David Rubel's

What's For Dinner?

4/26/06 

Green Curry Game Hens

(serves two adults and two children)

This dish makes a fine leftover, and there’s enough marinade to cover another hen, so don’t be afraid to make three instead of two.

The Marinade

• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp white peppercorns
• 1 bunch cilantro (including the roots and stems)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed
• 2 cloves garlic, trimmed and peeled
• 1 large shallot, trimmed and peeled
• 1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and sliced
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• large pinch of salt
• 1 Tbs fish sauce
• 3 Tbs peanut oil

The Game Hens

• 2 Cornish game hens, butterflied (see tip below)

1. Toast the spices in a small skillet over medium heat, tossing them occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Once the spices have cooled, grind them in a spice mill or a clean coffee grinder (or use a mortar and pestle).

2. In the bowl of a food processor, add the ground spices to the rest of the marinade ingredients and puree until a paste is formed. Rub the paste over the hens. (You can do this in advance and refrigerate them for several hours.)

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with a roasting pan inside. The pan should be large enough to hold the game hens in a single layer.

4. Arrange the hens in the pan skin side–up, and roast them until done, about 25-30 minutes.

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Tips

* One of the many advantages to using a butcher is that he will do the butterflying of the game hens for you. Nevertheless, it’s quite easy to butterfly them yourself. All you have to do is use poultry shears or a sharp knife to cut out the backbone separating the two breasts so that the hen will lie flat on its exposed interior.

* If you don’t have whole spices (or a spice grinder), you can make do with ground ones, but use a touch less. You can also substitute black peppercorns for the white (which are milder), but, again, use a little less.

* You can dramatically reduce the spiciness of this dish by discarding some or all of the jalapeno seeds.

* If you’re unfamiliar with lemongrass, don’t be intimidated. Simply remove the yellowish outer leaves to expose the whiter core, which has fewer veins and is denser.

* If you like crispy skin, you can finish the hens under the broiler, or you can grill them.

If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future.

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David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Story of America (DK, 2002).