Five Spice Roasted Guinea Hens Recipes

ROAST GUINEA HEN

Steps:

• Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place the guinea hen in a large, deep bowl, pour the marinade over and inside the hen, cover the bowl, and marinate, refrigerated, overnight, turning occasionally to ensure that all parts of the bird are covered.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the hen from the marinade. Reserve the marinade. Put the hen in a roasting pan and brush with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Turn the hen breastside down in the pan and roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the hen onto its back, decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees, and roast for 1 hour. While the hen is roasting, place the reserved marinade in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and reduce to approximately 1/4 cup. When the hen has 15 minutes left to cook, pour the reduced marinade over the hen and return it to the oven for its final 15 minutes of cooking. Remove from the oven, and let the hen rest for 10 or 15 minutes before dividing into serving portions.

FIVE-SPICE ROASTED GUINEA HENS

Steps:

• In a small bowl stir together the five-spice powder and 2 tablespoons of the oil, rub the mixture on the guinea hens, and season the hens with salt. In a large heavy skillet heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it brown the hens lightly, 1 at a time. Arrange the browned hens, breast side down, in 2 roasting pans and roast them in a preheated 350°F. oven, switching the pans from one rack to the other after 30 minutes, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the fleshy part of the thigh registers 170°F. Transfer the hens to a cutting board and let them stand, covered loosely with foil, for 15 minutes.
• Make the sauce while the hens are standing:
• Skim the fat from the pan juices, divide the wine between the pans, and deglaze the pans over high heat, scraping up the brown bits. Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan, add the zest, the gingerroot, and the star anise, and boil the mixture until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Add the broth, the water, and the soy sauce and cook the mixture at a slow boil for 5 minutes. Stir the cornstarch mixture, stir it into the zest mixture, and simmer the sauce for 2 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a saucepan and keep it warm.
• Carve the guinea hens, divide the broccoli rabe among 8 heated plates, and arrange the meat on it. Spoon some of the sauce over each serving and serve the remaining sauce separately.
• To make steamed broccoli rabe:
• Trim and discard any yellow or coarse leaves and the tough stem ends from the broccoli rabe and wash the broccoli rabe well in several changes of cold water. In a steamer set over boiling water steam the broccoli rabe, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the stems are tender.

ROASTED GUINEA HEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the guinea hen in an iron skillet large enough for it to fit or in a heavy roasting dish. (Enameled cast iron is best.) Using your hands, rub 2 teaspoons of the olive oil all over the bird, inside and out. Season again all over with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with thyme leaves. Scatter the garlic cloves around the pan.
• Place in the oven and roast 15 minutes. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and roast, basting every 10 minutes with pan drippings, until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 160 degrees; this should take 40 to 50 minutes.
• Remove the hen from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Drain excess fat (leaving some!) from the pan and place over medium-high heat. Pour in the chicken broth. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the pan drippings and bring to a boil. Reduce until the sauce is syrupy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cut the hen into 6 pieces and pour the juices from the cutting board back into the sauce. Serve on a platter and pass the sauce with a big spoon.

ROAST GUINEA FOWL WITH CHESTNUT, SAGE & LEMON STUFFING

Steps:

• First make the stuffing. Soften the onion in the butter very gently, then stir in the sage and cook for 2 mins more. Scrape into a bowl with the chopped walnuts, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, mace, chestnuts and egg and mix together well. Season generously.
• For the guinea fowl, wash and wipe out the inside cavity. Mix the butter with some seasoning, then push and spread some under the skin over the breasts, and rub the rest over the legs. Lay the bacon across the breasts, smoothing over, and season with some more pepper. Push the stuffing into the cavity (any extra can be rolled into balls and baked in the oven for the last 20 mins cooking time). You can cover and chill the guinea fowl now for up to 24 hours.
• To roast, bring the bird out of the fridge 30 mins before. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Sit the bird in a snug roasting tin with the sliced onion underneath. Roast for 15 mins, then lower the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and roast for a further 35-45 mins for a 1kg bird (or longer if bigger - use the timings for a roast chicken). Check the bird is done by piercing the inside of the thigh with a knife and making sure the juices are clear, not bloody. Lift the guinea fowl off the onions, onto a platter. Loosely cover with foil, top with a towel (to keep it warm), and rest while you make the gravy.
• Pour off the juices from the roasting tray into a jug or bowl, and allow to settle. Spoon a tbsp of the fat on top back into the roasting tray, pop on the hob over a low heat (make sure your roasting tray is suitable or transfer contents to a pan), and stir in the flour until it isn't dusty anymore. Gradually stir in the stock, plus any meat juices after you've discarded the rest of the fat, and bubble gently until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, and pinches of sugar if it needs it, then strain into a gravy jug and discard the onions. Serve with the guinea fowl, spooning out the stuffing as you carve, plus cranberry sauce and plenty of vegetables.

