Recipe(tried): Guinea Fowl with Olives, Orange and Tarragon, Guinea Hen with Vinegar, Roasted Guinea Hen, Guinea Fowl in Cider Cream Mushroom Sauce

Teresa: Maybe you are referring to the Guinea Hen. I will assume that you are, but please, correct me if I am not.

Guinea Fowl with Olives, Orange and Tarragon

4 tbsp Virgin olive oil
4 tbsp Flour seasoned with salt and pepper
4 Guinea fowl breasts, bone in, skin on seasoned with salt and pepper
1 medium Red onion cut 1/3" julienne
2 tbsp Sugar
1 Orange seeded, quartered, and thinly sliced and zested into long strips
1 cup olives
1 cup Orange juice
8 oz Dry white wine
2 tbsp Cold unsalted butter
4 tbsp Fresh tarragon leaves
Frisee
Balsamic vinegar dressing

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 12- to 14-inch saute pan heat 4 tablespoons virgin olive oil over moderate heat. Dredge seasoned breasts in seasoned flour and shake off loose bits. Saute breasts, skin-side down, until golden brown on both sides yet still very raw. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, sugar and orange pieces (not zest) and saute until golden brown - about 8 to 10 minutes. Add olives, orange juice and dry white wine and bring to a boil. Place guinea breasts in pan, skin-side up, return to a boil and place in oven uncovered. Cook 15 minutes until just cooked through. Remove from oven and remove breasts from sauce and set aside.
Add butter to pan and simmer until melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, remove breasts from bone and place in center of plate on top of a simple frisee salad with balsamic vingegar dressing. Add tarragon leaves to sauce, divide among 4 plates and serve. This recipe yields 4 servings.

Guinea Hen with Vinegar - (Faraona Al Aceto)

2 Guinea hens quartered
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup white wine
1 cup commercial balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp capers rinsed
3/4 cup pitted olives
2 tbsp prosciutto cut 1/4" dice
3 anchovies rinsed, filleted
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cup Brown Chicken Stock (see recipe)
Salt to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
2 bunch chives finely sliced
4 tbsp good-quality balsamic vinegar

Rinse the hen pieces and dry well. Season aggressively with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over high heat until smoking. Sear the hen pieces until browned on all sides. Add the white wine and vinegar and allow to completely evaporate, turning the meat to coat with the liquid. Add the capers, olives, diced prosciutto, anchovies and the tomato paste and cook 5 minutes. Add the Brown Chicken Stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes, until the hen is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, stir in chives and serve, drizzling real vinegar over each portion tableside. This recipe yields 6 servings.

Roasted Guinea Hen

3 Hens
3 tbsp Butter
Salt & pepper
1 Chopped onion
1 lb Sliced salt pork
3 cup Chicken stock

Heat oven to 350. Clean, wash & truss hens & rub all over with butter. Place in roasting pan, sprinkle with salt, pepper & onion. Place pork in layers on breasts of hens & pour stock into pan. Bake until tender, 50-60 minutes; baste every 15 minutes with juices. Turn up heat to 500 & bake 5-8 minutes. Do not overbake.

Guinea Fowl in Cider Cream Mushroom Sauce

2 Guinea Fowl breasts (skin removed)
200 gms mushrooms, sliced thinly
350 mls chicken stock
200 mls medium cider
250 mls thick or double cream
12 black peppercorns, roughly crushed with a morter and pestle
Pinch of sea salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 ozs butter

Add olive oil and butter to pan. Saute Guinea Fowl breasts over low heat until golden. Add mushrooms to pan, stirring to absorb the butter and oil. Add the cider and increase heat to bring to boil. Continue to boil until liquid is reduced by half. Add stock and continue to boil until stock is reduced to a sauce-like
consistency. Add peppercorns. Add the cream and bring back to boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow
to simmer for about five to ten minutes until it starts to thicken. Taste and add salt to season.
Serve with thick cut potato chips.

NOTE: In Puerto Rico we do the guinea hens with rice, like an arroz con pollo, but as the guinea is harder, it requires more time until it is soft. You can use you chicken recipes, but boil the guinea before until it is cooked. You can prepare it in soups, like chicharrones de pollo, stewed and baked. It will require more time.