Roast guinea fowl stuffed with artichoke hearts is a dish where flavor and lightness go together.
White meat, vegetables, and little fat (those that the guinea fowl releases as it cooks in the pan).
I had forgotten the soft, juicy, and not at all stodgy guinea fowl pulp.
Conscious carnivorous
Since a few years, I have been eating less meat.
For several reasons. Until a few decades ago, meat was valuable. In terms of cost and because of the sacrifice of the animal.
For a few years, I have been eating less meat.
At home, for example, we did not eat it every day. I decided to broaden my horizons. And, as grandma used to do, cook all the ingredients we have on hand that are a lot. But how many do we bring to the table?
The blog has given me a helping hand.
Since I have to start to cook recipes, new and rediscovered, from the peasant tradition of Bologna and Romagna, many of them vegetarian, my weekly menu is fuller.
Finally, I eat less meat because it is increasingly difficult to find good quality meat.
Read vs white meat
Due to issues related to my well-being, and I suspect to my age, I eat mostly white meat.
In Italy, the consumption of chicken and turkey has grown significantly in recent years. For some people, their consumption is even daily.
And while we buy white meat, thinking it is lighter than red meat, some have begun to speculate on it by creating many intensive chicken and turkey farms.
For this reason, I prefer to buy from a few selected butchers or directly from a farmer who keeps a few beasts and breeds them respectfully.
Chicken and turkey, but also guinea fowl, capon, duck, and goose were very ordinary farmyard animals. They roamed free outside the front door. There were also rabbits, but they were protected by a fence. Today it is not easy to find them in the countryside. I like to reward those who still breed them.
The guinea fowl roast
In this way, I am rediscovering forgotten flavors.
Grandma cooked chicken and rabbit cacciatore, made broth with chicken, served her light meat as boiled meat, or made meat sauce or juicy meatballs.
There were duck and guinea fowl roasts and stuffed roasts.
I decided to try. And with a good dose of recklessness, I opted for the guinea fowl roast, even stuffed. I can say I did well because it is so good!
If you do not want to use artichokes as a filling, choose to your taste among red radicchio, carrots, or zucchini. And serve it with any side dish.
When the butcher debones the guinea fowl, ask him don’t remove the skin. It keeps the meat soft and juicy during cooking and will allow you to cut perfect slices.
The flavor of the roast is richly nuanced; for sure the guinea fowl meat goes well with the artichokes, while the grated lemon peel dances in the mouth.
The onions cook in the pan with the roast. After reducing them to a smooth, thick sauce to be served on the side and at room temperature with the roast, I hope you’ll come back here to tell me what you think. This sauce is the bomb. I’m sure you will want to eat spoonfuls of it.
In doubt, add an extra onion into the pot.
The roast is perfect to taste warm but also at room temperature.
Cooking is a form of culture. Many recipes have a history or are part of your family memories. So, when you serve a dish, you share a story with the people sitting at your table. Among the memories to pass on, don’t forget the food memories.
Buona cucina, Monica
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Food tip
If you are inexperienced with roast tying, ask your butcher to do it for you, indicating the stuffing you would like or bringing it to him yourself.
Roast guinea fowl with artichokes
serves 6
List of the Ingredients
1 guinea fowl about 1 kg, boneless
4 artichoke hearts
3 white onions or 5 fresh spring onions
grated zest of one lemon
100 ml broth or dry white wine
2 cloves of garlic
salt and evo oil to taste
Method
Choose heart artichokes without beards.
Rinse your artichoke under cold water.
Cut the top of the artichoke.
Pull off the outer fibrous artichoke leaves.
Place artichokes in a bowl with water and lemon for a few minutes.
Put the artichokes, garlic, oil, and 2 cups of water in a saucepan.
Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. They are ready when soft.
Remove the artichokes and turn them upside down.
Ask the butcher to debone the guinea fowl without removing the skin.
Place the meat on a sheet of kitchen paper on the work surface. Lay the guinea fowl on the sheet with the inside facing up.
Lightly salt and grate the zest of half a lemon on top.
Thinly slice the artichokes with a knife and place them on the guinea fowl.
Roll the meat on itself, helping with the paper, then tie the roast with twine, securing the ends tightly.
Roughly chop the onions and place them in a large pot with salt, olive oil, and a few knobs of butter.
Let stew over a gentle flame for 10 to 15 minutes before adding the roast, grating more lemon zest, and blending with wine or stock.
Cover the pot with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour.
Remove the roast from the pan, and blend the onions, reducing them to a thick, creamy sauce; add salt if needed. Restrict the sauce on the stove for a few minutes.
Let the roast cool before removing the twine and cutting it into slices.
If the inside is still too pink, arrange the slices in a pan and cook for a minute. Move the slices of roast with a spatula.
Serve the roast with sauce on the side.
