These fresh quails were bought at the Coustellet market on our 2^nd day in Provence. You can buy these at Farm Boy or most grocery stores. Rolf and the girls prepared this amazing meal together in the most inspiring kitchen at the villa we  had rented. I can only take credit for the Zucchini Carpaccio we served with the meal as I was busy taking photos of this awesome family night. 

Ingredients: (serves 4)

4 X 180g quail

Olive Oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

A bunch of thyme

A bulb of garlic, cloves unpeeled

6 strips of orange rind

8 strips of lemon rind

8 sage leaves

4 X pieces of pancetta or prosciutto

Preheat oven to 190C /375F. Rub the quails with oil, season with salt and pepper, and stuff them with a few sprigs of thyme, clove of garlic, strips of orange rind. Lay the strips of lemon rind over the quail breast and sage leaves over the lemon rind and cover this with a piece of pancetta. Secure these toppings on each quail with string. Place them in a roasting pan and cook in a pre-heated oven for 35-45 minutes. Add extra thyme sprigs, garlic, orange and lemon rind and if you have extra pancetta throw that in the pan half way through cooking, baste the meat and return to the oven.

This is great served with roasted vegetables, we served roasted mixed potatoes.

Roasted mixed potatoes  

In a separate dish

Wash 15 new potatoes and 10 purple potatoes (mixed root vegetables are great also)

Olive oil

Chopped shallots or onions

Rosemary

Thyme

Course salt and pepper

Cook at the same time in the oven with the quail for 35- 40 minutes.

Enjoy