Roast Quail With Savoy Cabbage and Kasha

• 12 boned quails with legs intact (do not bone legs)
• 2 unpeeled garlic cloves, each cut in half
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped carrot
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons corn, peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 large unpeeled zucchini, ends trimmed
• 2 large carrots, trimmed
• 1 small Savoy cabbage, about 2 1/2 pounds
• 8 lean bacon slices, about 1/2 pound
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• Salt to taste if desired
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Cooked kasha or buckwheat groats (see recipe)

1. Place quails in a dish and sprinkle garlic, chopped carrot, celery, onion, thyme and 1/4 cup of the oil over all.
2. Let stand an hour or longer.
3. Cut outside of zucchini into thin slices (do not use center part), and then into julienne strips.
4. There should be about 3 cups.
5. Cut carrots into slices, then into julienne strips.
6. There should be about 1 1/2 cups.
7. Cut cabbage in half.
8. Trim away and discard core.
9. Cut the halves into slices 1/2 inch thick.
10. There should be about 12 cups.
11. Cut bacon on the bias into thin strips.
12. Put bacon in a large, heavy skillet and cook, stirring, until rendered of fat and starting to brown.
13. Add zucchini and carrots and stir briefly.
14. Add cabbage and caraway seeds.
15. Sprinkle with salt and a generous grinding of pepper.
16. Cook, stirring, about 7 minutes.
17. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
18. In another skillet large enough to hold the quails, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil until almost smoking.
19. Remove quails from marinade and discard marinade.
20. Place quails in skillet skin side down and cook until well browned on one side, about 40 seconds.
21. Turn and cook about a minute on second side.
22. When all quails are browned pour fat from skillet and place quails in the skillet in oven.
23. Bake about 1 minute or until medium rare.
24. Drain quails on absorbent towels.
25. Spoon equal portions of the cabbage mixture onto 6 dinner plates.
26. Arrange each portion in a ring.
27. Spoon an equal portion of kasha into center of each ring and arrange 2 quails, skin side up, on top of kasha.

garlic, carrot, celery, onion, thyme, corn, zucchini, carrots, savoy cabbage, bacon, caraway seeds, salt, freshly ground pepper, kasha

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3081 (may not work)