Ingredients
Guinea fowl
Other Names: African pheasant, faraona (Italian), gallina de Guinea or pintada (Spanish), guinea hen, pintade (French, mature bird), pintadeau (French, young bird).
General Description: The guinea fowl (Numidia melagris, NAMP P5000) is a chickenlike bird with slightly red, somewhat gamy meat. Guinea fowl is the common name for any of several species of the Numididae family native to Africa and Madagascar. They were domesticated by the ancient Greeks and Romans and are still popular in Italy. After dying out in Egypt about 2,000 years ago, they reappeared on the Guinea (or western) coast of Africa and were brought to Europe by Portuguese navigators in the fifteenth century. Guinea fowl are extremely good runners and opt to run, rather than fly, to escape predators. Similar in size to a pheasant, they are slightly smaller than a chicken.
Cooks seek guinea fowl out because of their marvelous flavor and tender meat. For restaurant service, they are often chosen over pheasants because they do not have hard tendons in the leg and thigh. Mostly farm-raised, they are noisy, somewhat difficult to handle, and frighten easily. A mature guinea fowl will have striking white spots on its gray feathers. Confusingly, the term guinea hen is used for males and females.
Characteristics: Guinea fowl have light flesh with little fat. Their meat is light red and slightly dry, milder in flavor than duck, and reminiscent of pheasant without an excessive gamy flavor. They have an exceptionally high yield (50/50 ratio of meat to bone).
How to Choose: Female guinea fowl are more tender than males. Guinea hens weigh 2 1/2 to 3 pounds.
Amount to Buy: Allow one guinea fowl for two people, or 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of whole bird per person. Allow 6 to 8 ounces of boneless guinea fowl per person.
Storage: Store whole guinea fowl 1 to 2 days refrigerated.
Preparation:
- Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity (use the neck, gizzard, and heart for stock; use the liver for stuffing). Rinse the bird with cool water.
- Pat dry and season with salt, pepper, and herbs.
- Guinea fowl is quite lean, so bard it or butter it before roasting. Alternatively, marinate it before grilling.
In a large oven-safe pan, brown in oil on all sides. Brush all over with butter (plain or flavored). - Transfer to the oven and roast at 450°F for 25 minutes, basting every 5 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 170°F measured at the thickest portion of the thigh and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced.
Flavor Affinities:Apple brandy, demi-glace, garlic, grapes, lemons, mustard, plums, sage, shallots, tarragon, thyme, truffles.
from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com
