Roast guinea fowl with truffles and tagliatelle

Method

Make the pasta

1. Put the saffron in a cup with 1 tablespoon boiling water and set aside for 1 hour to infuse and colour. Strain, keeping the water and discarding the saffron.
2. Mix the flour with a good pinch of salt, then tip out onto a clean work surface. Make a large well in the centre and add the oil, eggs, extra egg yolks and saffron water (this gives a lovely yellow colour). Whisk the eggs with a fork, then, using one hand, gradually bring the flour in to the centre. You’ll have a sticky dough at first but, with gradual kneading, it will come together into a ball. Knead until smooth, wrap in cling film and rest for 30-45 minutes. Cut the dough in half. Wrap 1 half in cling film and chill.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the other half of the dough to 1cm thick. Lightly flour the rollers of a pasta machine, and roll the dough through on its widest setting. Repeatedly roll through, reducing the width of the rollers each time until you’re on the second-last setting. If the pasta gets too long, cut it in half and roll 1 piece at a time.
4. Attach the tagliatelle cutter to the pasta machine, and feed the sheets through to make long tagliatelle. (Or lay on a lightly floured work surface and cut into strips about 8mm thick.) Set aside on a tray and dust with flour to dry out. Repeat with the remaining dough. After an hour or so, scrunch up the tagliatelle and dust with more flour. Spread it out so it doesn’t stick. Cover with cling film when firm.

Cook the guinea fowl

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4 and line a roasting tin with a large piece of foil. Weigh the guinea fowl to calculate the cooking time. Slide your fingers under the skin of the guinea fowl to release it from the breast. Thinly slice 2 truffles and slide the slices under the skin to evenly cover the breast. Place 2-3 thyme sprigs and the garlic inside the bird. Season the bird well and cover with pats of the butter and a few more thyme sprigs. Place in the tin and bring the foil up around the bird. Pour in the stock and seal the foil parcel. Roast for 15 minutes per 450g, plus 15 minutes. Open up the parcel for the last 20 minutes of cooking to brown the bird. Lift the bird from the tin and rest on a plate, covered loosely with foil. Set aside the juices in the tin.

Cook the pasta and serve

1. While the guinea fowl is resting, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the tagliatelle and cook for 2-3 minutes, until just al dente. Drain and put in a large serving bowl, then pour over the guinea fowl cooking juices and toss through. Chop the last truffle and sprinkle over the pasta along with the parsley. Carve the guinea fowl and serve with the pasta.