Guinea fowl with orange and szechuan pepper

Guinea fowl with orange and Szechuan pepper. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin

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.

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.

Ingredients (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.

Pot-roast pheasant with chorizo, butter beans and parsley

This recipe comes from River Cottage's head chef, Gill Meller - it's a fantastic winter warmer which tastes even better reheated and eaten the day after you make it. Give the butter beans a full 24-hour soak before cooking - it really helps to make them tender and buttery.

Ingredients (Serves four)

200g dried butter beans
1 knob butter
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 oven-ready pheasants
200-300g cooking chorizo, outer skin removed, flesh chopped into 2-3cm chunks
1 pig's trotter (optional)
300ml white wine
500ml chicken or game stock (or water)
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cover the beans with plenty of cold water and leave to soak for 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3. Place a large casserole over a medium heat; add the butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Cook for at least 10 minutes, until soft and golden, stirring regularly to prevent them over-colouring.

Meanwhile, set a large frying pan over a high heat and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Season the pheasants all over, brown on all sides for three to four minutes, then transfer to the casserole.

Add the chorizo to the frying pan, along with the pig's trotter (if using). Fry for three to four minutes to brown, then add to the casserole. Deglaze the frying pan with a little of the wine, then add to the casserole, along with the remaining wine, the stock and the drained beans. Bring the casserole up to a simmer, then cover, move to the oven and cook for two hours.

Remove the birds from the pan and set aside to rest in a warm place. Discard the pig's trotter (or save it for a midnight snack). If the chorizo has released a lot of fat, skim some off. Add the parsley and season to taste. Carve the birds and divide them between warmed plates. Spoon over the chorizo, beans and sauce, and serve with mash and/or lots of bread.