6 quail
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon dried mustard
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup dry white wine
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Combine honey, Worcestershire, mustard, chili powder, white wine, salt and pepper in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Reduce sauce by half, then transfer to a glass dish capable of holding 6 quail.
3. Marinade the quail for 1/2 an hour at room temperature.
4. Meanwhile, preheat your barbeque until hot; then, reduce heat to low.
5. Remove quail from marinade, place whole cloves of garlic in their cavities and grill, until juices run clear, about 8 minutes per side.

Makes 6 servings

4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup pearl barley
1/2 small onion, minced
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 large Portobello mushroom, sliced
1 clove garlic
white pepper

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat and add onion, thyme and bay leaf.
2. When onion is soft, stir in barley, then top off with 2 cups chicken stock, cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Once most of the liquid has been absorbed, heat the olive oil in a separate pan and add the garlic and sliced mushrooms.
4. Gradually add in remaining chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, until all of the water has been absorbed into the barley.
5. Remove the bay leaf, add the barley to the mushroom pan and stir.
6. Season liberally with white pepper and serve hot.

Makes 6 servings

After a bunch of feedback on what may have gone wrong with last night's Dhal, I have came to the conclusion that it's because I soaked them for so long in hard water. Apparently the minerals toughen them up and since I soaked them for an extended period of time in my crummy tap water, they became incredibly resistant to any type of cooking method. So now I've learned my lesson! I also have failed to die from salmonella, so today is a pretty good day.

I made Marinated Grilled Quail for dinner tonight. After the bloody chicken ordeal Last Night it was probably a bad idea to cook quail because game fowl is naturally sort of pink when fully cooked. The marinade for this is really nice and simple to make. The honey causes it to burn a bit easily, which is evident in one of the quails, but other than that it's got a nice permeating flavor for the little birds and tastes great with the smoky flavor of the grill.

The pack of quail I picked up was already pre-frozen, so I had to thaw and cook 6. This is more than Shannon and I will likely eat, so I ran some downstairs to my neighbors to eat. As far as I can tell it was accepted fairly well, though one plate went in the fridge for later, which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place. The quail might reheat alright, but the Mushroom Barley Risotto doesn't so much. I seem to recall mentioning this dish before, which means it's clearly one of my favorites.

In fact, it is one of my favorite dishes ever; both for its simplicity and its flavor. I prepared it for some guests on my birthday last year, which is a claim as to how much I enjoy it and how I want to share it with as many people as possible. If you like mushrooms or risotto, this is a dish for you. Of course, this is one of those "the sum of its parts" dishes where the quality of ingredients really matters. Use fresh garlic, great quality mushrooms, real butter and extra virgin olive oil and real chicken stock and you won't be sorry. Unfortunately, I did not have Portobello or crimini mushrooms on hand this time, which really sets this dish apart, but I'm including them in the recipe because they make a huge difference. I cannot give it enough praise, so I'll just explain that it's a beautifully creamy and delicious dish that works with a wide variety of accompaniments or a meal in itself and you won't be disappointed if you make it unless you have an aversion to starch or flavor. Meals like this help me bounce back from unfortunate circumstances like almost killing myself.