Game Hens with Pomegranates: Beccazini Ngranti
- Seeds from 1 large pomegranate
- 1 cup Marsala
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 Cornish game hens
- 6 thin slices pancetta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- Peel of two oranges, cut into 1/4 -inch slices
- In a small bowl, just cover the pomegranate seeds with the Marsala.
- You may have to use more Marsala.
- Gently mix in the mint and set aside, covered, for 1 hour.
- Season the birds inside and out with salt and pepper.
- Drain the pomegranate seeds and mint, reserving the liquid.
- Stuff the birds with some of the seeds, reserving remainder for later use, and the mint.
- Using a needle, truss the bird tightly so that the inner cavity is closed and sealed shut buy the 2 legs.
- Wrap each bird in a slice of pancetta, using your palms to press the pancetta tight against the bird.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In an oven-proof saute pan, heat the olive oil, butter.
- Add 3 sage leaves and cook 1 minute before adding the hens.
- Brown the birds on all sides over high heat until well-browned, about 5 minutes.
- Lower the heat, and add the remaining sage leaves, and pomegranate seeds.
- Place the saucepan in the oven for 7 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven.
- Drizzle the hens with 3 tablespoons of the remaining Marsala and pat with 4 tablespoons of the remaining butter.
- Baste the hens with the pan juices and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.
- In a small saucepan, melt the remaining butter over low heat.
- Add the orange peel and saute gently for 5 minutes, stirring gently so that the peel absorbs the butter.
- Remove the sauteed peels from the heat.
- Remove the hens from the oven and transfer them to a serving dish.
- Sprinkle the hens with the orange peel, and drizzle them with pan juices and pomegranate seeds.
- Serve immediately.
pomegranate, marsala, mint, salt, cornish game hens, thin slices pancetta, extravirgin olive oil, butter, sage, oranges
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/game-hens-with-pomegranates-beccazini-ngranti-recipe.html (may not work)