How To Cook Guinea Fowl Food

ROAST GUINEA FOWL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) mark 6. Put the guinea fowl in a bowl, add the lemon zest and juice, bay leaves, thyme and peppercorns. Cover and leave to marinate for 1hr.
• Put the bird in a roasting tin, breast side down, stuff with the lemon quarters and the butter, pour the stock over and roast for 50min.
• Turn the guinea fowl on to the backbone, and continue to roast for 20min or until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a skewer.
• Put the guinea fowl on a board and cover with foil. Leave to rest.
• To make the gravy, put the roasting tin on the heat and scrape up the juices in the pan. Add redcurrant jelly, wine and 50ml (2fl oz) water to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3-5 min to make a gravy and season well.

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.

HOW TO COOK GUINEA FOWL

Steps:

• Thaw frozen guinea fowl in the fridge for 24 hours. If you purchased guinea fowl frozen, it needs to safely thaw in the refrigerator before you can cook it. Keep the guinea fowl in its packaging and put it on a tray in case it leaks as it thaws. If you need to thaw the guinea fowl more quickly, submerge it in cold water for about 2.5 hours. Change the water every 30 minutes and replace it with fresh cold water. Never set frozen guinea fowl on the counter to thaw at room temperature or use hot water to thaw it. It could grow harmful bacteria with these methods.
• Rinse the thawed guinea fowl, pat it dry, and rest it in the fridge for 24 hours. If you don't have time to do this, you can skip this step. If possible, though, set it on a wire rack over top of a plate and leave it uncovered in the fridge. This helps the skin on the guinea fowl dry out a little bit, which means it'll get crispier in the oven. If you can't find a 4 pounds (1.8 kg) bird, get 2 smaller ones. This step is in addition to the 24 hours it took to thaw the guinea fowl if you purchased it frozen.
• Take the guinea fowl out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before cooking it. This will help the meat cook through more evenly than if you were to pop it into the oven straight from the refrigerator. Set it on a wire rack over a plate so that it doesn't sit in liquid. If you reverse engineer the time it'll take to rest, roast, and prepare the bird, you'll know when to take it out of the fridge. For example, it takes about 10 minutes to prep the guinea fowl, 60 minutes to cook it, and 15 minutes for it to rest. With that math, plan on taking the guinea fowl out of the fridge 2-2.5 hours before you want to eat.
• Preheat the oven to 400 °F (204 °C). Because the guinea fowl isn't as large as other birds, it won't take nearly as long to cook. While the oven is preheating, take a moment to gather your ingredients in one place so you have everything you need. This is also a time when you could prep whatever side dishes you're planning to serve. You can finish making them while the bird is roasting in the oven.
• Smash 3 cloves of garlic but leave the skins in place. Simply place the garlic cloves on a clean cutting board and crush them with a chef's knife's flat side. This releases the garlic's aroma and flavor to penetrate the bird as it cooks. If you don't have fresh garlic cloves, use 3 tsp (9 grams) of pre-minced garlic.
• Set the guinea fowl in a large cast-iron skillet. If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, you could use a roasting dish or a dutch oven. Use a skillet that's 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) deep so the juices don't spill into the oven. The juices will be used in the pan sauce later on; plus, spilled liquid will burn in the oven and create a huge mess. Don't use a baking sheet or baking stone for this dish.
• Rub the guinea fowl with 2 teaspoons (9.9 mL) of olive oil. Wash your hands first, then pour the olive oil over the bird. Use your hands to massage the oil into the bird's skin. Make sure to get all around its sides and the bottom, too! The olive oil will help the skin crisp up even more while the guinea fowl roasts; plus, it'll impart a great flavor to the bird. Remember to wash your hands after this step. You don't want to touch anything else until you've cleaned your hands to prevent spreading harmful bacteria from the raw chicken to other surfaces.
• Spread the salt, pepper, thyme, and crushed garlic over the guinea fowl. Sprinkle 3/4 tsp (3.5 grams) of sea salt, 1/2 tsp (1 gram) of black pepper, and 2 tbsp (5 grams) of fresh thyme leaves over the bird. Place the 3 cloves of smashed garlic around the guinea fowl in the skillet. If you don't have fresh thyme, substitute 1.5 tsp (1.5 grams) of dried thyme. This is where you could get a little more adventurous if you wanted to. You could add sage leaves, lemon wedges, sliced shallots, chopped onion, bay leaves, dried or fresh rosemary, oregano, or even a drizzle of honey.

ROAST GUINEA FOWL WITH BRIE

Steps:

• Season fowl inside and out with pepper.
• Pre-heat the oven to hot.
• Melt the butter in a frying pan until sizzling, and lightly brown the birds on all sides.
• Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Mash the Brie with a fork, and mix with the lemon juice and marjoram.
• Halve the mix and place each half in the cavity of a bird.
• Tuck the wings under the birds, but don't close the cavity.
• Put the birds in a roasting dish, pour the pan juices over and cover loosely with foil.
• Roast in the center of the oven for 35-40 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven and halve the birds, discarding the spinal bones.
• Keep the birds warm.
• Stir the port into the pan juices, on the top of the stove and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.
• Add the cream and stirring constantly, reheat without boiling until the sauce is smoothe and well blended.
• Taste and add the salt if necessary.
• Spoon the sauce over the birds and serve at once.

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.

ROAST GUINEA FOWL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Wash birds and pat dry. Gently loosen the skin of each fowl's breast and place flat-leaf parsley leaves under it. Fill birds with stuffing, truss with butcher's twine, and place in a foil-lined roasting pan. Melt butter and brush birds; sprinkle with salt and pepper, and surround with the chervil, parsley, and garlic.
• Roast for 15 minutes. Add wine to pan and brush birds again with melted butter. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and roast for 1 hour. Cover with foil and roast for 15 to 30 minutes more.

ROAST GUINEA FOWL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to very hot.
• Fold the wings behing the bird, and tie the legs loosely together.
• Brush with the butter and cover the breasts with the slices of bacon.
• Place on a rack set over a baking dish and cook in the center of the oven for 20 minutes per pound.
• Transfer the birds to a warmed serving dish and cover.
• Add the wine to the pan juices with the lemon juice and boil rapidly for a moment or two.
• Adjust the seasoning and serve with the birds.
• Discard the bacon.