Guinea Fowl And Snakes Recipes

POT-ROASTED GUINEA FOWL WITH SAGE, CELERY AND BLOOD ORANGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove any excess fat from the cavity of each guinea fowl. Wash thoroughly inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the cavity with a little salt. Cut off the two ends of the oranges, stand them on end and carefully slice off the skin (once you have removed one piece of skin you can see where the flesh meets the skin). Slice the oranges into five or six rounds each. Remove the tougher outside ribs of the celery until you reach the white, dense bulb and slice across thinly.
• Put in a bowl, mix in the thyme and a small pinch of salt and pepper, then stuff the cavity of each guinea fowl with this filling. Pull the skin at the front of each guinea fowl's cavity forward, to cover the filling, and tightly tie/truss up.
• Heat a thick-bottomed pan and add the olive oil and the guinea fowl, the skin of which has been rubbed in sea salt and pepper. Cook until lightly golden on all sides, then add the garlic, butter and sage and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Add the wine at intervals, enough to keep the pan slightly moist at all times. Place in the oven for 45 minutes, checking every 10-15 minutes and just topping up the wine as necessary. The guinea fowl will be roasted and partially steamed.
• When cooked, carefully remove from the oven and place upside down on a dish, allowing all the juices and moisture to relax back into the breast meat for at least 5 minutes. While your meat is resting, make the gravy.
• Remove all the fat from the roasting pan and place the pan on gentle heat. In the bottom of the pan will be your cooked, soft, sweet, whole garlic cloves and some gorgeous sticky stuff--when this gets hot, scoop out the stuffing from the guinea fowl cavity and add to the pan with about 2/3 cup of wine. As the wine boils and steams, scrape all the goodness with a spoon from the bottom of the pan into the liquor. When it has all dissolved, leave to simmer gently. Squash the cooked garlic out of their skins with a spoon (discard the skins); this will also thicken the gravy slightly, as well as give it flavor. Pour any of the juices that have drained out of the rested birds into the pan with the gravy, simmer and season to taste. Serve the guinea fowl with roast potatoes and any simply cooked green vegetable--spinach, kale, bok choy or broccoli.

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.

LEMON ROAST GUINEA FOWL WITH JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the Jerusalem artichokes, shallots and caulifower with the rapeseed oil, garlic and 2 thyme sprigs in a large roasting tray and season. Squeeze over one lemon half, cut in half and throw it in. Roast in the oven while you prepare the guinea fowl.
• Bring the chicken stock to a gentle boil with the bay leaf. Submerge the guinea fowl, breast-side down, bring back to a gentle boil and poach for 5 mins. Using tongs, carefully remove the guinea fowl from the stock, cautiously pouring any stock from its cavity. Remove to a plate and pat dry. Pour about 500ml (to make extra sauce for the end) of the stock into a smaller pan, turn the heat up and boil until it's reduced by two thirds, then remove from the heat. Freeze the rest of the stock for another time.
• Once it's cooled a little, place the bay leaf and two sprigs of thyme inside the bird with the butter and remaining lemon half. Rub with a little rapeseed oil and season well with salt and pepper. Take the pan of vegetables out of the oven and top with the guinea fowl, return the pan to the oven and roast for 30 mins more, or until the bird is cooked and golden and the artichokes and cauliflower leaves are crispy and cooked through. Remove from the oven, and transfer the bird to a plate to rest, pouring any juices into the reduced stock. Rest the bird for at least 15 mins. Add the white wine to the reduced stock and boil hard for about 10 mins, until reduced and syrupy. Stir in the redcurrant jelly. Season to taste. Carve the bird and serve with the Jerusalem artichokes and cauliflower, with the sauce to pour over.

