3 Guys Cuban Recipe: Cuban Main Dish: Guinea Gallina Fricasé -- Guinea Hen Fricassee (Cuban)

Guinea Hen Fricassee

Raúl: In Cuba, especially outside of the major cities, there is a tradition of raising your own food. In my neighborhood, everyone had a large garden and many people raised small animals: goats, chickens, and so on.

Jorge: These skills became essential after Castro when food shortages and rationing began.

Glenn: One favorite backyard animal raised by many Cubans is the guinea hen. This small, compact bird doesn't take up a lot of space. Cooked properly, the meat of this bird is tender and full of flavor.

Raúl: Many people cook guinea hens for the Christmas holidays. In many families this is a long-standing tradition.

Glenn: You may also use Rock Cornish game hens in this recipe.

Whisk together the sour orange juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and olive oil to make a marinade. Place the quartered guinea hens in a large Ziploc bag. Add the marinade, force out any excess air and seal tightly. Marinade in the refrigerator for a minimum of four hours or overnight.

Remove the hen quarters from the marinade. Save the marinade! Blot the pieces dry with a paper towel. In a large frying pan under medium high heat, sauté the hen quarters in small batches in a little olive oil until they are browned on all sides. Finally, sauté the onions until they are limp.

Place the browned hen quarters into a large covered pot or sauce pan. Pour a little red wine in the pan you browned the birds in to deglaze the pan, scraping up all of those tasty crunchy bits in the bottom of the pan. Add this and the rest of the wine to the pot with the hen quarters. Add the marinade that you saved. Add the tomato paste, raisins, olives, and capers. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the guinea hens are tender -- about one hour.

Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the hens over white rice topped with plenty of sauce and onions.

1 cup sour orange juice
6 garlic cloves, mashed with 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
4 small guinea hens (about 2 pounds each), cleaned and quartered (you may substitute Rock Cornish game hens)
2 cups onion, in chunks
1 cup red wine
1 (six-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup green olives
1/4 cup capers
Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients