Moroccan Style Cornish Hens Recipes

MOROCCAN-STYLE CORNISH HENS WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Mix 3 tablespoons of the oil with the paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub inside surfaces of hens with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, then smear them, inside and out, with the spice paste. Set aside 1 hour.
• Sauté onions in remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat until golden. Stir in raisins and remaining cumin and cook until onions are lightly browned. Fold in cooked couscous and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat grill or heat oven to 375 degrees. If grilling, sear hens on the skin side over medium heat, then turn them over, basting a couple of times with remaining lemon juice, until cooked through, about 35 minutes. If using oven, roast hen halves skin side up in a roasting pan until cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes, basting a couple of times with remaining lemon juice.
• Reheat couscous, fold in cilantro, and mound on a platter. Arrange hen halves around couscous and serve hot or warm.

MOROCCAN-STYLE CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Arrange orange slices in bottom of 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Top with game hens. Mix 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped garlic and 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin in bowl. Rub mixture all over hens. Whisk tawny Port, oil, vinegar and honey in small bowl. Pour over hens. Tuck dates and olives between hens. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight, turning hens once.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Turn hens skin side up. Bake hens with marinade, dates and olives until hens are cooked through, basting occasionally, about 40 minutes. Transfer hens, dates and olives to platter; discard orange slices. Pour pan juices into heavy small saucepan. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon some sauce over hens. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

MOROCCAN STYLE CORNISH HENS

Steps:

• Make your marinade:
• Whisk together the lemon or limejuice, olive oil, garlic, oregano leaves, parsley, 1 teaspoon ras el hanout and salt in a bowl.
• Divide the marinade in between two large zipper bags. Take two hens and place in each bag. Press out air before sealing. Place them in the fridge and let it marinade at least 4 hours or better yet, overnight.
• When ready to roast the Cornish hens: Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
• Place the hens and their marinade in a 9 x 13 oven proof dish. Add water or broth and arrange the slices of the onion and shallots around the hens. Sprinkle the hens with freshly ground black pepper, paprika and the remaining teaspoon of ras el hanout.
• Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375F. Place in small potatoes and roast for another hour or 1 hour 15 minutes basting frequently, Always test the hens before serving to make sure the juices run clear and they are full cooked. Internal temperature should be 165F. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Let them rest for 20 minutes, garnish with fresh additional fresh oregano and serve.

MOROCCAN-STYLE CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Finely grind first 7 ingredients in spice grinder or coffee grinder. Transfer to small bowl. Whisk in orange juice, oil and garlic. (Spice mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Rub spice mixture all over hens; place hens in large roasting pan. Sprinkle hens inside and out with salt and pepper. Tie legs together to hold shape. Arrange carrots in pan around hens. Sprinkle carrots with salt and pepper. Roast 30 minutes. Add stock to roasting pan. Roast hens until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced and carrots are tender, basting hens occasionally with pan juices, about 35 minutes longer. Place 1 hen on each of 4 plates. Arrange carrots alongside. Spoon warm Orange-Honey Sauce over and serve.

MORROCAN-STYLE ROAST CORNISH HENS WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Coarsely grind caraway seeds with salt in an electric coffee/spice grinder or crush with a rolling pin. Mince garlic, then mash to a paste with salt mixture using flat side of a chef's knife. Transfer paste to a large bowl and whisk in honey, lemon juice, oil, spices, and pepper.
• Put zucchini, turnips, bell peppers, butternut squash, and onions in an oiled large roasting pan, then add half of spice mixture and toss until well coated. Stir tomatoes and broth into vegetables. Add hens to large bowl with remaining spice mixture and toss to coat, then arrange hens, breast sides up, over vegetables in pan.
• Cover pan tightly with foil and roast in middle of oven 1 hour. Uncover and roast until hens are browned and vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes more. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Sprinkle herbs on top and spoon some cooking liquid over hens.

CROCK POT MOROCCAN CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Rinse hens.
• Pat dry.
• In small bowl, combine garlic, honey, turmeric, onion, allspice, salt and cayenne.
• Brush this mixture on hens.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
• Place in cooker with juice from marinade.
• Sprinkle tomatoes over top.
• Cook on low 5 and 1/2 to 6 hours.
• Arrange on serving platter over hot, cooked rice.
• Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if desired.

MOROCCAN-SPICED GAME HEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine garlic and salt in small bowl. Using fork, mash into paste. Mix in ginger, cumin, coriander and cayenne. Loosen skin of each game hen quarter, creating pocket but leaving skin attached. Rub seasoning mixture onto meat under loosened skin, dividing equally. Arrange quarters in shallow roasting pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Bake until cooked through and juices run clear when thigh meat is pierced, about 25 minutes. Transfer hen quarters to platter and serve.

MOROCCAN CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Arrange orange slices in a 2 quart (13 x9 ) baking dish and sprinkle evenly with dates.
• Remove and discard giblets and neck (if included) and rinse hens with cold water. Pat dry. Remove skin & excess fat. Split hens in half lengthwise. Place hen halves, meaty side up, on top of dates. Prepare paste. Place cilantro in food processor; pulse 4 times or until coarsely chopped. Add cardamom, cumin, coriander and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Place cilantro mixture onto hens; arrange olives around hens.
• Prepare marinade. Combine vinegar, wine, & honey; stir well with a whisk until well blended. Slowly pour over hens. Cover and marinade in refrigerator 2-24 hours, basting once with vinegar mixture.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Uncover hens and bake at 250 for 1 hours 25 minute or until juices run clear. Baste occasionally with the vinegar mixture. Shield wings with foil, if needed.

MOROCCAN STYLE BALSAMIC CORNISH GAME HENS

Steps:

• Rinse the game hens under running water. Pat dry and cut them in half lengthwise (kitchen scissors work fine).
• Arrange orange slices in bottom of a 9x13" glass baking dish. Top with game hens.
• Mix 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped garlic and 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin in bowl. Rub mixture all over hens. Wash your hands well with soap and hot water.
• Whisk together port, sherry, oil, vinegar, and honey in small bowl. Taste it to see if the mixture is to your taste, then if it is, pour over hens. (There is quite a difference between the taste of balsamic vinegar - which is sweet - and red wine vinegar, so if you use wine vinegar you'll definitely want to taste the mixture and adjust the amount of honey to your preference before pouring it over the hens.).
• Tuck dates and olives between hens and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight, turning hens once. (I've made this recipe beginning in the morning and marinated it 6-8 hrs during the day, too, and it was still delicious.).
• Remove hens from refrigerator and place on counter, covered, for at least 30 minutes. (You don't want to put a chilled baking dish straight into a preheated oven.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Turn the hens skin side up, then bake hens with marinade, dates and olives until hens are cooked through, basting occasionally, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer hens, dates and olives to serving platter. Discard orange slices. Pour the pan juices into a heavy small saucepan.
• Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and 1 tsp butter and simmer until reduced to about half, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon some sauce over hens. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro.
• Serve, passing remaining sauce separately in a gravy or sauce bowl.
• Note: when I first made this recipe, I didn't have fresh cilantro on hand, and couldn't even find dried in our herb stash, which surprised me. Mike collects herbs and spices, and we have a huge collection in the pantry. (I call him Condiment Man.) I had a bunch of a nice Italian dried herb mix (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage), so used that instead. I know it's not really an equivalent to cilantro, but it smelled wonderful anyhow and it tasted great, too. I also add lots more green olives and dates, which the recipe reflects :)
• Note #2: if you want/need to serve more than two people, you can use the above marinade for up to 6 hens, then you'll need to begin adding more ingredients.