Everything You Ever Wanted To Know
About Guinea Fowl
by HRH
Prince Philippe of Araucania
From The Steel Crown No. 6 - Copyright 1997 NAARS
Editor's note -- The
following is a translation of some sections of Prince Philippe's Eloge et Gastonomie de la Pintade, published
in Perigueux in 1994. In this book, Prince Philippe offers a natural and
cultural history of the guinea fowl, which came to France from Mauritania in
northwest Africa. Having sung the bird's praises, Prince Philippe gets down to
business and tells us how to cook them.
The first section
translated is an introduction to the book by the vice-president of the French
national gastronomical society. The translation of the introduction is followed
by a translation of Chapter 7 of the book, "Some Culinary Principles"
and finally recipes for guinea fowl are offered.
Introduction
Philippe A. Boiry is always
a charming and scholarly friend. He is a distinguish, convivial and handsome
man who knows how to laugh and make others laugh. As a master of public
relations, he always has the right word at the right time.
He is a past president of
the national organization of professional press secretaries. Currently, he is
the Dean of the Free Faculty of Sciences of Communication, an institute for the
study of communications and mass media. And above all else, he is the
legitimate, legal and constitutional heir of Orelie-Antoine of Tounens, the
Perigueux lawyer who was the beloved king of the Kingdom of Araucania and
Patagonia, which he founded in the 19th century. The kingdom, which is larger
than France and situated at the southern tip of the Chile, was recognized at
one time by all major foreign powers.
An efficient teacher,
learned man, unusual claimant and debonair royal prince without territorial
claims, Philippe Boiry is received officially and respectfully by Chilean
authorities.
Now with a flourish he adds
to all his other titles that of the specialized writer, by becoming the poet of
the guinea fowl, the gallinaceous Numidian, the metamorphosis of the sisters of
Meleagre, according to Greek mythology, whose thin bluish feathers are speckled
with white, and whose luscious meat is an Epicurean delight.
His passion, his
documentation, his knowledge and his judicious quotes from many naturalists and
writers who have been interested in this Mauritanian fowl, the taste of which
make one think of pheasant, make this eminently culinary work something else
that a simple cookbook. One discovers in it unknown things, disdained by modern
housewives. It is a work of natural history, ornithology and gastronomy.
It is said that gastronomy
is the art of living. It is, above all, the art of pleasing oneself according
to one's taste, and it is also the art of pleasing others. It is without doubt
in light of this purpose that our friend, the author of this excellent
compilation, has chosen to relate to us the history of the guinea fowl, both
wild and domesticated. He searches patiently and with great dignity for the
various methods of preparing the bird, including the recipes of Thessalonian
cooks, which have been famous for centuries.
In his new vocations as a
storyteller or epicure, as in all his other activities, Philippe A. Boiry seems
the hedonistic perfectionist, man of culture and, as one would say in the 17th
century, a honest man, that to say, a good gentleman having a smattering of
knowledge of all things and the enthusiasm to communicate it.
-- Paul de Montaignac,
vice-president of the national academy of gastronomy.
Some Culinary Principles
I recall a refined meal,
hosted in Angers by a famous brand of liqueur for journalists of the
gastronomic press. Dr. Edouard of Pomiane, a well-known Epicurean, presided
over the meal.
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|
When the
dessert was served, the chef came to greet the guests and received a round of
well-deserved applause. As the most qualified, the doctor of Pomiane spoke
for everyone in congratulating this talented cook. But he introduced into his
commentary a small critique, in his mischievous tone: "Chef, your
duckling was delicious, but you will permit me a question: why baptize a
duckling, as if he were a duck? Both are delectable, but they are different
things, and each must be cooked differently." |
I was struck by this just
remark and since that time I curse it when ducks and ducklings, cockerels and
chickens served under an erroneous appellation, as happens too often in many
restaurants.
This principle also applies
to the guinea fowl: a guinea chick is a young guinea fowl as the duckling is a
young duck and the preparation of each must be adapted to this difference. For
this reason I have separated, in pages that follow, recipes for guinea fowl and
those for guinea chicks.
The guinea fowl -- pheasant
of the barnyard -- has flesh nearer to that of the pheasant than that of the
rooster. It is delicate and, fragrant. Too often it is treated roughly, while
its quality warrants care and attention.
As for guinea chicks, they
are rarely found in our markets or poultry shops, which is unfort-unate,
because its taste enchants those who love it.
