Afghan Style Game Hens Recipes

AFGHANI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Wash chicken quarters and dry using a clean cloth or paper towel. Prick chicken all over with a sharp kitchen knife and place in a bowl. Mix lime juice, ginger, garlic, cream, cardamom, cashew nut paste, salt, pepper, and oil together in a medium bowl. Rub chicken all over with lime mixture. Transfer to a baking dish or large shallow bowl and marinate for 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
• Preheat a grill to medium. Grill chicken quarters for about 25 minutes or until fully cooked, turning pieces over halfway through cooking.

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.

CORNISH GAME HENS WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Rub hens with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Lightly season hens with salt and pepper. Place 1 lemon wedge and 1 sprig rosemary in cavity of each hen. Arrange in a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around hens. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.
• Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices and garlic cloves to a medium saucepan and boil until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce and garlic around hens. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, and serve.

THE AFGHAN GRILL

Steps:

• Of all the countries I wanted to visit, but couldn't because of political turmoil, Afghanistan was my biggest disappointment. This landlocked, mountainous nation of 15 million lies at one of the great crossroads of the barbecue trail and at the confluence of four great civilizations: the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Afghan grilling weaves culinary influences from all four regions into a cuisine that's uniquely its own.This truth was brought home to me on my first meal at an Afghanistani restaurant, the Khyber Pass, in New York's East Village. The moment I stepped into the storefront dining room, with its soft lights, kilim carpets, Afghan tapestries, and hand-hammered copperware, I felt I was a million miles away from Manhattan. The house specialties-grilled lamb chops flavored with onion water, fire-charred game hens, and chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and cooked to fall-off-the-bone-tenderness-were exotic, but immediately accessible. I was won over by the way the side dishes of piquant chatni (chutneys-tangy table sauces, which in Aftganistan are made from vinegar, herbs-most often cilantro-and ground nuts, not the fruits we are more familiar with) and bracingly tart torshi (vegetable pickles) counterpointed the richness of the grilled meats."Afghanistan lies at the crossroads of Asia," explained the restaurant's manager, Mohamed Noor. Noor reminded me that Alexander the Great conquered the region in the fourth century b.c. on his way from Greece to India. In the thirteenth century a.d., Genghis Khan subdued the area while on his march to Turkey and Eastern Europe. He was followed in the sixteenth century by King Babur, founder of India's Mogul Empire. (Indeed, King Babur is buried outside the capital city of Kabul.) Each of the conquerors and their armies left a mark on Afghan food.Thus, olive oil, cinnamon, dill, fenugreek, and kalonji (nigella seeds, also known as black cumin or black onion seeds) are as popular in Afghanistan as they are in Middle and Near Eastern cooking. From India, Afghans acquired a taste for garam masala (a spice blend whose ingredients include cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and black cardamom seeds) and chatnis. As throughout northern India and Central Asia, meats are marinated before grilling in tenderizing pastes of yogurt and spices. The Persian Empire provided the torshis and lavash (flat bread) that are indispensable companions to Afghan barbecue.The focal point of the Afghan kitchen is the grill. Afghanis use simple seasonings to make some of the best grilled food in the world. Marinades run to yogurt (or yogurt cheese) flavored with onion, garlic, chiles, hot red pepper flakes, cumin, and sometimes olive oil. It's not uncommon for meats to be marinated for 48 hours, which makes them extraordinarily juicy and tender.The accompaniments are simple: thin chewy Afghan bread, nutty rice pilaf, tangy pickles, and coriander sauce.There are recipes throughout the book for Afghan quail, chicken, and lamb dishes, plus such traditional accompaniments as doh (yogurt drink) and chatni. There is also a short list of Afghan restaurants where you can sample some of this extraordinary grilling in exotic settings, but without leaving the United States.

HERB-ROASTED GAME HENS

Steps:

• Place hens, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over hens. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or a thermometer reads 180°.