Achiote Marinated Quail

Achiote seeds impart a pungent flavour but not a spicy one and cause a dramatic colour transformation that will lend a brilliant orange-red cast to the quail.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 tbsp achiote seeds
• 4 semiboneless quail
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling. Stir in the achiote seeds and remove from the heat. Allow to cool.

Put the quail in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. When the olive oil is cool, pour it through a fine strainer and put the seeds in a cheesecloth. Tie the cloth securely shut and add it to the oil. Now pour the oil over the quail and add the seed bag to the bowl. Allow quail to marinate between 1 and 3 hours, refrigerated.

Soak 8 wooden skewers in water (this prevents them from burning up). Now thread two skewers crosswise in an X through each quail and lay birds in a flat pan. Grill over medium high heat, turning from time to time, until crisp and juicy.