Pappardelle with Quail Sauce

Pappardelle with quail sauce is egg noodles with sliced quail, dried morels, celery and red wine, ready in about 1 hour. It feeds 4 and makes a rich, earthy dinner for a night when you want something a little special.

Why This Recipe Works

Dried morels give this sauce its deep, woodsy flavor. Soak them in warm water until soft, then squeeze them dry. The soaking liquid is full of mushroom taste, so you keep it and stir a little into the sauce later.

Quail is lean and cooks fast. Slice the breasts and livers thin and fry them for only a few minutes. They stay tender instead of turning tough and dry, and the livers melt into the sauce and make it richer.

The red wine needs a short simmer before anything else goes in. Two to three minutes cooks off the sharp alcohol taste and leaves a mellow, fruity base. The optional cream then rounds the sauce out if you want it softer.

Pappardelle with Quail Sauce Ingredients

For the sauce

• 1 ounce dried morels
• 2 ounces butter
• 1 celery stalk, very finely sliced
• Breasts and livers of 4 quails, finely sliced
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pasta

• 13 ounces dried egg pappardelle
• 3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan

How To Make Pappardelle with Quail Sauce

Prepare the mushrooms

1. Soak the morels: Cover the dried morels with warm water and leave them for 20 minutes, until soft. Soft morels cook evenly and don’t stay chewy in the sauce.
2. Drain and slice: Drain the morels and squeeze them dry. Keep the strained soaking liquid, because you need some of it later. Slice the larger morels and leave the small ones whole.

Make the quail sauce

3. Soften the celery: Melt the butter in a large skillet over gentle heat. Add the celery and cook it slowly until it softens, so it sweetens the base without browning.
4. Fry the quail: Add the sliced quail breasts and livers. Fry for a few minutes, stirring now and then, so the meat cooks through but stays tender.
5. Add morels and wine: Stir in the morels, then pour in the red wine. Let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes until most of the wine has cooked away.
6. Splash in the liquid: Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved soaking liquid and cook for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cream now if you want a richer sauce.

Cook and toss the pasta

7. Boil the pappardelle: Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for about 6 minutes, until al dente, then drain. Wide egg noodles cook quickly, so start tasting a minute early.
8. Toss and serve: Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss well. Mix in the Parmesan so it coats every ribbon, and serve right away.

Recipe Tips

• Ask the butcher to bone: Boning quail takes some practice. A butcher can do it for you in a minute, and you can ask for the livers to be saved too.
• Use the soaking liquid: Strain it through a fine sieve or a coffee filter first. Dried morels hold grit, and a gritty sauce ruins the dish.
• Slice the meat thin: Thin slices of quail cook in a few minutes and stay juicy. Thick pieces take longer and dry out.
• Don’t skip the salt in the water: The pasta is the base of the dish. Well-salted water seasons the noodles, so the sauce doesn’t have to do all the work.

What To Serve With Pappardelle with Quail Sauce

Serve this pappardelle in warm shallow bowls with a little extra Parmesan on top. A simple green salad with a sharp lemon dressing and a glass of the same red wine you cooked with fit an Italian table well.

How To Store

• Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Warm the pasta in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water until hot all the way through. Quail turns tough if you rush it, so keep the heat low.
• Freezer: Freeze the sauce alone, without the pasta, for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge and cook fresh pasta to go with it.

FAQs

Can I use chicken instead of quail?

Yes. Thinly sliced chicken breast works, though the flavor is milder. Fry it a little longer, until no pink is left in the middle.

Can I use fresh mushrooms instead of dried morels?

You can, but the sauce will taste lighter. Dried morels give a deep, smoky flavor that fresh button mushrooms can’t match. If you switch, skip the soaking liquid and add a little extra wine.

Can I make the sauce ahead of time?

Yes. Make the sauce up to 2 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Reheat it gently while the pasta boils, and add the cream at the end.

Why is my sauce too thick or dry?

Pasta soaks up liquid as it sits. Stir in another spoonful of the morel soaking liquid or a splash of the pasta water, and toss again until the ribbons look glossy.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.

• Calories: about 680 kcal
• Total Fat: 28g
• Total Carbohydrate: 68g
• Dietary Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 34g

Pappardelle with Quail Sauce

Recipe by Paula

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

55

minutes

Wide egg pappardelle tossed in a sauce of sliced quail, dried morels, celery and red wine, finished with Parmesan. A rich dinner for 4 that comes together in about an hour.

Ingredients

• For the sauce

• 1 ounce dried morels

• 2 ounces butter

• 1 celery stalk, very finely sliced

• Breasts and livers of 4 quails, finely sliced

• 2/3 cup dry red wine

• 4 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• For the pasta

• 13 ounces dried egg pappardelle

• 3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

• Soak the morels: Cover the dried morels with warm water and leave them for 20 minutes, until soft. Soft morels cook evenly and don’t stay chewy in the sauce.
• Drain and slice: Drain the morels and squeeze them dry. Keep the strained soaking liquid, because you need some of it later. Slice the larger morels and leave the small ones whole.
• Soften the celery: Melt the butter in a large skillet over gentle heat. Add the celery and cook it slowly until it softens, so it sweetens the base without browning.
• Fry the quail: Add the sliced quail breasts and livers. Fry for a few minutes, stirring now and then, so the meat cooks through but stays tender.
• Add morels and wine: Stir in the morels, then pour in the red wine. Let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes until most of the wine has cooked away.
• Splash in the liquid: Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved soaking liquid and cook for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cream now if you want a richer sauce.
• Boil the pappardelle: Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for about 6 minutes, until al dente, then drain. Wide egg noodles cook quickly, so start tasting a minute early.
• Toss and serve: Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss well. Mix in the Parmesan so it coats every ribbon, and serve right away.