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.

The very name of the chukar evokes the sound of its call and the ache in my legs at the end of the day.
Chuka-chuka-chuka.

Idaho’s Salmon River is called the River of No Return because, in the old days, once you rafted down it, there was no way to get back up. That was before there was a trail, before there were jet boats, before there chukar in the canyon.

We could hear them when we were away from the boat and the roar of the river. Yet there were a thousand feet to climb before we might hope to see a point and the flush. I had little doubt that we were the first people this year to walk this ridge with shotguns in hand.

Ingredients
4 quail, dressed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 pearl onions, skinned
3 cloves fresh garlic, skinned and chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup tomato juice
8 cherry tomatoes
8 green beans, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
8 snap peas

For Pesto
Ingredients
2 cups basil leaves, washed and dried
3 cloves garlic, skinned
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2 Wash the quail and dry them well. Season with salt and black pepper.
3 In a heavy skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. When the butter stops bubbling, add the quail, breast side down, and cook about 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Cook the other side until golden brown. Remove the quail from the pan and reserve.
4 Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, garlic, pepper and zucchini to the pan. Stir the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and tomato juice and bring to a boil. Add the reserved quail to the pan. Cover and place into the oven. Cook for 25 minutes.
5 Add the cherry tomatoes, green beans and snap peas to the pan and return the pan to the oven and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes.
To make the pesto, place the basil, garlic and pine nuts into a food processor. Pulse until the basil begins to break down. With the motor running, add the olive oil and salt. Place the basil mixture into a small bowl. Fold in the Parmesan cheese. Reserve.
To serve, dive the vegetables among 4 plates. Place the birds on top of the vegetables. Serve with pesto on the side.