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Stuffed
Cornish Game Hens. These succulent,
juicy hens are sweet and
tasty. They are the
perfect serving size portion.
The meat is tender and the stuffing
superb. Traditionally a wild rice
stuffing is used. The wild rice is
blended , nuts and Mandarin orange
slices.
However, at the Recipe Exchange we
have chosen to stuff the Cornish
Game Hens with a delicious Italian style
sausage stuffing. Our readers
keep inundating us with requests
for Italian recipes so we to create
a perfectly fabulous Italian
stuffing. Fresh ground sweet
Italian sausage is blended with a
mixture of mushrooms, onions, celery,
herbs and bread crumbs.
Then small pieces of Pancetta (Italian
Bacon), are folded into the
stuffing. The Cornish Game Hen's are
then gently stuffed and roasted.
The pan juices are blended
with chicken stock, reduced and
thickened creating a rich delicious
gravy. This is the
perfect entree for your Easter
dinner. Serve it with some lovely
fresh crisp green beans and a glass
of your favorite white wine. .
Ingredients:
Cornish
Game Hens-2. Sweet Italian Sausage-1
pound. Fresh Italian Parsley-1/4
cup. Fresh
Italian Bread Crumbs-1 cup ground from
Italian Bread. Extra Virgin Olive Oil-3
tablespoons. Baby Portobello
Mushrooms-1/4 pound. Salted Butter-1/2
cup. Pancetta (Italian Bacon).-1/4 pound,
sliced and chopped. Celery and Celery
Leaves-1/2 cup, finely chopped. Salt and Pepper-
to taste. Poultry Seasoning-1
tablespoon. Gravy
Ingredients: Cornstarch-2
tablespoons. Chicken Stock-2 cups.
Salt and
Pepper -to taste. Gravy Master-a few drops
if necessary. Instructions:
Clean
the hens and pat dry. Salt the
cavity and set aside. Remove the
sausage from it's casing. Place the
sausage meat into a large non-stick
frying pan over a medium flame.
Brown the sausage meat. Break the sausage
meat into small pieces during the cooking
process. After the sausage meat has
finished browning drain the
meat on paper towel. Place the
olive oil and butter in the pan over a
medium flame.
When the butter has melted add the
chopped onions into the
pan. cook the onions
until just
barely translucent. Add
the cooked sausage meat, parsley,
mushrooms, celery, bread crumbs and
poultry seasoning into the pan.
Stir the mixture until the ingredients
are well combined. Mix in the
pieces of Pancetta until incorporated
throughout the stuffing. Allow the
mixture to cool to room
temperature.
Stuff the Cornish Game Hens with the
Italian Stuffing loosely. If you
pack the stuffing tightly it will
become too solid and the dish will not
cook evenly. Truss the hens or
simply fold over the skin to cover the
cavity. Place the hens on a
roasting rack in a roasting pan.
Roast the Cornish Game Hens at 350 F.
degrees for approximately 1 hour.
Baste continually during the roasting
process so that the skin becomes
golden.
If you like the skin slightly on the
crispy side place under a hot broiler for
a few minutes near the end of the
roasting process. Remove the Hens and
allow to rest for 15 minutes. Pan Gravy
Preparation: Place the pan
with the hot drippings in it on the top
of a medium high flame. Add in the
chicken stock. Bring to a moderate
boil. Scrape the bottom and the sides of
the roasting pan to release any bits of
skin and fat. Reduce by 1/2.
In a small bowl add 1/2 cup of water and
the cornstarch.
Mix until the cornstarch has completely
dissolved. Slowly pour some of the
cornstarch mixture into the pan drippings
and chicken stock mixture. Mix
constantly and add enough of the
cornstarch mixture until you have the
desired consistency you want.
Readjust the salt and pepper. Plate
the hens and spoon the gravy on top and
around the sides of the serving plate.
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