Ingredients

(serves six)

For the marinade
175ml olive oil
50ml pomegranate concentrate
30g tamarind paste
3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
½ onion, finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick, broken into two or three pieces
2 star anise, broken to release flavour
3 or 4 sage leaves
1tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper
12 quail crowns (breasts on the bone)

For the new potatoes and dressing
50ml pomegranate concentrate
50ml raspberry purée
175ml olive oil
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Seeds from 1 whole pomegranate
6 new potatoes, sliced

For the honey-glazed vegetables
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into ribbons
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced into ribbons
2tbs clear honey

30g unsalted butter
Splash of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Baby spinach leaves
4 or 5 sage leaves, finely shredded, or a handful of sage flowers
Deep-fried shallot rings to garnish

Method

Combine marinade ingredients and marinate crowns of quail for about 12 hours.

Sear marinated crowns in a hot pan until golden and then roast in hot oven for 4-5 minutes until cooked but still pink in middle.

Combine ingredients for dressing and slowly sauté potatoes in this mixture.

Wilt down ribbon vegetables in a hot pan with the honey, butter, oil and seasoning until cooked and glossy. Finish cooking sauté potatoes. Add the spinach to the vegetables in the pan and allow to wilt over the heat. Add sage.

Remove breasts from the bone. Lightly dredge shallots with flour and deep-fat fry until crisp and golden.

Put the potatoes on plates, top with the vegetables and arrange quail breasts on top. Drizzle generously with pomegranate dressing, scattering a few of the fruit seeds around. Top with the deep-fried shallots.

Tessa Bramley

Photo © Rob Whitrow