Questions for the cooks re: game hens/vegetables

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

I have two questions and am looking for some ideas.

1. Can one brine game hens as they would a turkey? If so, how long do you cook them for/ brine them for and in what?

2. Looking for some interesting vegetable ideas.

[Rowdyboy]

1. Never tried it, but turkey really works well

I did find a game hen brining recipe that sounds delicious though...

See what you think..

http://www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/poultry/hens/00/rec0029.html

and another

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/greenline/02v6/14.html

and this one has some interesting information

http://www.zenreich.com/ZenWeb/cornishhen.htm

Damn, I should have been a reference librarian...Bon apetit!

[rumguy]

2. yes you can brine them

I'm doing up pheasants for christmas...

Here's a good site..

http://bbq.about.com/library/weekly/aa092201a.htm

[trof]

3. Wild rice

or some rice & something mixture goes well with the little birds.
I love brussel sprouts cooked in apple juice.

[trof]

4. Oh, and baked/roasted asparagus

Spread them out on parchment paper or foil.
Dot with butter and sprinkle with a little sugar.
Bake in 400 oven for about 15 minutes.
The flavor is intense and the sugar carmelizes.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. Great! I just bought some huge perfect spears

[Robb]

8. Oooh!

Nummers...!

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. i have a pretty good brocolli casserole recipe for ya...

i cant remember specific ingredient amounts so....well....here is how i do it.

Make about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of your favorite rice. I like brown rice that takes 45 mins. to cook, but minute rice will suffice .....hmm...a rhyme

anyway..


grate about 2 cups of your favorite cheese. A nice, sharp cheddar works well.
1 1/2 cups Mayonaise
1 cup bread chunks....tear your favorite bread into little hunks, NOT crumbs.
5 whole eggs.
1 good sized head of Broccolli, cut into flowerets, steamed till al dente
salt and pepper to taste.
Any Herbs you might like with it. Fresh basil is nice. Tarragon, dill...anything. Just pick one you like or two that compliment each other and stick with that.

In a mixing bowl large enough to hold everything, start by mixing the mayo, and the eggs. Add your herbs, salt and pepper, half the grated cheese and half the bread chunks. add the rice and fold in the steamed brocolli. Mix each item as you go.
Pour this into your casserole dish, sprinkle the top with the rest of the bread bits and the remaining cheese.

Bake at 375 for 1/2 hr to 45 mins (Depends on the oven, mine sucks, so i just let it go till it looks like it has set up pretty well)

As a variation, use half Broc, half Cauliflower.

I hope you like it.
My family loves it and i like the idea that i can vary it each time.

Good luck!

Paul

[havocmom]

6. yams 'n apples

Slice some lightly boiled, peeled and drained yams. Layer them in a cassarole dish with sliced fresh apples, bits of butter and maybe a pinch of sugar with cinnamon or nutmeg. You can put in a dash of cidar if looks dry. Raisins too if you like them. Bake to heat and lightly cook the apples.

The game hens are great with wild rice seasoned up with onions, a bit of celery, orange juice and peel, sausage, apples, nuts... go crazy.

Have a merry merry, NSMA!

Corn bread with green chilie in it is good too.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. Thanks I make a green chili corn cake

Thanks to everyone for the ideas...I hate being in a rut and wanted some new ways to make things :D

[tainted_chimp]

10. Braised Fennel in Milk (Big yumm)

here's one of my fav's:
(the milk helps create a more subtle fennel flavor)

2-3 small fennel bulbs --1 1/2 lbs total weight
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter -- cut into cubes
salt & fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Trim off any stems and bruised stalks from the fennel bulbs: save any feathery sprigs for garnish. Trim the root end but leave the core intact. Cut each bulb in half lengthwise and then cut each half lengthwise into 4 wedges: the portion of the core with each wedge will hold it all together.

In a large saute' pan or frying pan, arrange the fennel in a single layer if possible. Add the milk, then dot the surface with the butter cubes, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce the heat to med-low, cover partially, and simmer for 15 minutes; watch carefully that the milk does not boil over.

Turn the wedges over once during cooking. Uncover, raise the heat slightly and cook until the fennel is just tender when pierced with a sharp knife and the milk is reduced to 1-2 tablespoons, about 15 minutes longer

Meanwhile, position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 400*F. Butter a baking dish in which fennel wedges will fit comfortably. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the fennel, with its liquid, to the baking dish, arranging the wedges into a single layer. Top with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Bake until golden on top, 10 to 15 minutes.

To serve, chop any reserved feathery fennel sprigs and sprinkle for garnish. Serve at once.

(This can be made a day earlier, and baked on the big day. Just use more milk in that case.)

By the way, this is from the Williams-Sonoma ; Simple Classics Cookbook if you were wondering.

~Lisa