Pablos Spanish Cornish Hens Recipes

CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the sliced onion in the bottom of a roasting pan. Remove the giblets from the hens, and rinse them inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outsides dry. Place the hens on top of the sliced onion.
• Pack the cavities of the hens with the cornbread stuffing.
• Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the hens. Rub the hens with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast the hens for 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.
• Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Break the cornbread into pieces and place the pieces in a large bowl. Add the onion mixture to the cornbread. Add the celery, chicken stock, parsley, salt and pepper, and mix together.
• Yield: 2 servings

PABLO'S SPANISH CORNISH HEN'S

Steps:

• 1. Open packages of cornish hens, rinse and split each on a cutting board, breast side up.
• 2. Place hens in a long casserole or use two casserole dishes.Loosen a little skin by using you finger or a small knife and place a pat of butter under the skin. You will notice a small bulge.Start seasoning each one with the dry seasonings and then add the soffrito, coating as much of the the hens that you can.Add any additional butter to the casserole that may be left over.
• 3. Cover and bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then uncover and bake an additional 15-25 minutes until golden brown. Top with fresh cilantro before serving.

CORNISH HENS PROVENCAL STYLE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet large enough to hold the pieces of Cornish hen in one layer. Sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper. When the oil becomes hot, add the pieces, skin side down. Cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook 5 minutes more.
• Add the onions, leeks and garlic, and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, olives, thyme, wine, chicken broth, bay leaf, saffron, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Stir and scrape the bottom of the skillet to dissolve any brown particles on the bottom. Cover closely, and simmer 10 minutes.
• Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. If there is too much liquid, reduce the sauce a bit. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

PAPRIKA-ROASTED CORNISH HENS AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475°F. Heat a 17- by 11 1/2- by 2-inch flameproof roasting pan in upper third of oven 10 minutes.
• Stir together oil, paprika, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl. Rinse hens and pat dry. Remove any excess fat from opening of cavities and season cavities with salt and pepper. Tie drumsticks together if desired. Brush some of spice oil over hens. Toss vegetables and caraway seeds in remaining spice oil to coat and transfer to hot roasting pan. Roast vegetables, uncovered, 25 minutes. Stir vegetables and arrange hens, breast sides up, on top. Roast 40 minutes, then baste hens with pan juices and roast 20 minutes more, or until a thermometer inserted in fleshy part of thigh registers 170°F. Pour any juices from inside hens into pan.
• Transfer hens to a cutting board and halve each lengthwise along backbone. Transfer vegetables with a slotted spoon to a platter. Sprinkle parsley over vegetables and top with hen pieces. Skim fat from pan juices and pour over hens. Stir together sour cream and water and serve on the side.