Method
Preheat the oven to 160 C, 140 C fan, 325 F, gas 3. Begin by jointing the guinea-fowl, as you would a chicken. Remove the legs and cut in half. Then, using poultry scissors to make it simpler, cut off the breasts and halve them. You should end up with 8 pieces per bird. Dust the pieces in the seasoned flour, then heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish. Fry each piece until golden brown.
Remove the meat from the pan and fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic, fry for another minute, then add the chicken stock and sherry. Return the meat to the pan, place the lid on the casserole and cook in the oven for around 1 hour.
Brown the chorizo in a small pan, take the casserole out of the oven and add the chorizo, grapes, beans and parsley. Return to the oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with salad, rice or potatoes.
Ingredients
- 2 free-range guinea-fowl, each about 1.1kg (2lb 8oz) in weight
- 2tbsp flour, seasoned with salt and black pepper
- 2tbsp light olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 250ml (9fl oz) chicken stock
- 250ml (9fl oz) manzanilla or fino sherry
- 200g (7oz) soft, uncooked chorizo or spicy paprika sausage, cut into large chunks
- 200g (7oz) red seedless grapes
- 1 x 400g tin borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
- small bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Top Tip for making Braised Guinea-Fowl with Manzanilla, Grapes and Chorizo
Looking for guinea-fowl? You’ll find it in good butcher shops and supermarkets, while raw chorizo sausage is mainly in Spanish delis. Don’t use the cooked salami-type version as it will go really tough and chewy – look for a good spicy sausage instead. This recipe can be made the day before and reheated for serving and is suitable for freezing without the grapes. Add them when you reheat it.