Main Ingredients: Poultry
Styles: Cooking for One or Two, Entertaining
Meal / Menu Items: Mains
Cuisines: American
Recipes
Bacon-Wrapped Cornish Hens with Corn Couscous
Serves 2*
Start to Finish: 30 minutes preparation; 1 hour unattended roasting time
Here's an elegant party recipe that's easy enough for two on a weeknight. Double or triple to your delight.
Recipe
1 Cornish game hen, defrosted if frozen
2 slices uncooked bacon
1 teaspoon dried Herbes de Provence*
2/3 cup plain couscous *
1 teaspoon olive oil
10 peeled baby carrots (for 1/3 cup thin slices)
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
2/3 cup frozen sweet, white corn kernels
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Spray a roasting pan* with cooking oil spray or line with nonstick foil. Wash game hen and dry inside and out with paper towels. Place herb mix in hen cavity and shake to coat evenly. Holding legs together, tie 1 slice of bacon around leg portion of hen to hold them together. Tuck wings under.
Place hen, breast down, in pan. Roast 1 hour or until an instant read thermometer inserted into thigh registers 165 to 180 degrees F, depending on personal preference.
While the hen roasts, prepare couscous according to package directions in a 2-quart* or larger pot with lid. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a l1-inch skillet. Add the carrots, onion and pepper to skillet. Cook until onions are tender, about 3 minutes. If necessary, rinse corn in a colander to remove any ice crystals, shaking to remove as much water as possible. Add corn to skillet, and stir and toss to thaw corn and heat through, about 2 more minutes. Set aside.
When couscous is done, fluff with a fork and stir in all vegetables. Cook remaining bacon slice in microwave until crisp, about 45 seconds. Crumble and add to couscous. Cover pilaf and set pan aside.*
When hens are done, remove from oven. Using kitchen shears, cut down spine of hen and separate into 2 halves. To serve, spread half of each plate with a generous portion of pilaf. Arrange 1 hen half to partially overlap couscous, and serve.
* Notes
Use equal parts of dried rosemary, marjoram, thyme and sage if you can’t find the Herbes de Provence.
Plain couscous comes in a box, bag or bulk. You need about 1/3 dry for each serving, so cook the needed amount for your party. Keep leftovers in sealed container in a cool, dry place for future use.
Recipe can be easily doubled, tripled or quadrupled. Adjust size of baking pan according to number of hens – 4 will roast nicely in a 9 X 13-inch pan. For even roasting, make sure hens have enough room without touching sides of pan or each other.
The larger pot is needed to accommodate the vegetables added after couscous steams.
Warm couscous briefly over low heat or in the microwave just before hens are served, if necessary.
Backstory
This recipe originated with Liza Gyllenhaal, a Guest Blogger who writes Local Food and Local Knowledge here on Kitchen Scoop.
Nutrition Info
Approximate Values Per Serving: 751 calories (44% from fat), 37 g fat (10 g saturated), 187 mg cholesterol, 41 g protein, 62 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, 318 mg sodium
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Comments
A recipe for two which I use often! It’s my husband’s favorite dish, I think, and I’m pretty fond of it as well.
Rouladen for Two
2 pieces of cubed steak
1 slice of bacon, cut in half
2 tablespoons of mustard
2 dill pickle spears
1 small onion half, cut in slices.
fresh bread crumbs - just a very few.
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 onions, peeled and cut in chunks
2 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
1/2 cup pickle juice from dill pickle jar
Directions:
Place cube steaks on counter and with heel of hand, flatten and enlarge.
Spread 1 tablespoon mustard on each flattened steak.
Place a pickle spear, half a bacon slice and slices of onion on one end of the flattened steak.
Add a few bread crumbs along the pickle spear, onion and bacon.
Roll the steak from the pickle spear end over to make a roll which can be fastened with a toothpick to hold.
Brown rolled steak pieces in a deep skillet or pan until browned on all sides.
Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup pickle juice, cubed potatoes, carrot chunks, onion chunks and any onion left from filling the rolls. Salt and pepper to taste. Put a lid on the pan, lower heat to a simmer and let cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender - about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove steak rolls from skillet or pan. I thicken the liquid left in the pan with cornstarch since I have a gluten sensitive husband, but flour also works well. Make a slurry and add to the liquid and vegetables left in the pan and stir until thickened. Serve meat rolls with vegetables and gravy.
I don’t even use a recipe for this because I have made it so often. However I hope I made it into a recipe that maybe you can use in your new efforts at cooking for two.