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HARISSA CORNISH HENS STUFFED WITH DATES AND CLEMENTINES, WITH MOROCCAN PEARL COUSCOUS

An exotic twist on a traditional meal. Cornish Hens basted in an Harissa sauce, stuffed with sweet and citrus, and served over a veggie packed pearl couscous.
Course Main Course
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 2 Cornish game hens , patted dry with paper towels
  • 4 thin slices of butter , softened to room temperature
  • 3 sprigs each of fresh rosemary , leaves removed and loosley chopped from one sprig
  • 8 large cloves of garlic , peeled
  • 2 small clementines , scrubbed well and cut in half
  • 4 medjool dates , cut into eighths
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp Entube Harissa paste , or more!
  • 2 large navel oranges

COUSCOUS

  • 1 cup pearl or Israeli couscous
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion , coarsely chopped
  • 1 garlic , minced
  • 2 tsp ras el hangout
  • 1 tsp each , salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp hot chili flakes (optional)
  • 1 cup pattypan squash , quartered
  • 1/2 cup small cauliflower florets
  • 1/2 cup sliced dried apricots
  • 1/4 cup plus 1tbsp sliced almonds
  • 1 tbsp chopped mint
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

CORNISH HENS

  1. Pat the hens dry with a paper towel. Use your index finger to loosen the skin on the top of the hen and slip a thin slice of butter under the skin on top of each breast. Add half of the chopped rosemary leaves in and push around to spread out the butter carefully. Repeat for each hen. Place 2 garlic cloves, 2 of the chopped dates and the two halves of one clementine into each cavity, pushing the clementine in tightly. Tuck one sprig of rosemary into each cavity as well. Truss the hens by tying the wings and legs.
  2. Rub each hen all over with some extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  3. Lay out the sliced navel oranges around the bottom of a roasting pan. Add the garlic cloves throughout. Lay the two hens, breast sides up, leaving room between each so that the skin can brown evenly.
  4. Place the hens in the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes.
  5. While the hens are roasting, whisk together the chicken broth and wine and harissa paste in a bowl.
  6. After the hens have been roasting for 25 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Gently pour the broth/wine mixture over the hens and continue to roast for 30-45 minutes, basting the hens with the juices at the bottom of the pan every 10 minutes or even less. The hens are done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. If you would like the skins to be even more burnished, broil for a couple more minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
  7. Carefully remove the hens and pour the juices from their cavities back into the roasting pan with the orange slices. Transfer the hens to a platter, remove the trussing string, and tent with aluminum foil.
  8. Stir the juices in the roasting pan around, breaking up some of the lovely cooked orange flesh into the juices.
  9. Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan and boil for about 5 minutes until the liquid is a thin sauce-like consistency. Serve the hens whole per person (or cut in half lengthwise and place cavity-down on each serving plate, if serving 4 people). Drizzle the sauce over the hens and garnish with fresh herb sprigs and a slice of orange. Serve immediately.

COUSCOUS

  1. While the hens are roasting you can start on the couscous.
  2. Heat the olive oil in 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 4 minutes or so, until turning translucent. Add the garlic and stir for another minute. Add the ras el hanout, the salt and pepper, and hot chili flakes if using, and stir to coat.
  3. Add the pattypan squash and cauliflower florets. Cook, for about 3 minutes, just to get the outsides burnished to a golden.
  4. Add couscous and saute, stirring constantly, until well coated and aromatic, about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until just tender, about 10-12 minutes.

  6. Re-season with salt and pepper if desired. Add the apricots, sliced almonds mint and parsley. Serve.

Recipe Notes

I state that this can serve two. If appetites are smaller, or the cornish hens are especially generous, this will serve 4, by slicing the finished birds in half.

Feel free to swap out the veggies for the couscous.  If you only have carrots and zucchini, go for it.  What about roasted pieces of pumpkin or squash added to the finished couscous before you add the apricots and almonds? Yumm!