This was a very special dinner made for my daughter Katie and her boyfriend Travis. Each of my children received a certificate for a catered dinner for two prepared by the chef at Trattoria di Sommer (me).
She is a real chicken lover and I have never been a huge fan of cooking chicken, so to liven it up I decided to make game hens for an elegant and interesting change of pace. The meal started with grilled vegetables including red and yellow peppers, zucchini ribbons, Eggplant, and some sweet onions marinated in olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh squeezed lemon.
This recipe is based on 4 birds so figure accordingly for larger or smaller numbers.
4, 20-24oz game hens thawed and rinsed well.
1 large lemon, quartered.
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
16 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled.
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 450.
Sprinkle the cavities of the hens with salt and pepper.
Place lemon section and one sprig of rosemary in the cavity of each hen.
Brush the hens with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle lightly with Italian Seasoning.
Place bird on rack in large roasting pan.
Arrange the garlic cloves around the birds.
Place in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Combine the wine, broth, remaining oil.
After 25 minutes pour the sauce over the birds, reduce heat to 350 and roast for an additional 25-35 minutes or until juices run clear.
Baste with liquids from the pan every 10 minutes.
When the birds are done, remove from roasting pan to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
Transfer juices and sauce to a skillet and reduce over med high heat until thickened.
When the sauce is thickened pour over birds including the whole garlic cloves and serve.
Artichoke Risotto
1 very large artichoke
2 cloves garlic smashed
1 medium shallot sliced
1/4 cup diced Onion/Shallot
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp olive oil divided
1 tbsp butter
Juice from 1/4 lemon
1 Cup Aborio rice
3 1/2 cups heated chicken broth
Start by preparing the artichokes.
Clean the artichokes and remove the stem and the small outer leaves.
Rub the base with lemon to prevent browning.
Place about 3 inches of water in a large stainless steel pot.
Add one medium shallot sliced and two cloves of garlic smashed.
Bring the water to a boil, place artichoke in pot stem down.
Boil 40 minutes or until inner leaves pull free easily.
Remove and cool.
Remove the all the outer leaves and retain. Scrape the hair like choke out and discard with the smaller tiny inner purple leaves. Trim the bottom of the heart of any fibers from the stem. Place trimmed heart into small blender/food processor. Next scape the larger leaves with a spoon to remove the soft flesh and add to the heart. Puree with about 1 tbsp olive oil, juice from 1/4 lemon, until smooth. Set mixture aside.
Saute the diced onion and minced garlic with the oil and butter in a large non stick pan until soft.
Add the rice and stir 2 minutes.
Add broth about 1/2 cup at a time stirring constantly until absorbed.
Continue to add broth 1/2 cup at a time until the rice is al dente but cooked through.
Add the artichoke puree before adding the last of the broth. stir until well mixed with the rice.
Add the last of the broth and stir until done.
Serve with the hens.
Add Parmesan if desired.
