One of the questions I get asked most is where I find the time to cook. Although I do spend a lot of time cooking (and shopping for ingredients), I also make a lot of very quick dishes.  This delicious pistachio-crusted guinea fowl takes only 15 minutes to prepare and is perfect for a tasty meal to indulge for yourself or to impress your guests.

The cooking technique of Cotoletta alla Palermitana is very nice as it is light, easy, and quick. Olive oil is used instead of egg to make the crust stick to the meat, and the meat is baked in the oven for 10 minutes instead of pan-fried. The traditional version is made with chicken, breadcrumbs, capers, and olives. Today I tried breast of guinea fowl and coated it with minced pistachios. I added parmigiano, garlic, and parsley for greater depth of flavor. The pistachio crust turned out really nice and will also work with chicken or pheasant. Here’s what I did…

Ingredients

For 2 servings

2 half breast fillets (i.e. 1 whole breast) of guinea fowl, boneless and skinless

50 grams (1/3 cup) peeled pistachios

1 Tbsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley

2 Tbsp freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

1/2 clove garlic, minced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF (fan forced). Coarsely grind the pistachios in the food processor.

Combine the pistachios with the parsley and cheese in a small bowl and stir until homogeneous.

Coat the guinea fowl with a thin layer of olive oil and then coat it with the pistachio mixture on both sides. Press on the pistachio mixture to make sure it will stick.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Put the meat on an oven rack and sprinkle any remaining pistachio mixture on top.

Bake for 10 minutes at 200ºC/400ºF.

Serve at once.

Flashback

Roe deer venison stuffed with pancetta and porcini mushrooms is a flavorful dish that can be prepared sous-vide or in the oven. You can also prepare it with regular venison or even beef or veal.