Afghan Style Game Hens Food

MOROCCAN STYLE BALSAMIC CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Rinse the game hens under running water. Pat dry and cut them in half lengthwise (kitchen scissors work fine).
• Arrange orange slices in bottom of a 9x13" glass baking dish. Top with game hens.
• Mix 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped garlic and 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin in bowl. Rub mixture all over hens. Wash your hands well with soap and hot water.
• Whisk together port, sherry, oil, vinegar, and honey in small bowl. Taste it to see if the mixture is to your taste, then if it is, pour over hens. (There is quite a difference between the taste of balsamic vinegar - which is sweet - and red wine vinegar, so if you use wine vinegar you'll definitely want to taste the mixture and adjust the amount of honey to your preference before pouring it over the hens.).
• Tuck dates and olives between hens and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight, turning hens once. (I've made this recipe beginning in the morning and marinated it 6-8 hrs during the day, too, and it was still delicious.).
• Remove hens from refrigerator and place on counter, covered, for at least 30 minutes. (You don't want to put a chilled baking dish straight into a preheated oven.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Turn the hens skin side up, then bake hens with marinade, dates and olives until hens are cooked through, basting occasionally, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer hens, dates and olives to serving platter. Discard orange slices. Pour the pan juices into a heavy small saucepan.
• Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and 1 tsp butter and simmer until reduced to about half, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon some sauce over hens. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro.
• Serve, passing remaining sauce separately in a gravy or sauce bowl.
• Note: when I first made this recipe, I didn't have fresh cilantro on hand, and couldn't even find dried in our herb stash, which surprised me. Mike collects herbs and spices, and we have a huge collection in the pantry. (I call him Condiment Man.) I had a bunch of a nice Italian dried herb mix (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage), so used that instead. I know it's not really an equivalent to cilantro, but it smelled wonderful anyhow and it tasted great, too. I also add lots more green olives and dates, which the recipe reflects :)
• Note #2: if you want/need to serve more than two people, you can use the above marinade for up to 6 hens, then you'll need to begin adding more ingredients.

AFGHAN-STYLE GAME HENS

Steps:

• 1. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body cavities of the game hens. Remove the packages of giblets (if any) and set aside for another use. Rinse the hens, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place the hens in a large, deep nonreactive bowl or baking dish and set aside while you prepare the marinade.2. Combine the oil, yogurt, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper in a medium-size bowl and whisk to blend. Stir in the onions, garlic, sliced lemon, and bird peppers, then pour the mixture over the game hens in the larger bowl, turning the birds to coat. Cover and let marinate, in the refrigerator, 8 to 24 hours (the longer the better), turning the hens occasionally.3. Set up the grill for rotisserie cooking.4. When ready to cook, place the hens on the spit and set the spit in place on the grill. Turn on the rotisserie and cook until the birds are nicely browned and the juices run clear when the tip of a skewer or sharp knife is inserted in the thickest part of a thigh, 20 to 35 minutes if the grill is covered, somewhat longer uncovered.5. Unspit the hens and transfer to a cutting board or platter. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.Serves 4Note: If desired, you may cook the hens directly on the grill. Spatchcook the birds or cut lengthwise in half with poultry shears, then marinate as directed in step 2 and grill as directed in the preceding recipe.

MOROCCAN-STYLE CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Finely grind first 7 ingredients in spice grinder or coffee grinder. Transfer to small bowl. Whisk in orange juice, oil and garlic. (Spice mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Rub spice mixture all over hens; place hens in large roasting pan. Sprinkle hens inside and out with salt and pepper. Tie legs together to hold shape. Arrange carrots in pan around hens. Sprinkle carrots with salt and pepper. Roast 30 minutes. Add stock to roasting pan. Roast hens until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced and carrots are tender, basting hens occasionally with pan juices, about 35 minutes longer. Place 1 hen on each of 4 plates. Arrange carrots alongside. Spoon warm Orange-Honey Sauce over and serve.

CORNISH GAME HENS, FIREHOUSE STYLE

Steps:

• allow cornish hens to come to room temperature.
• remove backbone from hens, and butterfly them so they are lying flat.
• salt and pepper hens on both sides to your liking.
• have 2 bricks wrapped well in aluminum foil ready.
• preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• fry pancetta in heavy lg. frypan or cast iron skillet until crisp. remove bacon.
• add 2 game hens at a time to skillet, skin side down, on medium heat, and top each hen with a brick. add a few chopped onions in pan for flavor, and cook for 5-6 minutes do this for every 2 hens you put in the skillet.
• mix vinegar, honey & hoisin sauce on low heat in small saucepan.
• when all game hens are removed from skillet, place in large aluminum pan(for easy cleanup) skin side up.
• baste with glaze from small saucepan.
• place hens in 450 degree oven for 15 mins., basting once with glaze.
• take out of oven, let hens rest for 10 minutes.
• SERVE AND ENJOY.

ROTISSERIE ASIAN-STYLE CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• In a shallow dish mix together the first 7 ingredients, then transfer to a large heavy ziploc plastic freezer bag, add in the hens; seal the bag and toss to coat.
• Refrigerate for about 5 hours.
• Remove the hens and thread on the rotisserie (reserve the marinade and discard the green onion halves).
• Pour the reserved marinade in a small saucepan.
• Reserve 1/4-cup of the chicken broth and pour the rest in with the marinade; bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• In a small cup whisk together the reserved 1/4 cup chicken broth with 2 teaspoons cornstarch; add to the simmering sauce, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Prepare the gill to medium heat, or whatever heat desired to rotisserie.
• Secure the hens with strong string, then thread the hens onto the rotisserie rack, sprinkle with black pepper if desired.
• Grill until the hens are done about 1 hour.
• Place the hens on a platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.
• Serve hens with sauce on the side.

TEXAS-STYLE GAME HENS

Steps:

• Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; stir well. Cook over medium heat until the jelly melts, stirring constantly. Remove sauce from the heat; keep warm.
• Combine the salt, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp chili powder, stirring well. Sprinkle over the cornish hens.
• Grill over medium coals for 45 minutes; turn occasionally.
• Baste with the sauce and grill an additional 15 minutes. Turn and baste frequently with the remaining sauce. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.