Guinea fowl baked in clay with pancetta, mushrooms + barley pilaf

Name: Guinea fowl baked in clay with pancetta, mushrooms + barley pilaf
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 6 large field mushrooms; 3 x 1.2 kg guinea fowl; 125 g butter, melted; 1 medium brown onion, chopped; 1 tablespoon strained lemon juice; 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves; ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 18 thin slices flat pancetta; 2 teaspoons salt; 1½ tablespoons brandy; freshly ground white pepper, to taste; kitchen twine; 125 g butter; plain flour, for rolling clay; 3 x 500 g blocks clay*; 4 cups water; 6 leaves iceberg lettuce; grated zest of 1 lemon; 1 cup pearl barley; 1 teaspoon thyme leaves; 1 cup currants; salt, to taste; 60 g butter

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Wild Weed Pie

By Janni Kyritsis and Roberta Muir

Published 2006

About

As guinea fowl are generally dry birds, enclosing them in clay ensures they cook evenly in their own steam and remain moist. Encasing food is one of the signatures of my cooking. I use any possible way to make sure the food remains moist and retains its flavour, and I love the theatre of unwrapping the parcels. Start this recipe the day before, for the flavour of the pancetta to marry with the bird overnight and give a nice rosy colour to the breast.