HISTORICAL REVIEW

The “Bermuda 1525” , where the cradle of San Salvador was founded for the first time, opens it's doors to the visitors to taste plates of the colonial time and to enjoy a pleasant stay and its museum. In The Bermuda gourmet plates are prepared.

This is one of our older recipes, transmitted by seven generations, from generation in generation. It is of our complete knowledge; that the history of this plate is very old, maybe before Christ, and the Arabs cooked it in Spain like something exquisitely magic in Isfahan ; since a long time ago.

By the narration and the conquests, we believe that, the Spaniards introduced this exquisite dish that begins traditionally like a ceremony; it revives to the world this very, very old secret of the culinary art.

After plucking the quails empty them, tie their paws to each other so that, they maintain that position. It is important to pluck them in dry, because submerging them in boiling water changes the flavor of the meat. This is one of the many secrets of the cooking that are only acquired with the practice.

INGREDIENTS

8 quail units
24 units of Rose's petals
salt and pepper
Honey
1 small onion
thyme
1 clove of garlic
aromatic herbs
1 carrot (small)
brandy (optional)
1 mature tomato
Nuts or almonds
juice or broth of the same quail
2 tablespoons of flour
to Serve with: Apple puree
green tea (leaves) Potato or Rice
2 spoonfuls of butter
2 spoonfuls of starch of corn
2 spoonfuls of aniseed
½ lemon or orange
olive oil or starch

Preparation

1. In a mortar put the rose petals, the aniseed, and the almonds or nuts, chop all well, incorporate the honey and let it stand.

2. Chop the garlic finely and gild them in the butter; when they are acitronados, add the honey, the rose petals previously prepared with the seed of anisette, almonds, and salt to will. Stir well, at the end of this preparation, add the base or broth where the quails were cooked, so that, the sauce thickens a little. Add two spoonfuls of starch of corn. As soon as it is seasoned, retire from the fire.

3. The quails are previously scrubbed with half lemon or orange and marinated with the petals of rose. Then add salt and pepper.

4. Cook 3 to 5 minutes: with red wine and honey, add salt and pepper let cover so that the little birds cook very slowly, during about ten minutes, a let it stay until cooling down completely. Then wrap up in steel paper with rose petals; since the previous day, preferably.

During 5 to 7 minutes gild the quails (that were prepared with the petals of roses) in olive oil or butter.

As soon as it is seasoned retire from the fire. The quails are only dive during 10 minutes in this sauce, prepared with all the ingredients so that they are impregnated of flavor and they are taken out.

To serve, remove well the whole stew, the sauce doesn't ever dry off, if this happens; add a little bit of water. This sauce will have a tender pink or reddish color. In the presentation, some recently cut rose petals, can not lack.

Serve in a beautiful plate, pour the sauce above the meal, and decorate with a complete rose in the center and the petals to the sides.

VARIANT OF THE PLATE

So that this plate comes out well it is necessary to have red roses whose aroma is very penetrating, in case of not having them, some drops of water of roses can be added. This variant made with essences, implies another recipe: the “quails to the orange blossom” (azahar), it would be made in the same way but putting orange blossom water instead of roses.

This recipe is of exclusive use of “THE BERMUDA 1525” . So we request you not to copy it for you use, and commercial reproduction, without authorization.

Dra. Elizabeth Cañas Huezo.