
Ingredients
For the guinea fowl:
2 (1-pound) guinea fowls (or 1 whole chicken)
Salt to taste
6 tablespoons harissa
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup sorghum syrup
½ cup blackstrap molasses
4 tablespoons olive oil
Skillet seasonal vegetables (recipe follows)
For the jollof rice:
5 medium Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2½ cups tomato juice
3 teaspoons berbere spice blend*
2 cups rice
3 bay leaves
Salt to taste
*A traditional Ethopian seasoning, berbere is a blend of chiles, garlic, ginger, and warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Directions
- Marinate the guinea fowl: Split fowls in half. Pat dry and salt all over. (If using chicken, cut into eight pieces.) In a food processor, combine harissa, onion, sorghum, molasses, and olive oil and blend into a loose paste. Rub over fowl, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- When fowl is nearly done marinating, begin the jollof rice: In a food processor, blend tomatoes and red pepper until combined, 30 to 45 seconds. Set aside.
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Once the oil is hot, add onions and sauté just until they turn golden brown. Measure ¼ cup of the blended tomato mixture and set aside, then add the remainder to the onions. Sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly so the mixture doesn’t burn.
- Reduce heat to medium, then add tomato juice and berbere spice. Boil for about 10 minutes. Add rice and mix well. (At this point, you may need to add scant ½ cup water so the rice has enough moisture.) Add bay leaves, cover the pot, and cook on medium-low heat for 15 to 30 minutes.
- While the jollof rice cooks, grill the fowl: Preheat grill or build coals to medium-high heat. Grill guinea fowl until cooked through, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Finish the jollof rice: When the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, add remaining ¼ cup tomato mixture, cover, and let cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for about 10 minutes. To finish, uncover pot, stir rice, and season with salt to taste. Remove bay leaves.
- Plate the jollof rice with grilled guinea fowl and skillet seasonal vegetables.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ zucchini, sliced into half-moons
- ½ squash, sliced into half-moons
- ½ shallot, thinly sliced
- 1/4 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 small handful kale
- 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper