keen on trying something new, just use chicken breasts or Cornish hens instead, but be sure to increase the cooking time to 30 minutes, and reduce the heat to 375 degrees.

You will need:

- 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp minced cilantro or 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/4 c toasted pine nuts
- 1/4 c olive oil
- salt to taste (about 1 tsp)
- lime
- 4 quails (may substitute chicken pieces here)

Step One: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil in a mortar and pestle, crushing until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated. You may do this also in a blender, but be sure to slowly drizzle the olive oil in. Add more if your mixture is too thick a paste. It should be slightly runny.

Step Two: Add remaining ingredients, mixing them together.

Step Three: The quails should already have their back bones removed. Wash them and pat dry. Sear each quail on each side in a hot pan over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp of butter or olive oil for 1-2 minutes in order to brown the skin and seal the juices.

Step Four: Place the seared quails onto a roasting pan or cookie sheet, basting them in the garlic-cumin pesto mixture, and roast on each side for 6-8 minutes, or until brown (do not let them dry out). Remove and eat with a hot bowl of chicos, and red chile on top. You can finish dressing the plates with a side of finely chopped cabbage, radish, red onion, and lime juice.