1 lb. ground meat sausage (any kind)
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup light brown sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup flavored bread crumbs
2 sprigs fresh thyme, cut in pieces
1 cup chopped, roasted pecans
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 cup celery, chopped
½ cup spring onions, chopped
4 ripe apricots, chopped (without pits)
6 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
6 semi-boneless quail
salt and pepper to taste
handful of paprika
1 tsp. ground dried ginger flour coating
1 cup sunflower oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper chopped parsley cherry tomatoes
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Fry the sausage and set it aside; reserve the drippings. Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, buttermilk, eggs, bread crumbs, thyme, and sausage drippings together, along with half of the pecans, carrots, celery, and onions, and spoon into a small loaf pan. Bake for about 50 minutes. Let cool completely.
Place a few large spoonfuls of the baked bread crumb mixture in a large bowl, and mix it well, mashing if necessary, with the sausage, the apricots, and the remaining pecans. Add half the Balsamic vinegar and stir well.
Wash the quail thoroughly and pat dry, inside and out. Season the inside of each quail cavity with salt and pepper; then stuff a few spoonfuls of the bread crumb mixture inside each bird. Season the outside of the bird with a little paprika mixed with ginger and tie the legs together with some twine or unflavored dental floss.
Mix a handful of flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl as a coating for each quail and see to it that they are well covered on both sides. Heat the sunflower oil in a large skillet and sear the quail, turning occasionally, until the entire bird has a golden tinge to its skin. Remove the quail from the skillet and transfer to a large, deep, ovenproof pan. Add the remaining vinegar to the pan drippings and bring to a boil; then spoon over the quail. Raise the oven temperature to 350° and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve over the remaining baked bread crumb mixture, surrounded by chopped parsley and cherry tomatoes.