(En Français plus bas)
There I was, trying to find pictures of turkeys to illustrate today’s post, when I stumbled upon shots of one of the most fascinating birds I had ever laid eyes upon: the Vulturine Guinea fowl. I fell in love with their shape, their feathers, their pissed-off look…So today, I’m afraid you’ll end up with pictures of stunning live Guinea fowls and a very plain and VERY dead French turkey… I just had to share my discovery with you. You know how much I love good looking things… The adjective “vulturine” by the way, comes from the fact that they look a bit like vultures. They are found in Northeast Africa (Kenya, Somalia…). I find them absolutely fascinating! They’d look so perfect in my garden…
But let’s get down to our business:
Simple and delicious turkey roast for 4 to 5 people:
- Purchase a 2 pound turkey roast. Make sure it’s only made out of dark meat and that they leave the skin on.
- Put the roast in an oven dish with a bit of canola oil, a small glass of Port, a small glass of water and some salt
- Bake for an hour at 350°F but add 20 dried prunes at the 45 minute mark. At this point you can also add black pepper. Make sure there is enough liquid to rehydrate the prunes fully
- Serve over fresh pasta (my favorite) or with potatoes (fried, mashed, boiled…)
Should one of you guys know more about Vulturine Guinea fowls or know where I can purchase them (live) in Europe, PLEASE do let me know :0)
Alors que je cherchais des photos de dindes sur internet pour illustrer la recette d’aujourd’hui, je suis tombé sur celles de l’un des oiseaux les plus fascinants que j’ai jamais vu: la Pintade vulturine. Donc, aujourd’hui, je crains que vous ne vous retrouviez avec des photos de superbes pintades bleues qui n’ont absolument rien à voir avec le plat du jour (une dinde très moche et très morte). Je voulais juste vous montrer ces merveilles de la nature… L’adjectif “vulturine” vient évidement du fait que ces pintades ont des têtes de vautour. On les trouve dans le Nord Est de l’Afrique (Kenya , Somalie…) Je les trouve absolument fascinantes! Elles donneraient tellement de cachet à mon jardin…
Mais passons maintenant aux choses sérieuses:
Pour 4 à 5 personnes :
- Achetez un rôti de dinde d’environ 1Kg
- Mettez le rôti dans un plat allant au four avec un peu d’huile de colza, un petit verre de porto, un petit verre d’eau et un peu de sel
- Cuire au four pendant une heure à 180°C, mais ajouter 20 pruneaux au bout de 45 minutes. À ce stade, vous pouvez également ajouter du poivre noir. Assurez-vous qu’il y ait suffisamment de liquide pour réhydrater complètement les pruneaux
- Servir sur un lit de pâtes fraîches ou avec des pommes de terre (sautées ou en purée)
Si l’un de vous, chers amis, connait un élevage de pintades vulturines en France ou en Europe, faites le moi savoir! :0)
MY FRENCH HEAVEN 
I had two of these pearl guinea fowl for almost a year before, sadly, they were eaten by the resident coopers hawk. They were the most endearing, LOUD and wild birds. I still miss them.
http://www.moonlightmileherbs.com/guineapage.html
That’s the info I was looking for. I really was wondering how loud they were… 😉
Hmmmm, delicious!
Es muy posible que le puedan informar aquí: http://www.fermedevertessec.com/
Bonne année, Stephan! Wishing you a year filled with love and light!
Love your blog. Is your B&B still open?
Thanks Carl! It will reopen in February when I am back from the States 😉
Those guineas are so beautiful! I’m fascinated with guinea fowl and recently posted about them. We have some in the garden and will eventually eat them (hopefully we won’t get too attached to them!): http://migratoryhabits.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/life-with-guineas-a-love-hate-thing/
That is so so cool! Are they really loud? Would my neighbors kill me if I had some?
Haha yes they are extremely loud and your neighbors probably wouldn’t be thrilled. Unless you keep them far away from your neighbors’ windows. Our coop is right outside our bedroom window so they drive us nuts, but the funny thing is that if we shout, ‘Shhhh!’ they get quiet. They are really funny birds.
What wonderful colours these guinea fowls are. The turkey looks pretty stupendous too.
Thanks Dorothy!!
Those birds are gorgeous! I mean, so is the meal, but my god, those birds!
I couldn’t take my eyes off of them either… 😉
Too bad it has such an ugly face but a beautiful bird!
What an amazing looking creature that guinea fowl is, and what a delicious looking meal your turkey is.
How beautiful is the patterning and colours on that guinea fowl! Unfortunate about the rather scary looking head, but hey… no-one’s perfect!
Such succulent-looking turkey you’ve cooked Stephane – really lovely and I especially like the idea of adding in the prunes for the final stages of cooking. Delicious!
I know right?! Their heads are scary ugly… 😉
Over the top! It is a breathtaking fowl. I couldn’t believe my eyes at first. Thank you for sharing this with us! And now…about your turkey, wow! So moist and succulent alongside your noodles. A gorgeous meal.
Thanks! Yes I know! Those birds are so beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off of them…
The roast turkey sound divine but I’m still distracted by the Vulturine guinea fowl, truly amazing colour and lines.
Aren’t they fantastic?! 🙂
The Vulturine Guinea fowls are beautiful, Stéfane. So is this dish. The plump dried plums and juice from the turkey must be divine over your preference, the fettuccine pasta. Good luck finding your Vulturine Guinea fowl (live). 🙂 Best regards, Shanna
Thanks Shanna!
Those are some impressive guineas. I wonder if they make the same “pot-rack” call that the usual ones do.
I hope not. My neighbors would kill me… 🙂
Looks absolutely delicious.
I’m a great fan of mouth-wateringly good food photography. There’s only 3 food blogs I actually follow though. I’ll have to find some more.
Have you tried “manger” written by Mimi Thorison?
Salivating! Stop it 🙂
Hi Hi 🙂
Lovely photos and good looking turkey, Stefan. 🙂 I have no idea where you can buy Vulturine Guinea Fowl; however, I am an avid fly fisher and use their feathers (hackle) for a variety of flies I use. They really are beautiful birds.
Fly fishing. Now THAT’S something I’d like to try one day… 😉
Sadly, I don’t go often enough because most places I like to fish are several hours (3 – 12 hours) from DFW. It is great relaxation watching nature coupled with a great a burst of exhilaration when a fish takes the fly you tied. I generally fish catch and release but occasionally I do keep a nice trout or two for dinner.
Ironically, when you made this post with the beautiful vulture guinea fowl, Stefan Boer posted about guinea fowl done sous vide, http://stefangourmet.com/2014/01/08/guinea-fowl-and-salsify-sous-vide-with-porcini-sauce/
Fun coincidence. 🙂
That photo of the Vulterine Guinea Fowl is simply stunning. I shared it with my sister, who is a big birder. I can well imagine those birds strutting around your garden, a look of venom placed upon all that come within their gaze. They would be so elegant.
I know. They look quite mean don’t they?! 😉
Your food always makes my mouth water.
Job done then 😉
That is probably one of the most beautiful birds I have ever seen. It’s beauty is mesmerizing. I love your simple turkey roast with prunes.
Beautiful recipe! I don’t think I could eat a Guinea fowl as they are so pretty, however many people in our area keep flocks of them– the birds are great at controlling ticks in open country.
Not many ticks in my garden, but I hate those suckers. So I guess I should have a few birds just in case… 😉
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Those guinea fowl are amazing! I want some in my garden … though I’m not sure they’d live in harmony with my cat! Nice recipe too.
I know! They look like they can take on the cat though… They look mean 😉
The food looks delicious as usual but those birds!!! Stunning blues!
janet