Italian Risotto con Quaglie (Quail Risotto)

Instructions

• Season the insides of the quail with salt and pepper and insert a sage leaf into each. Wrap each with pancetta slices, fastening with toothpicks.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown quail, moistening with brandy, 1/2 of the beef stock, and 1/2 of the wine, until most of the wine has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and transfer mixture to a baking dish.
• Roast in the preheated oven until quail are no longer pink in the centers and juices run clear, about 12 minutes, moistening with juices as needed.
• Remove baking dish from the oven and transfer juices to the saucepan; add quail. Cover and cook over low heat, turning frequently, for another 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tablespoon butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until the onion begins to turn golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes. Pour in rice and stir until coated in butter and starting to toast, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium and stir in remaining wine. Let wine simmer until it has mostly evaporated, then stir in 1/3 of the remaining broth; continue stirring until the rice has absorbed the liquid and turned creamy. Repeat this process twice more, stirring risotto constantly, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir remaining butter and 1/2 of the Parmigiano cheese into the risotto.
• Serve each quail on a bed of risotto. Drizzle edges of risotto with pan juices and sprinkle remaining Parmigiano cheese on each quail. Serve hot.