Relaxed Guinea Fowl

Relaxed Guinea Fowl

(Because all the guests have left, the pressure is off, and you just make it to the market after a blow out on Friday night.)

One Guinea Fowl approximately two kilos

One quince
One each small white, yellow and red onion
Outer leaves of fennel

Pickle juice
Sherry
Wine
Ham fat

Tablespoon Salt
Bay leave crushed
Smoked sweet Spanish paprika
Juniper berry
Currants/grapes from Selcuk
Four allspices
Two cloves
Eight black peppercorns
Six thin strips preserved lemon skin (in salt)
Teaspoon of salted tarragon

Clean guinea fowl--remove giblets, feet, head, neck, forewings
Cut guinea fowl in half lengthwise with v. sharp knife

Finely dice quince, onions and fennel and two tablespoons ham fat (leftover from the New Year ham). Sautee together for ten minutes, add water to keep from scorching, then reduce, put aside, make hole in the middle, add a tablespoon olive oil and add the spices that have been crushed finely in a mortar. Fry spices, then mix in and fry all together for another five minutes, plus the currants (a handful)

Preheat oven.

Rub pan with more ham fat. Place bird skin side down. Salt lightly. Then add the warm veggie quince on top, in the cavity.

Add water, splash of sherry, liberal splash of juice from homemade pickled peppers, two demitasse fragrant wine like Zinfendel (we used “village”’ wine), at least halfway covering birds.

Cover with foil and bake medium heat for 40 minutes, turn down and bake another hour and a half on low, checking occasionally to baste and top up liquid. Last half hour turn over birds (doesn’t matter if veggie spills out into liquid) so skin browns and crisps but don’t dry them out.

Served with ewe curd polenta/puliska (very nice with au jus on top) and carrot and endive salad (with lime, salt and Xerex vinegar).

Result: one v. juicy bird. Very light meal. Enough for four portions.