This is an easy, one-pot recipe that has most of the celebrated ingredients of Greece in it. All are easily found in most supermarkets. The quail are often sold in supermarket freezer sections if you are not a hunter.
4 to 8quail(see headnotes above for substitutions)
Salt
3stalkscelery,chopped
1large yellow onion,sliced thin
1headgarlic,cloves peeled but whole
2teaspoonsdried oregano
1cupwhite wine
3Lemons, zest and juice
12ouncesmarinated artichoke hearts
12ouncespitted black olives
1tablespooncapers(optional)
3tablespoonschopped fresh parsley
Black pepper to taste
Instructions
Using kitchen shears or a knife, cut out the backbones of the quail. If you want to get fancy, remove the ribs as well. I do this so there's less fiddly stuff in the braise when you eat. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Heat the olive oil in a large, lidded pot like a Dutch oven. Salt the quail well and brown them in the oil, removing them to a bowl as they brown. It's OK if not every bit of the quail are browned, but you want some on both sides.
Add the onion and celery and sauté until translucent, but not browned. Add the garlic cloves, the quail back into the pot along with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl, the oregano and the wine. Mix well and let the wine boil for a minute or three.
Just barely cover the quails with water, bring it to a simmer and add salt to taste. Add the lemon zest, cover the pot and put it in the oven for 1 hour.
Take the pot out of the oven and add the artichoke hearts, black olives and capers, if using. If the quail are not yet tender, which might be the case with wild birds, cover the pot and return to the oven until they are. This shouldn't be more than another 30 minutes or so.
Once the quail are tender, add in the parsley, lemon juice and black pepper. Serve with bread, rice or potatoes.
Notes
As I note in the recipe, wild quail will likely take 90 minutes to get tender. If you are using the alternatives, pheasants, grouse and partridges can take 2 hours, and rarely more than that, to get tender. If you are using these, don't add the olives or artichokes until then, or they'll disintegrate.