Guinea fowl with beetroot risotto and spinach salad
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Makes: 4 portions
 
Ingredients
Sauce
  • 2 guinea fowls
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 onion
  • 1 stick celery
  • 70 gr tomato puree
  • 1 onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tbspn thyme
  • 150 gr red wine
  • 100 gr red port
  • 50 gr cold butter
Red beetroot crisps
  • 3 cooked red beetroot
  • 50 gr water
  • 50 gr white sugar
Pearl barley
  • 1 onion
  • 2 clove of garlic
  • 200 gr pearl barley
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 6 cooked red beetroot
  • 1 tbspn thyme
Spinach salad
  • 50 gr walnuts
  • 1 tspn sea salt
  • 2 apples
  • 2 tspn white wine vinegar
  • 6 tbspn olive oil
  • 1 tspn mustard
  • 1 tspn honey
  • 80 gr rocket and spinach
  • 50 gr Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Sauce
  1. Preheat the oven to op 180 °C. Remove the wishbone and breast filets of the guinea fowl. Set aside for later. Take the legs off and debone them. Remove the wings and chop up the carcass. Roast the carcass in the oven until golden brown. Roughly cut the vegetables and cook in a large pot until golden.
  2. Lower the heat, stir in the tomato puree and cook for a minute. Add the chicken carcass to the pot, deglaze the roasting tin with water and add to the pot. Add water to just cover the bones and simmer for 2 hours, skimming regularly. Pass, discard the vegetables and keep the stock to make the sauce.
  3. For the sauce, fry off the diced onion and garlic. Add the red wine, port, thyme and bay leaf and reduce to a syrupy consistency. Add the chicken stock and reduce again to a sauce consistency. Pass, season to taste and set aside for later.
Red beetroot crisp
  1. Preheat the oven to 90°C, preferably on a fan setting. Boil the water and pour this in a shallow bowl. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Let this cool down until lukewarm. Cut the beetroot in thin slices and dip in the sugar syrup to coat both sides.
  2. Place them on a wire rack (not on a tray) and transfer to the oven. Leaving the oven door ajar, dry the beetroot for 30 min or until completely dry and crispy. Remove from the oven and let the crisps cool down to room temperature. Store in an airtight container with some kitchen paper for a maximum of two days.
Pearl barley
  1. Dice the onion and garlic and sweat off. Rinse the pearl barley under cold running water and add to the pot. Add the stock, thyme and simmer for 60 until cooked.
  2. Season to taste. Keep warm or store in the fridge for later use.
Spinach salad
  1. Chop the walnuts and toast in a dry pan until fragrant. Season with the sea salt and set aside for later.
  2. Whisk the white wine vinegar, mustard, honey and olive oil to a dressing and season to taste.
Final assembly
  1. Season the breasts of the guinea fowl with salt and pepper to taste and pan fry skin side down until cooked. Flip over to cook the other side and allow to rest in a warm place.
  2. Reheat the required amount of sauce without boiling. Whisk in the cold butter, check the seasoning and keep warm.
  3. Reheat if necessary the pearl barley, check the seasoning and keep warm.
  4. Wash the apples and into thin wedges. Mix the apple wedges with the dressing. Season to taste. Mix the apple with the rocket salad melange. Grate the Parmesan cheese on top of the salad. Top with the toasted walnuts.
  5. Place the pearl barley on the place. Slice the breasts of the guinea fowl and place on top. Position the salad the sauce and spoon the sauce on the plate. Garnish with the beetroot crisps and serve.
Stuff to know
It is possible, even desirable, to make the beetroot crisps, pearl barley and sauce ahead of time.
Use a shop-bought sauce for a quicker version of this dish and leave the crisps out.
Not all the sauce will be needed for the final assembly. It is possible to freeze the rest for later use.
Recipe by Jeroen Valkenier Recipes at https://jpvalkenier.com/guinea-fowl-with-beetroot-risotto-and-spinach-salad/