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About The Cold Guinea Fowl Recipe
Originating from West Africa, this black and white speckled bird was first imported to Europe by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. As well as being popular meat in West Africa, French and Italian chefs can’t get enough of it and are some of the biggest guinea fowl producers in Europe.
The birds are generally a little smaller than a chicken and their flavor is somewhere between chicken and pheasant, with a mild gamey flavor. It’s the perfect bird for you if you find cooking game tricky, but would like to give something new a try.
Roast or braise in a stew or curry as you would a chicken, but make sure to adjust your timings accordingly as guinea fowls are a little smaller and generally contain half the amount of fat as a chicken, meaning they can have a tendency to dry out if not cooked with care.
What Guinea Fowl Goes With
Guinea fowl comes into season in time for autumn and runs through until the end of winter, so naturally it pairs nicely with earthy, autumnal flavors like mushrooms and beetroot, and robust winter root vegetables such as celeriac or parsnip. Like other game, it is also delicious with winter fruits such as quince, plums or prunes.
What To Look for When Buying Guinea Fowl
Guinea fowl season runs from September through to February. They are readily available in larger supermarkets these days, and as with all meat, organic and free-range birds are not only more ethical, but provide tastier meat.
You want a bird no older than fourteen weeks – the younger the bird, the more tender it will be. Older birds should be reserved for braising to ensure the meat doesn’t dry out.
One bird should feed 2–3 people, so make sure you buy enough if cooking for a crowd. Although they’re pretty uncommon, guinea fowl eggs are a wonderfully rich treat!
See below for a classic, simple method for cooking Cold Guinea Fowl.
Cold Guinea Fowl
Ingredients
- large guinea fowl
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of orange extract mixed with a dash of orange oil
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
- Chicken stock, optional
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2-1/4 cups apple juice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Orange slices, for garnish
- Pineapple slices, for garnish
Instructions
- Season the guinea fowl inside and out with the salt and garlic cloves, leaving some cloves inside the fowl and some embedded in the skin. Put the bird in a large pan.
- Combine the fruit juices and pepper and pour the mixture over the fowl.
- Cover and simmer gently for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, turning from time to time.
- You may need to add more apple juice or some chicken stock to prevent burning and ensure there is enough fluid to cook the fowl fully. Preheat the oven to 450 F/240 C.
- When the fowl is cooked, remove it from the juices and brush it all over with a mixture of the vegetable oil and the orange essence and oil.
- Place the fowl in a roasting pan and brown it quickly in the oven.
- When brown, remove and cool. Carve the fowl, garnish it with pineapple and orange slices and serve with a green salad.
