Greek-Style Roasted Game Hens with Pine Nut Pilaf Stuffing

Joyce Goldstein likes to use this rice stuffing studded with pine nuts when roasting chickens or poussins as well as the game hens she suggests here. (Editors' note: The pilaf is highly seasoned because it's being used as a stuffing. If you're serving it alone, you can decrease the amount of allspice to 1/2 teaspoon)


Greek-Style Roasted Game Hens with Pine Nut Pilaf Stuffing


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Ingredients
 
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For the stuffing:
  • 3/4  teaspoon  kosher salt; more to tasteOn Sale
  • 1/2  cup  raw long-grain rice, preferably basmatiOn Sale
  • 2-1/2  tablespoons  unsalted butterOn Sale
  • 1  small  onion, dicedOn Sale
  • 2  tablespoons  dried currants, plumped in hot waterOn Sale
  • 3/4  teaspoon  ground allspiceOn Sale
  • 1/2  cup  toasted pine nutsOn Sale
  • 2-1/2  teaspoons  grated lemon zestOn Sale
  •     Freshly ground black pepperOn Sale
For the game hens:
  • 6  tablespoons  unsalted butterOn Sale
  • 1/2  teaspoon  ground allspiceOn Sale
  • 2  cloves  garlic, mincedOn Sale
  • 3  tablespoons  fresh lemon juiceOn Sale
  • 4    Rock Cornish game hens (about 1-1/2 pounds each), rinsed and patted dryOn Sale

Directions
1.
In a saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add the salt and stir in the rice. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer over low heat until the water has been absorbed and the rice is fully cooked, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the rice to a bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the currants (drained) and allspice and cook a few minutes more. Stir the onion mixture, pine nuts, and lemon zest into the cooked rice. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
2.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make a basting sauce by melting the butter and stirring in the allspice, garlic, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3.
Spoon the cooled stuffing into the cavity of the hens. Set the hens on one large or two small racks in a large shallow roasting pan or large rimmed baking sheet. Spoon or brush half of the lemon butter over the birds. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast, basting occasionally with the butter, until the juices run clear when the leg is pierced with a skewer, 60 to 70 minutes. The internal temperature of the stuffing should be 160 degrees F. Remove the birds and racks from the pan. Spoon off and discard the fat; pour any juices into a separate container. If there are nicely browned juices in the bottom of the pan, deglaze with a little broth or water and add to the other juices. Serve one bird per person with some of the pan juices, if you like.

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