serves 4 to 6
This old recipe from the Ionian islands originally called for guinea hen, aka frangokota, or “French chicken,” in Greek. In Corfu, it’s called faraona, for Pharaoh, and, indeed, the ancient Greeks used to import the bird from Egypt. Guinea hens slipped into obscurity after the fall of the Roman Empire and resurfaced sometime in the sixteenth century, when Portuguese merchants began trading them from their West African colony to France, which might also account for why the bird is known as “French chicken” in many parts of Greece today.
½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin Greek olive oil
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups (360 g) chopped plum tomatoes (canned are fine)
Salt
¼ cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
2 small guinea hens (about 1½ pounds / 680 g each), or 1 medium chicken (about 3 pounds / 1.3 kg)
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (120 ml) white wine
2 tablespoons dried Greek oregano
1 cup (130 g) cubed graviera or Kefalograviera cheese
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
In a large heavy skillet, heat ¼ cup (60 ml) of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Add the tomatoes. Season with salt, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the vinegar and simmer for 5 minutes more.
Generously season the guinea hens or chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a Dutch oven or deep, preferably ceramic or glass baking dish with a cover and pour the sauce over and around the bird(s). Pour in the wine and sprinkle in the oregano. Drizzle the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil over and around the bird(s). Cover and bake until tender, about 1 hour. About 10 minutes before removing from the oven, add the cheese cubes to the pan. The cheese should be oozing but still hold its shape when you serve the hens or chicken.
Remove from the oven and serve.