GUINEA FOWL TAGINE

Steps:

• The day before cooking, put all the ingredients for the chermoula in a blender and process until smooth. Pour over the bird and marinate in the fridge overnight.
• Next day, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. Scrape the chermoula marinade off the bird and set aside. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the bird on all sides over a high heat. Put the carrots, onions, fruit and reserved chermoula into the tagine and place the guinea fowl on top. Pour in about 400ml water - enough to come 1cm from the top of the tagine base. Cover and cook in the oven for about 45 mins, then turn the heat down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and cook for another 45 mins.
• About 15 mins before serving, rinse the couscous in cold water and put in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and scatter with the butter and sultanas. Pour on 200ml boiling water. Cover and leave for 10 mins or until the grains are plump and tender. Open the tagine at the table and stir the preserved lemon and mint into the juices. Serve the couscous and harissa separately.

GUINEA FOWL WITH MUSTARD & LEMON ROOTS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Wipe the guinea fowl and season all over with salt and pepper, place in a large roasting tray and pop in the oven. Finely grate the lemon zest and scrape into a large bowl. Add the mustard and oil and mix well. Halve the lemon and put it inside the bird.
• Meanwhile, peel the carrots and potatoes, then cut them into thick chunks. Cut the leeks into 3-4 pieces, depending on their length. Add all the veggies to the bowl with the oil and mustard, and mix until well coated.
• When the guinea fowl has been roasting for 30 mins, add the veggies around the bird, sprinkle with a little salt and return to the oven for a further 45 mins.
• Splash the wine around the bird and over the veggies and put the bacon over the bird. Return to the oven for a further 15-20 mins, until the bacon is crisp and the veggies are tender.

ONE-POT ROAST GUINEA FOWL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Toss the vegetables with the oil and some seasoning in a large flameproof roasting tin. Place the bird on top of the veg, smear with 1 tbsp butter and lay the rashers in a row over the breast. Season generously, then roast for 40 mins.
• Remove from the oven and give the veg a stir while adding the garlic and thyme. Pour 200ml stock and the wine over the veg and return to oven to roast for another 40 mins until the bird is cooked through and the juices run clear.
• Remove the bird, place on a serving plate, cover with foil to keep warm and leave to rest. Turn the oven up to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and roast the veg for a further 15 mins until tender.
• Remove the veg with a slotted spoon and transfer to the serving plate with the bird. Mix 2 tsp butter and flour in a small bowl to form a smooth paste. Place the roasting tin with all the cooking juices, plus any resting juices, on the hob. Whisk the paste and redcurrant jelly into the juices until dissolved, then add the remaining stock and extra seasoning, if you like. Bubble for a few mins until the sauce thickens. Slice and serve the guinea fowl, crisp bacon and the veg with the sauce on the side.

GUINEA FOWL

Steps:

• Split guinea fowl or poussins. Remove wing portions and backbones. Bone breasts and thighs, leaving breast and thigh pieces attached with skin. Place each piece in a separate zip-top plastic freezer bag and spoon in 2 tablespoons fat. Add a pinch of pepper, sugar and salt to each, expel air from the bags, seal. Squeeze to mix.
• For chicken jus: Boil chicken stock in a saucepan until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups. Add port and boil until mixture is syrupy and reduced to 2/3 cup, about 20 minutes. Season with soy sauce, walnut oil and salt.
• For bread sauce: Place bread, garlic, salt, pepper and sugar in a food processor and blend into crumbs. Drizzle in oil and blend into a paste.
• For parsley oil: Combine oil and parsley in a blender and purée.
• Heat 3 quarts of water in a 5-quart saucepan to 140 degrees. Place the fowl packets in the water, cover and cook 35 minutes, until you can push your finger into the thigh of the bird. Do not test flesh through the skin side. Remove from bags and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and broil until golden on each side, about 8 minutes total.
• Reheat jus. Divide the spinach and daikon among 4 plates and drizzle with 2 tablespoons jus. Top each with a half fowl, then the remaining jus. Drizzle with parsley oil and arrange a leek half over top. Place the potatoes, beans and a dollop of bread sauce to the side.