Spicy Cornish Hen Polletto Alla Diavola Recipes

SPICY MAPLE CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Pat the game hens dry and place on the prepared rack. Mix the butter, 1/3 cup maple syrup and 2 tablespoons brown sugar with the salt and all the spices in a bowl. Rub the birds with the butter mixture, making sure it gets in all the cavities and under the skin. Reserve any unused butter for later. Sprinkle the hens with a little extra salt and paprika.
• Roast for 30 minutes, then baste with the juices at the bottom of the baking sheet, or a little of the remaining butter. Return to the oven and roast until the juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh (do not touch bone) registers 165 degrees F, another 15 to 30 minutes more. Remove the hens to a cutting board or serving tray to rest and remove the rack. Pour the dry sherry into the hot baking sheet and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits; add a little of the stock if necessary. Transfer the sherry mixture to a small saucepan and add any remaining butter. Melt over medium heat. Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons chicken stock in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add the slurry and the remaining stock to the saucepan along with the remaining 1/3 cup syrup and remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Serve the game hens with the sweet and spicy gravy.

SPICY CORNISH HEN (POLLETTO ALLA DIAVOLA)

Steps:

• Rub the Cornish hens' skin, inside and out, with the peeled garlic clove. Discard the clove. Spread the red pepper between the skin and the meat. Season all over with black pepper. Place the hens in a nonreactive pan. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over them then scatter the sliced garlic, rosemary, thyme, and jalapeño over them. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, remove the hens from the marinade, pat them dry, and season the skins with salt. Set a heavy cast-iron skillet large enough to fit all the hens (or use 2 or more smaller skillets) over medium heat. Place the hens, skin side down, in the skillet and press them with a spatula or weight (such as a cast-iron pan or foil-wrapped brick) to obtain a golden-brown crispy skin, then turn them over and repeat. Depending on the size of the hens, this will take 25-30 minutes altogether. Place each hen on a dinner plate and serve at once. VINO This spicy dish requires something that can stand up to its spice, like a full-bodied Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany.

RUTH REICHL'S CHICKEN DIAVOLO

Steps:

• Make the chile oil: Chop jalapeño and serrano chiles and put them in a small saucepan with 3/4 cup olive oil. Add hot paprika and grind in a fair amount of black pepper. Steep over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Let sit overnight, or all day.
• Strain chile oil into a large bowl. Slice 2 lemons and add them to the bowl. Season with salt. Coat chicken with the oil, put in a zip-top bag and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to a day.
• Heat oven to 500. Heat a cast-iron skillet until it's quite hot (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the chile oil and pat it dry. Sprinkle it with salt and shower it with pepper; you need a lot. Slick the bottom of the pan with olive oil and put the chicken, skin-side down, in the hot skillet. Cook until the skin is crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the chicken skin-side up.
• Put the skillet in the oven and roast about 20 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 170 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. Sprinkle with juice from half a lemon, shower with more pepper and allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

DEVILED GAME HENS

Steps:

• Pat hens dry with paper towels. Place on baking sheet. Mix oil, red pepper and rosemary in bowl. Rub all over hens. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature.
• Heat 2 heavy large skillets over medium-high heat. Sprinkle hens with salt. Add 3 hen halves, skin side down, to each skillet. Place 1 heavy large pot atop hens in each skillet. Place weights (such as several bricks or rocks) in each pot. Cook until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced, about 18 minutes per side.

POLLO ALLA DIAVOLA

Steps:

• Add half a chilli, 1 clove of garlic, a teaspoon of herbs and a pinch of paprika ito a bowl and roughly mash together, coat the chicken in this and wrap in foil. Place this in the oven at 200degrees in a fan oven and cook for 30 minutes
• Add the oil to a saucepan and fry the onions on a high heat for around 3 minutes.
• Add the the green peppers, chillies,tomatoes, mushrooms and 1 clove garlic and adjust to a medium heat. Cook this for 4 minutes.
• Add half the tin if tomatoes and a dash of olive oil and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Then add the extra garlic, herbs and jalepenos and give it a stir
• Use a wooden spoon to mash the larger chunks of tomatoes, both tinned and fresh. Crumble over half the stock cube and stir in the leftover tinned tomatoes and the wine. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add a squeeze of lemon and the tomato purée. Continue to cook until the chicken is ready. Stirring occasionally.
• After 30 minutes take the chicken out and open up the foil, return to the oven for 10 minutes turning the heat up to full. Serve with the sauce poured generously over the chicken.