ROASTED GUINEA FOWL WITH ROMESCO

Steps:

• Make the brine the day before you want to cook the guinea fowl. Pour 1 litre water into a large saucepan with the beer, salt and chillies. Bring to the boil, then leave to cool. Put the guinea fowl in a roasting tin, pour over the brine and leave to marinate overnight.
• The next day, remove the bird from the brine and pat dry with kitchen paper. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. For the infused oil, put the garlic, oil and paprika in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
• Put the peppers on a baking tray and roast for 20-25 mins until blistered and slightly charred. Wrap in cling film and leave to cool, then deseed each one and peel off the skins. Reduce oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Dip the rosemary brush in the infused oil, brush all over the bird and season. Roast for 50 mins, basting every 15 mins with the herby oil.
• Meanwhile, put all the romesco ingredients in a food processor with some seasoning and blend to make a pesto-like dressing. The guinea fowl is cooked once the juices run clear. Rest for 10 mins, then serve on a platter with lemon wedges, peppery salad leaves and the romesco.

ROASTED GUINEA HENS WITH WHOLE-GRAIN MUSTARD AND HERBS

Steps:

• Cook garlic and potatoes:
• Fill a 3-quart saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add garlic and simmer 5 minutes. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and reserve. Add potatoes to water with bay leaf and salt to taste, then simmer, covered, 10 minutes (potatoes will not be fully cooked). Cool potatoes in hot water, uncovered, then drain and peel.
• Make mustard butter and prepare hens while potatoes are cooling:
• Put a 17- by 11-inch roasting pan in middle of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter and set aside. Mash together mustard, chives, remaining 5 tablespoons butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Reserve 1 tablespoon mustard butter for sauce.
• Remove excess fat from cavities and necks, then rinse hens and pat dry. Run your finger between skin and flesh of breast and legs of each hen to loosen skin (outsides of thighs are easier to access from neck end). Push mustard butter under skin and massage skin from outside to spread butter evenly over breast and legs. Season hens inside and out with salt and pepper and put half of herb stems in cavity of each bird. Tie legs together with kitchen string and close cavity with toothpicks.
• Brush melted butter over hens.
• Roast hens:
• Remove roasting pan from oven and add oil, tilting to coat. Put hens in pan, breast sides up, and scatter potatoes and shallots around them. Roast hens, basting every 10 minutes with a brush and turning vegetables, 30 minutes. Scatter reserved garlic and thyme leaves around hens and roast, basting frequently and turning vegetables, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (without touching bone) registers 170°F and vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes more (30 to 40 minutes more for chickens). Discard string and toothpicks from hens and transfer hens to a platter. Surround with vegetables and keep warm, loosely covered, while making sauce.
• Make sauce:
• Skim fat from pan juices and add chicken broth, then deglaze by boiling, scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Pour sauce through a sieve into a sauceboat and stir in reserved tablespoon mustard butter with salt and pepper to taste.
• Chop tarragon and parsley leaves and scatter over hens and vegetables. Serve with sauce.

POT-ROAST GUINEA FOWL WITH CABBAGE & BACON

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Heat the butter in a large flameproof casserole and brown the guinea fowl all over. Remove and set aside.
• Add the lardons to the pan, cook for 2-3 mins until beginning to turn golden. Add the celery, carrot and onion and cook for 5 mins. Then stir in the cabbage and cook for 5 mins more.
• Add the juniper berries, wine and stock, then sit the guinea fowl on top. Bring to a simmer then cover tightly and roast in the oven for 1 hr 15 mins, until the bird is cooked through.