Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [194]
Note: The bacon and sauerkraut are quite salty; even the rendered bacon fat is loaded with sodium. Adding more salt is strictly optional.
Variations: Substitute turkey bacon, ground beef, or sausage meat (casings removed) for the bacon. If you still want a smoky taste, substitute smoked paprika for the mild paprika.
For a spinach and sweet potato stuffing, substitute 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed of all moisture, for the sauerkraut; also substitute 1 pound sweet potato, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes, for the red-skinned potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar with the bacon to this mixture before stuffing it into the bird.
Roast Poussins
A poussin is sometimes called a “squab chicken,” but it’s not to be confused with an actual squab. It’s a young chicken, 4 to 6 weeks old, and thus very small. Simpler cooking is better: roasting lets the sweet taste come through. However, you’ll need several birds for a dinner party. Makes 4 servings
Four 1¼-to 1½-pound poussins, giblets and necks removed (see Note)
16 thyme sprigs
12 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Butcher’s twine
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon peanut oil
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place a poussin on your work surface, then place 4 thyme sprigs and 3 garlic cloves inside the large body cavity. Truss the bird with butcher’s twine. Gently massage a quarter of the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the skin. Set aside and repeat with the other birds.
Heat a large 12-or 14-inch, oven-safe, heavy-duty skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the peanut oil, then add the poussins breast side up. Cook for 3 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the skin’s not sticking. Turn and continue cooking until browned on all sides, turning several times with metal tongs, about 7 more minutes.
Place the skillet in the oven and bake, basting with pan juices about every 10 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F (our preference) or 180°F (the USDA recommendation), 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before carving; discard the thyme and garlic from inside the birds.
Note: Occasionally, you can find larger poussins, up to 2½ pounds. However, a four-person dinner party still needs three of these, mostly because of the higher bone-to-meat ratio.
Variations: Substitute butter, walnut oil, or olive oil for the peanut oil.
Substitute twelve 3-inch rosemary sprigs or 20 parsley sprigs for the thyme, dividing these evenly among the birds.
Cut 2 small oranges into 8 sections each and place 4 sections in the body cavity of each bird before trussing.
Flattened Cornish Game Hens
“Cornish game hen” is a misnomer. These aren’t game birds; they’re a cross between Cornish and White Rock chickens. The best way to sear the meat is to split them so they can be flattened against the hot surface of the skillet (see step 2 or have your butcher remove the backbone for you). You’ll need a very large skillet—or two!—for these birds. You weight them down over the heat, either with another skillet or with a heavy saucepan. If yours isn’t heavy enough to hold the bird against the hot surface, consider putting a couple of inches of warm water in it for weight. Makes 4 servings
Four ¾-to 1-pound Cornish game hens, giblets and necks removed
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt, preferably kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Lay a hen on your work surface breast side up. Insert a sharp chef’s knife into the large cavity opening, locate the backbone, and make a cut from tip to tail along one side