Cold Poached Hen (Gallina Fiambre)

Ingredients

• 2 fat hens
• water
• salt
• 2 heads onions
• 2 dozen peppercorns
• bundle of fine herbs
• giblets (gizzard, liver, heart)
• intestines (tripe)
• oil
• vinegar
• pepper
• 4 hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

1. Kill, wash, and clean two fat hens inside and out.
2. Cook them submerged in lightly salted water with two whole onion heads, two dozen peppercorns, and a thread-tied bundle of fine herbs, over high heat for three hours, topping up with boiling water as it reduces.
3. Cook the giblets with the hens. Empty, wash, and cut the intestines into ~4 cm pieces; coat with a batter of oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt and grill them.
4. When the leg or breast yields to finger pressure, remove the hens and stuff them with the giblets, grilled tripe, and four hard-boiled eggs.
5. Reserve the broth, which is excellent, especially for children.