THIS MONTH I’ M LOVING… GUINEA FOWL

For me, September is the most glorious month in the food calendar. We’re still feasting off the spoils of summer, while all the wonderful autumnal produce starts to appear too. It’s the perfect time to start planning roast dinners again, and guinea fowl – a lightly gamey bird, smaller than a chicken, with full-flavoured meat and golden-yellow fat – has a lot more going for it than your standard Sunday fare.

Native to Africa, guinea fowl have been reared for the table in Europe since Elizabethan times. They’re much more popular on the continent than in the UK, and, as such, it can be tricky to find Britishbred birds – most butchers will import them from France instead. Look for free-range guinea fowl if possible, and if you can find one with giblets, it’ll make fabulous stock. Flavour-wise, it sits between chicken and pheasant, so is a great introduction to game.

Guinea fowl can be prepared and used in a very similar way to chicken, but its smaller size does mean it can be in danger of drying out. If you’re roasting it whole, lower the oven temperature slightly and baste more often. Alternatively, cover it in something fatty, such as pancetta or butter, or cook it in a chicken brick (see below left).

You can’t really go wrong with a whole roast guinea fowl. Before cooking, stuff the carcass with plenty of sage, shallots and some garlic, douse with olive oil and season well. Serve with wild mushrooms and creamy polenta, or – if we’re blessed with an Indian summer – a hearty, grain-based salad. It also makes a superb base for a terrine – just substitute it into any chicken-based recipe. As you might imagine, given its roots, it works extremely well in North African and Middle Eastern dishes, too – its bolder flavour can handle ingredients such as cinnamon, harissa and lots of coriander.

However you cook it, you absolutely must not throw away the carcass. Guinea fowl makes the stock of dreams. Simmer the leftover bones very gently with celery, onion, carrots, bay leaves and a few peppercorns for at least an hour and a half. Strain, add salt to taste and use it to transform anything you’d usually use chicken stock for. Follow Giovanna on Instagram @giovannaryan