Magnificent as the traditional Christmas bird can be, there are several others worth considering at this time of year. As most of them feed much smaller numbers than either goose or turkey, they are perfect for the many smaller but nevertheless celebratory meals held around this time of year. Pheasant, guinea fowl, duck, partridge and quail take surprisingly well to a bit of mild spicing – nothing inappropriately hot, just warm and aromatic. So this year's birds come with hints of cardamom and orange, cayenne and clove. Mild spices for a festive roast.
1. Guinea fowl with orange and szechuan pepper
Hugely underrated, the guinea fowl offers fine, slightly gamey meat that is rarely anything but tender. One bird will feed two people. Schezuan pepper has a curious flavour, both warm and slightly lemony. I tend to toast it lightly before use.
Serves 2
butter – a thin slice
olive oil – 2 tbs
a large guinea fowl, about 1.5kg
onions – 2 medium
carrots – 2 medium
celery – a stick or two
garlic – 1 clove
Szechuan peppercorns – 1 tsp
flour – 1 heaped tbs
stock – 600ml
orange peel – 4 long strips
a couple of bay leaves
star anise – 3 whole ones
Set the oven at 200˚C/Gas 6.
Melt the butter in the oil in a large, deep casserole. Cut the guinea fowl in half through the backbone, salt and pepper it, then colour it lightly on both sides in the butter and oil. Remove and set aside.
Peel the onions and cut them in half and then into thick segments. Put them in the pan in which you browned the guinea fowl halves and leave to colour over a moderate heat.
Scrub and roughly chop the carrots, trim and roughly chop the celery, then add them to the onions.
Peel the garlic, crush and add it. Toast the peppercorns in a dry frying pan then crush or grind fairly finely and add them together with the flour.
Continue cooking for 3 or 4 minutes then pour in the stock.
Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer. Season with salt, pepper, the orange peel, bay and the star anise, then return the guinea fowl to the pan.
Cover with a lid, then put in the oven and leave to bake for 50 minutes.
Serve, surrounded by its sauce and vegetables.
2. Roast duck with apples and five spice
A plump roast duck will really only serve two, three at a push. I use no oil or butter when roasting a duck, as it has enough fat of its own. While the skin will become deep golden and very good to eat, I should add that this is not crispy duck.
Serves 2
a large duck
an onion
Chinese five-spice powder – 1 tbs
small, sharpish dessert apples – 6
cider or stock – 2 large glasses
Set the oven at 220˚C/Gas 8.
Put the bird in a roasting tin and stuff the onion, halved if necessary, inside the chest cavity. Rub the five-spice powder all over its flesh. You need to massage it in rather than just sprinkling it over. Put the duck into the hot oven, without any further oil or butter. It already has enough fat of its own. Let the duck roast for 35 minutes, then turn the heat down to 200˚C/Gas 6.
Score the skin of the apples around the middle (this is to stop them exploding in the oven). Remove the duck from the oven and carefully tip off as much of the fat as you can, leaving behind any interesting-looking juices. Tuck the apples around the bird and return it to the oven for a further 30-45 minutes. Check from time to time to see how it is doing. If the skin appears to be getting a little too dark, then place a piece of foil over it.
Remove the duck from the oven, put it and the apples on a large plate somewhere warm (say in the switched-off oven). Empty out any excessive fat. Keep it for roasting potatoes. Put the pan over a high heat then pour in the stock or cider. Leave to come to the boil, scraping at the pan-stickings as you go. Check for seasoning, then serve with duck and apples.
3. Roast partridge with pumpkin
a small pumpkin or large butternut squash
groundnut or sunflower oil – 3 tbs
streaky bacon – 6 rashers
plump partridges – 4
a little butter
sage leaves – 3
dry Marsala – 100ml
Set the oven at 200˚C/Gas 6.
Peel, core and thickly slice the pumpkin or squash. Put it into a roasting tin with a little oil and butter, season with salt and black pepper, and bake for 25 minutes or until the slices of pumpkin are just starting to soften. Chop the bacon into short pieces and add to the pumpkin.
Rub the birds all over with a little butter. Season them thoroughly with salt and black pepper. Pop a sage leaf into each body cavity. Place the birds on top of the pumpkin, pour over the Marsala and leave to roast for 30 minutes, or until the partridges are golden. Their flesh should be moist and a little rare. Serve the partridges with some of the pumpkin and bacon and any of the juices from the pan.
4. Five-spice quail
Quail, the most diminutive bird we can roast, demands to be picked up at the table, its bones nibbled and sucked almost clean. If you can't bear such table manners and attempt to go at it with a knife and fork, you will miss the most toothsome of feasts.
It is difficult to know exactly what to serve on the side with something you eat in this manner. My first choice would be a simple rice pilau. You need 2 quail per person.
Ras el hanout is a mixture whose recipe varies slightly according to each manufacturer but generally contains galangal, rose petals, cardamom, cayenne, lavender, cinnamon, coriander seeds, nutmeg and cloves. If you have any problem tracking it down, try seasonedpioneers.co.uk.
Serves 2
oven-ready quail – 4
ras el hanout – 3 tsp
lemon juice – 1 tbs
honey – 2 tbs
stock – 150ml, vegetable or chicken
Set the oven at 220˚C/Gas 8.
Rub the quail all over with ras el hanout. Put the lemon, honey and stock into a baking dish. Add the quail and gently spoon over a little of the liquid to moisten each one.
Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Check they are not browning too much – a little dome of foil will help. Baste the birds with the honey and stock mixture halfway through cooking.
Serve together with any juice from the tin (there won't be much), and tear apart with your hands.
