Guineafowl with coriander in a phyllo pastry pocket

in a Phyllo Pastry Pocket

The ubiquitous guineafowl is not only found all over South Africa, but can also be used in a wide variety of dishes. When matured for a couple of days, the meat is tender and full of flavour, and should never be overcooked as it will become tough and stringy. Breast meat that has received a couple of pellets is ideal for this type of recipe, as the damaged meat is trimmed off and the rest of the meat is cubed, so nothing gets wasted. The phyllo pastry is light, crispy and crackly when you bite into it and the creamy hummus adds to the flavour and texture of the pastry.

INGREDIENTS Filling

4 guineafowl breasts

2 eggs, lightly beaten

½ medium onion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground black pepper salt to taste

2 knobs butter handful fresh coriander leaves

Pastry Pockets

1 roll phyllo pastry

2-3 knobs butter, melted 1 cup vegetable oil

Hummus Dip

1 tin chickpeas

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped

2-3 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon ground cumin salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD The Filling

Cut the guineafowl breasts into small cubes. Place the butter in a pan and add the chopped onion, paprika, cumin and salt and pepper. Sauté over a medium heat until the onion is soft. Add the guineafowl cubes to the pan and stir through, ensuring the meat is well coated, for 2 minutes. Add the beaten eggs, stir and fold the mixture, cooking until the liquids are absorbed – it should be almost dry. Remove from the heat and set aside. Roughly chop the coriander leaves and stir into the mixture.

The Pockets

Place two layers of phyllo pastry on a clean and dry work surface. With scissors, cut the pastry into strips about 8 cm wide. Lightly brush melted butter on the lower two-thirds of the pastry strips.

Place a large tablespoon of filling at the bottom end of each strip and fold up to enclose the filling as follows:

Fold the bottom right corner of the pastry strip upwards to the left, over the filling, aligning it with the left edge of the strip. Then flip the bottom left corner upwards, aligning it with the left edge of the pastry. You should see a triangle take shape. Continue folding the triangle, flipping left and then right in this manner, until you reach the end of the pastry strip. Tuck the end of the dough into the ‘pocket’ formed by the open edge of the pastry, trimming if necessary.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan, and fry the pastry triangles until brown, then flip them over to cook the other side. Drain on a rack.

The Hummus Dip

Drain the chickpeas. Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding olive oil until the required texture is achieved. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the pastry pockets hot or cold with a dab of the hummus dip.