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Quail and Nduja Empanadas with a Nduja Lychee Sauce
Recipe by Josh Clarke
Try these delicious Quail and Nduja Empanadas with a Nduja Lychee Sauce
- Steps
- Ingredients
Ingredients
Empanada Dough
Quail and Nduja Filling
Nduja and Lychee Sauce
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Steps
- Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a tray with baking paper.
- For Empanada Dough, blitz flour, salt and butter in a food processor until butter becomes fine crumbs and has cornmeal-like texture. Whisk egg yolk and milk in a separate bowl then add to flour mixture. Blitz on low until it comes together into a ball of dough.
- Turn onto a lightly floured work surface, then bring together into a smooth ball. Wrap in cling wrap then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- For Quail and Nduja filling, dice parsnip into 1.5cm pieces and add to a saucepan with milk and water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-8 minutes until tender. When cooked, drain parsnips, discarding liquid and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, debone the quail and remove the meat. Reserve the frames for the Lychee Sauce. Chop the quail meat to a mince texture.
- Add oil and butter to medium frypan on a medium-high heat, then add minced quail with nduja. Quickly fry to caramelize meat until about ¾ cooked, so as to retain bite and succulence. Allow to cool. Fold through cooked parsnip with thyme and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Remove dough from fridge, turn out onto lightly floured work surface, and roll out to 3mm thickness. Cut 11cm rounds from dough. Pull remaining dough together and roll again to cut remaining rounds until there is 8-10 rounds.
- In each round, fill one half with 1 ½ tablespoons of chilled quail mixture, leaving a 1.5cm border to seal.
- Fold to enclose, pressing out air and sealing the edge with empanada pleats.
- Place empanadas on a baking tray and brush with egg yolk. Repeat with remaining rounds. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown all over and crispy on the base.
- For the Nduja and Lychee Sauce, season the quail frames generously with salt and pepper. In a large frypan, heat oil on a high heat and fry until browned and slightly charred, about 8 minutes.
- Add 1 ½ cups of water to the frames, with the nduja paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, until liquid is reduced by half. Strain through a fine sieve into another pan, then add butter and blend with a stick mixer to emulsify. Add the lychees and reduce heat to low to allow the sweetness of lychees to release and elevate your sauce.
- Season with vinegar and additional salt and pepper to balance. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- To serve, place empanadas on a warm plate and garnish with thyme and lychees. Remove lychees from sauce and pour into a serving jug to serve.
