As January has inadvertently turned into "the month of the vegetable" I thought I would finish off with a meat I've never tried cooking before. My initial plan was to cook guinea fowl but for whatever reason it eluded me in every shop I tried so I ended up with partridge in my basket instead.
What I did do however was adapt a guinea fowl recipe to work for partridge. I will be making guinea fowl at some point so watch this space but if you happen to be luckier than me this recipe will work with both meats just as well.
This was a really easy, quick and tasty recipe. So easy that I got over confident and, like all cooks do at some point, I had a small disaster when I managed to burn the basmati rice by neglecting it and needed to start it again.
However, for the little amount of time it took (just under one hour) this was a very rewarding dish. My husband declared from the other room "it smelt great" (so I knew I was onto a winner) and it was fabulous trying something which was a bit more exotic than our normal family dinner. The onion sauce was my absolute favourite part of this ensemble and I would certainly make it again for chicken, turkey etc.
Here's the recipe. Happy cooking!
Fried guinea fowl with glazed baby carrots and onion sauce (note I used partridge instead)
This recipe makes one portion so simply increase quantities accordingly.
Ingredients
For the guinea fowl
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 guinea fowl breast
salt and freshly ground black pepper
25g/1oz butter
½ onion, peeled, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped
200ml/7fl oz chicken stock
For the glazed baby carrots
6 baby carrots
100ml/3½fl oz water
pinch sugar
25g/1oz butter
55g/2oz fresh peas
To serve
knob of butter
100g/3½oz basmati rice, cooked according to packet instructions
Preparation method
1. For the guinea fowl, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the guinea fowl breast for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. (The guinea fowl is cooked through when the juices run clear when pierced in the thickest part with a skewer.) Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside to rest. Note: As I used two whole partridges (one per portion) I oven baked them for 30 mins at 180 degrees c. I rubbed butter into their skin and seasoned with salt and pepper before cooking. As the partridge takes longer to cook than frying the guinea fowl you can start the following steps a bit later so they aren't ready too soon before the partridge is done (including time for the partridge to rest after cooking).
2. For the onion sauce. Heat the butter in a frying pan until foaming. Add the onion and cook over a low heat for 5-6 minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Pour in the stock and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the volume of the mixture has reduced.
3.Meanwhile, for the glazed baby carrots, simmer the carrots, water, sugar and butter in a saucepan for 4-5 minutes or until well combined. Add the peas and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
4.To serve, stir the butter into the rice and spoon it onto a serving plate. Slice the guinea fowl breast and place it on top of the rice, spoon the onion sauce over the guinea fowl. Using a slotted spoon, place the glazed baby carrots alongside.
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