Roasted Cornish Hens with Wine Mushrooms, Potatoes, Peppers and Vegetables

Roasted Cornish Hens with Wine Mushrooms, Potatoes, Peppers and Vegetables

The week is at an end and tomorrow night is your night to be with your family. To get to know each other and to make this night very special. Tomorrow night we will begin arguably the most important Holiday of the year. That is Shabbat. No other Law in the Torah is mentioned more then the Law of Shabbat. This we celebrate fifty-two times a year. Keep it Holy.

No other place on this planet can a Jew really feel at home like we feel when we are Home in Israel. I won’t listen to any more stupid arguments about how wonderful your life is outside of Eretz Israel. It’s not real and it’s only an illusion. Forget the Obama Nation! Forget Europe! Forget South America, Africa and most of Asia. Your time has come and your Redemption is NOW!

Every year for more then 1,800 years Jews prayed that next year we should all be Home in Israel. Nu? What’s your problem? Israel is here, Hashem brought us back Home and we are all waiting for you to join us. Get off your sofas and come Home NOW!

Shabbat Shalom!

Ingredients

4 Kosher Cornish Hens
1 cup All Purpose Flour, for dusting
4 tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra if necessary
3 cups Kosher White Dry Israeli Wine, plus a little extra
1 Bay Leaf
3 sprigs fresh Thyme
3 cups Kosher Chicken Stock
8 cloves Garlic, crushed and minced
2 stalks Celery, cleaned and roughly chopped
1 lb. Mushrooms, some whole, some halved and some quartered
2 lb. New Potatoes, cleaned and skin on, some whole some halved and some quartered
1 lb. Baby Onions, peeled and kept whole
2 tsp. Brown Sugar
4 tbs. Honey
1 handful Parsley, chopped
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Red Bell Peppers, roughly chopped
2 Green Bell Peppers, roughly chopped
1 Hot Pepper, seeded and chopped
1 handful Cilantro, chopped
1 handful Chives, chopped
Salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

I like to split each of the Cornish Hens into two halves. Most women and children cannot eat a whole hen but this step is really optional.

In a large bowl add the Cornish Hens and massage a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the hens and season with salt and pepper. Dust the hens in flour and shake off any excess.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of the oil in a large pan add the garlic, carrots, celery and braise the hens for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Pour in the wine and potatoes and bring to a simmer, scraping any sticky bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into it.

Add the bay leaf, thyme, cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, peppers to the same pan and add a little more oil for 5 minutes. Add the baby onions and the honey into the pan and add the brown sugar and help caramelize all the ingredients of the pan. Mix well. Add a splash of wine, and cook for a further few minutes, until the onions have softened.

Place the roasting pan into the oven and roast covered for about 1 hour. Remove the cover, mix well and continue to roast uncovered for another 30 minutes or so. Add the cilantro and the parsley and mix well. Roast uncovered for 10 minutes more.

Serve with a fresh salad, a green vegetable, some fish and Challah and some Kosher Israeli Red Wine. Put on your prettiest dress, scrub the kids (using sand paper if required) until they shine, light a couple of Candles for tomorrow night is the Sabbath. Keep it Holy! Don’t forget to say a few prayers over the Candles the Challah, the Wine and the Kids and your all set. Shabbat Shalom!