Guinea fowl tagine with chickpeas, squash & apricots

 

This game bird is a lot like chicken, so can be cooked in the same way - give it a whirl in this fragrant Moroccan-spiced casserole

·                                                                                                                      Prep: 20 mins 

·                                                                                                                     Cook: 1 hrs 20 mins

                                         Nutrition per serving

·        Calories 591

·        Carbohydrates 31

·        Saturated Fat 5

·        Sugar 20

·        Protein 64

·        Fat 22

·        Fibre 6

·        Salt 1.1

                                           Ingredients

·        3 tbsp olive oil

·        2 guinea fowl, jointed like a chicken (ask your butcher to do this or see our video on how to joint a chicken, in 'Try', below)

·        2 onions, roughly chopped

·        2 garlic cloves, chopped

·        1 butternut squash or small pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into large chunks

·        1 tbsp ras-el-hanout

·        1 tsp ground cumin

·        1 tsp ground coriander

·        ¼ tsp ground ginger

·        1 large cinnamon stick

·        small squeeze of clear honey

·        large pinch of saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp boiling water

·        juice 1 lemon

·        850ml chicken stock

·        400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

·        200g dried apricots

·        small bunch coriander

·        couscous or rice, to serve

                                             Tip

Jointing a bird
If you'd prefer to buy your bird whole and joint it yourself, this video guide to butchering a raw chicken may help.

                                              Method

1.     Heat the oil in a large, shallow flameproof casserole dish. Season the guinea fowl pieces and brown them – in batches, if necessary – then remove to a plate.

2.     Fry the onions in the same dish until softened, then add the garlic and squash, cooking for 1-2 mins. Tip in the spices and cook for a few mins before adding the honey, saffron and lemon juice. Pour in the chicken stock and the chickpeas.

3.     Submerge the guinea fowl pieces in the stock and add the apricots. Cover the dish and simmer everything very gently for 50 mins-1 hr, until the fowl and squash are both tender. Stir through the coriander and serve with couscous or rice.