Roasted Guinea Hen With Lemon Thyme Pan Sauce And Brussels Sprouts With Serrano Ham Recipes

ROAST GUINEA HEN

Steps:

• Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place the guinea hen in a large, deep bowl, pour the marinade over and inside the hen, cover the bowl, and marinate, refrigerated, overnight, turning occasionally to ensure that all parts of the bird are covered.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the hen from the marinade. Reserve the marinade. Put the hen in a roasting pan and brush with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Turn the hen breastside down in the pan and roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the hen onto its back, decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees, and roast for 1 hour. While the hen is roasting, place the reserved marinade in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and reduce to approximately 1/4 cup. When the hen has 15 minutes left to cook, pour the reduced marinade over the hen and return it to the oven for its final 15 minutes of cooking. Remove from the oven, and let the hen rest for 10 or 15 minutes before dividing into serving portions.

ROASTED GUINEA HEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the guinea hen in an iron skillet large enough for it to fit or in a heavy roasting dish. (Enameled cast iron is best.) Using your hands, rub 2 teaspoons of the olive oil all over the bird, inside and out. Season again all over with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with thyme leaves. Scatter the garlic cloves around the pan.
• Place in the oven and roast 15 minutes. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and roast, basting every 10 minutes with pan drippings, until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 160 degrees; this should take 40 to 50 minutes.
• Remove the hen from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Drain excess fat (leaving some!) from the pan and place over medium-high heat. Pour in the chicken broth. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the pan drippings and bring to a boil. Reduce until the sauce is syrupy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cut the hen into 6 pieces and pour the juices from the cutting board back into the sauce. Serve on a platter and pass the sauce with a big spoon.

PAN-ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Steps:

• To prepare the Brussels sprouts, remove any tough leaves from the outside, trim the ends, and cut in half lengthwise. Cut lemon wedges for the fresh lemon juice. Heat a very large, heavy-bottomed (preferably cast-iron) sauté pan over medium high heat. Drizzle in the olive oil. Add the sprouts to the pan, cut side down, in a single, uncrowded layer (work in batches if they won't all fit at once). Continue to cook the sprouts until they begin to brown and caramelize.
• Add the chorizo to the sprouts. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Continue to cook the sprouts until they are slightly softened and bright green, but still have bite to them. Add ¼ cup of the chicken stock. Stir the sprouts and cook until the stock evaporates. Add another ¼ cup of stock, and keep cooking and adding stock until the sprouts soften more but are still al dente. Squeeze in the fresh lemon juice. Season with salt, to taste.
• Once the sprouts are cooked, remove from the heat and scoop them into a deep serving bowl. Garnish with the freshly chopped parsley (or herb of your choice) and serve.

PAN ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, then roughly chop. In same pan with bacon fat, melt butter over high heat. Add onions and Brussels Sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, until sprouts are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and toss bacon back into pan. Serve immediately.