Grilled Quail And Fried Eggplant With Mint

Day 11 of our carbless diet - I think I do have photographic memory when it comes to food. I remembered this interesting eggplant dish that I had read somewhere while searching for a side dish to go with the quails. The fried eggplant turned out to be the perfect match with the grilled birds but I think it would go well with just about any grilled meat or fish. Our diet is working very well for us but I am looking forward to some good Asian food over the weekend, dishes are planned so stay tuned.

serves 2
you'll need;
4 quails
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 garlic cloves, crushed
juice of half a lemon
dash of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
mint leaves for garnish

for the fried eggplant with mint;
3 eggplants, cut into cubes
100 ml of extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
60 ml of red wine vinegar
1/2 cup of chopped mint
salt and pepper to taste

Butterfly the quail by cutting off the backbones using a pair of kitchen scissors. Place quail breasts side up on a chopping board and flatten it by pressing it down with you palm. Repeat the process with the rest of the birds.

Marinate quails for at least an hour with garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, olive oil and season well.

 To prepare the fried eggplant with mint - boil eggplant cubes in plenty of boiling water for 5 minutes and drain well.

Heat half the olive oil and saute the drained eggplant and sliced garlic until soften.

Transfer eggplant to a large bowl and add in the rest of the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Season well, cover and marinate for at least an hour. Mix in the chopped mint leaves just before serving.

Grill quails in batches until golden brown (2 to 3 minutes on each side depending on the size of the birds).

Place grilled quails on a bed of the fried eggplants, scatter some extra mint leaves over and serve with a lemon wedge.