In choosing a guinea fowl,
the first principle is making sure it has a flexible breastbone. Its flesh that
must be very tight under a transparent skin, elastic under the pressure of the
finger and slightly grayish in color. The feet are dark.
A guinea chick that will
serve two people will be nearly 800 g. A guinea fowl for four will weigh
between 1,200 g and 1,600 g.
The flesh of the guinea
fowl is dry. If one wants to eat it as is, one can. Eating dry guinea fowl will
keep your linens clean and reduce your cholesterol. But some may want to
consume this fowl in a tastier condition. It is customary, in fact, to wrap the
guinea fowl in bacon if one must cook it in the oven. If it is to be braised,
one can stick it with bacon, but this is not obligatory. One also can, to avoid
the bacon, cook it in aluminum foil, or use the good old recipe consisting of
stuffing it with Swiss cheese.
An interesting fact for
those who watch what they eat: the guinea fowl is particularly healthy since
there is only five percent fat in its very digestible meat (though some recipes
cited in this work are a bit "fatter" because of their ingredients).
The young guinea fowl is
good for all kinds of cooking and recipes. One will keep the more aged guinea
chick for salmi. In any case, the flesh of the guinea fowl must not be rotted.
With regard to times of
cooking, one can keep to the following general principles (modify sometimes,
according to recipes):
--a guinea chick (800g at
least) will remain between 25 and 30 minutes in the oven, on the grill or on
the roaster. 30 to 35 minutes in the pan.
--a guinea fowl (generally
1 kg or more) will go 30 to 35 minutes to the oven, on the grill or has the
roaster and more of 40 to 50 minutes in pan. To keep the bird from drying when
one cooks it in the oven, put a small dish of water or soup in the oven during
the length of cooking.
One cuts a guinea chick in
two whereas the guinea fowl, like all small poultry, will be cut in four parts.
One cuts and dresses it quickly, because it is best to serve it very hot. Otherwise
it can be slipped in a warm oven for a few minutes to reheat it. So that it
keeps all its flavor, wrap the roasted guinea fowl in aluminum foil and put it
in the bottom of the refrigerator.
Depending on how it is
prepared, the guinea fowl can have a large assortment of side dishes. Potatoes,
of course, whether browned, sautéed, dauphine, whipped or as French fries, are
a classic vegetable, that can be served as a lone accompaniment or with one or
several complementary vegetables.
One will prefer, as good
followers of the meat of the guinea fowl, cabbages and mushrooms (sautéed or
stuffed), Brussels sprouts and lentils. Chestnuts, roasted or mashed, also go
well with this poultry.
Finally, one can serve
guinea fowl and chicks with a salad of rice, string beans or a garden
vegetables. These last two accompaniments, a bit mundane, will be used
only when nothing else is available. The guinea fowl deserves better.
To recover the taste to good eat, it is indispensable to mention here the
truffle that, used discreetly, will agreeably mingle its irreplaceable perfume
with the flavor of the guinea fowl.
Prince of Araucania Guinea Fowl
Heat 2 spoonfuls of olive oil in a pan. Make golden on all sides a well
trussed up guinea fowl. Add 2 cloves of garlic, an onion cut in four, pike of
clove, 3 or 4 shallots, a dill chopped. Recover one glass and half of red wine
and one glass and half of hot water in which you will have had a half tablet of
chicken bullion, a pinch of celery salt and some drops of Tabasco sauce.
Cover and cook simmer for about 45 minutes. Pour a small glass of old plum
brandy in the sauce and let cook 3 minutes.
Cut up and serve hot. Strained and skimmed sauce in a sauceboat. Vegetables
on the side.
Yankee Guinea Fowl
Truss and wrap in bacon a guinea fowl. Brown on all sides in a frying pan with
60 g of butter. Put it then to roast in a hot oven in a dish with a spoonful of
olive oil, after having salted and peppered it. Accompany it with of some
carrots and onions cuts in slices and two stalks of celery cut lengthwise.
Just before it is finished cooking, removed the bacon and let the bird
brown. Remove the vegetables and the grease from the dish and rinse the guinea
fowl with one glass of brandy and one glass of whisky. Ignite, cover and let
cook for 5 minute.
Butter a good slice of country bread, put the guinea fowl on the bread in
the bottom of a cooking dish. Pour over all one glass of bouillon and boil for
several minutes. Serve hot with the fowl cut up, accompanied with its bread
sauce.
North American Araucanian Royalist Society