The first bird up was a chukar partridge and it skied rapidly and then cut left. The sweet-mounting and swinging Caesar Guerini 20-gauge loaner gun barked and the partridge folded. Thank goodness my first shot was a hit, and I gladly accepted the “nice shot” accolades…

… Our visit to Virginia’s premier sporting resort was off to a good start, and it only got better with nice-working pointers, hard-flying chukars and ringneck pheasants, and beautiful surroundings in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

Ingredients
1 red onion cut in quarters
1 ripe peach, pits removed, cut in quarters
4 quail, dressed
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto
4 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Watercress or greens
Directions
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2 Heat the canola oil in a roasting pan large enough to hold all the ingredients in one single layer. (If one pan is not large enough, use two – one for peaches and onions, one for quail.) Remove the pan from the heat and carefully place the red onions and the peach halves, cut side down, into the pan.
3 Wrap the prosciutto around the quail. Season with salt and pepper and place the birds into the roasting pan along side the peaches and red onion.
4 Place the roasting pan in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the quail are cooked through.
5 Remove the quail, peaches and onions from the pan and arrange on a large platter. The onions should be tender and golden brown and the peaches should be dark brown. If necessary, cook them both cut side down on the stovetop until well colored. Decorate with the watercress. Reserve.
6 Add the sherry vinegar, chicken stock and honey to the pan and bring to a boil ontop of the stove. Season with salt to taste. Whisk in the butter and pour over and around the quail.

Ingredients
4 quail, dressed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs tarragon
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
4-6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 fresh morels or dried morels soaked in warm water and drained
1 cup Arborio rice
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
3 scallions, white parts and 2 inches of green tops, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2 Rinse the quail and dry thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Stuff the cavity of each quail with a spring of tarragon.
3 Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-based saute pan until the butter stops bubbling. Add the quail, breast side down, and cook until golden brown. Turn and cook on the other side until golden brown.
4 Place the pan in the oven and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the quail is just cooked through. Remove the quail from the pan and place on an oven-proof platter. Keep warm while making the risotto.
5 Heat the stock and white wine in a small saucepan until it boils. Turn off the heat.
6 Add the onion, garlic and morels to the pan in which the quails were cooked. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the rice with the vegetables.
7 Add 1 cup of warm broth to the pan and stir gently until most of the liquid is absorbed. add another cup of broth and continue to stir until absorbed. Continue cooking the rice in this way until about 3-4 cups of stock have been used. Season the rice with salt to taste.
8 Add the peas and scallions and 1 cup of broth to the pan. Stir until the broth has been absorbed. Taste the rice. If it is still quite hard, add more broth until the rice is just barely tender. Add 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Add the lemon zest and stir to continue.
To serve, divide the rice among warm pasta bowls. Place a quail on top of the rice and sprinkle with remaining cheese.