Quail Stuffed With Pomegranate

• 2 cups dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 8 crushed dry sage leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 large pomegranates
• 8 quails
• 16 thin slices pancetta
• 5 tablespoons lard or olive oil

1. Combine the wine, honey, mint and sage in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Peel the pomegranates and carefully remove the seeds by breaking the pomegranates into sections.
3. Place the pomegranate seeds and the quails in the wine mixture.
4. Let marinate in the refrigerator, 2 to 4 hours.
5. Remove the quails from the marinade and pat dry.
6. Drain the seeds out of the marinade.
7. Reserve 1/3 cup of the seeds and stuff the quails with the rest.
8. Reserve the marinade.
9. Truss the quails and wrap each in two slices of pancetta.
10. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
11. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the lard or oil and quickly brown the quails.
12. Place them in the oven and bake 6 to 8 minutes.
13. Remove the quails from the oven and transfer them to a serving platter.
14. Deglaze the pan with the reserved marinade over high heat, stir in the reserved pomegranate seeds, pour over the quails and serve.

white wine, honey, mint leaves, sage, salt, pomegranates, thin, lard

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4188 (may not work)