How To Cook Guinea Fowl 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.

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.

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.