Guinea Fowl with sherry and almond sauce.

This is a Spanish dish that shows what a influence the Arab world had on Spain when the Moors invaded they brought the culture and that also meant there food . And this dish show that dutifully with a mix of almonds, saffron and sherry.

You will need,

25g/1oz blanched almonds

120ml/¼pt chicken stock

1.3kg/3ld guinea fowl

60ml/4floz olive oil

1 thick slice for white bread

2 garlic cloves

120ml/4floz dry sherry

The juice of half a lemon

A pinch of saffron threads

A pinch of ground cloves

3 good pinches of  paprika

Fresh grated nut meg

A few sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

A hand full of parsley choppted

Now to stat with you have to roast your almonds so spared them over a baking sheet and  pop it in a oven set at 150c/300f for about twenty minutes. While they are roasting you can het some of your stock and pour it over the saffron so that infuse the stock with its flavour and colure.

Now take your slice of bread cut the crusts off and fry in some olive oil along with the ruff chopped garlic.  Now in a blender put the bread garlic, toasted almonds, and bent them together.  Add a little stock so that you get a paste and it is this that you use to thicken the sauce.

Now take your guinea fowl and joint it up so you have the drum sticks, thighs and cut the breasts in to two. Get a pan that you can get a lid on and het up some of the olive oil. Start to fry the guinea fowl so the meat browns. Add to the remaining stock with the saffron and the cloves, paprika, nutmeg, thyme and broken bay leaf and bring to the boil.  Then cover with a lid and let it simmer until the guinea fowl is cooked.

Now add the bread nut paste and stir it in to the sauce.  Add the juice of half a lemon and the sherry and finally a good amount of fresh chopped parsley.  Let it simmer a little longer and then serve in a blow with just some chunky bread.