Cornish Game Hens with Lemon, Sage and Mushrooms

Cornish Game Hens

With Mushrooms,

Pearl Onions, Sage, Bacon,

Garlic, lemon and White wine.

This has to be one of my Fall Favorites!

This recipe originally came from a wine bottle from a vintner called Turning Leaf. I can no longer find this recipe on their website. If anyone out there has it, please send me a copy!

2 Cornish Game Hens (or 4,6 ext. one per person)

1/2 C fresh sage, chopped reserving a sprig for garnish

1/2 C fresh rosemary, chopped, reserving a sprig for garnish

1/2 C olive oil

1/2 lb bacon, chopped

1/2 lb pearl onions, peeled

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 lb variety mushrooms any kind! chopped

1 lemon sliced

1 C white wine

1 C chicken stock, I like better than bullion and water

salt and pepper

Rub chickens with olive oil and salt and pepper

Sauté bacon in high heat until browned, add chickens and brown on all sides. Stir in onions, garlic, mushrooms, herbs, white wine, chicken stock and water. Add lemons to inside cavity, and reserve 2 slices for garnish. Put rest of lemons in pan. Finish off this dish in a hot 350 degree oven. Stir and baste chickens with juices from time to time! This will make a wonderful sauce. I like to cook wild rice and serve. You can also serve with garlic parmesan mashed potatoes or creamy romano rissotto!!! 

Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon

8 oz bacon roughly chopped

3 lbs well trimmed boneless beef chuck cut into 11/2 in cubes

1/3 c flour

1/14 lbs boiling onions peeled

3/4 pbs carrots chopped

12 cloves garlic peeled

1/2 C brandy

2 750ml bottles of red wine

11/4 lbs mushrooms chopped

1/3 c chopped fresh thyme

1 T tomato paste

2 bay leaves

2 T better than bullion

1 C water

Preheat oven to 325. Saute bacon in heavy dutch oven high heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels. Season beef with salt and pepper, coat with flour. Working in batches brown beef in bacon fat over high heat. Transfer to bowl. Add onions and carrots, cook until light brown. Add garlic sautee 1 minute. Transfer to bowl with beef. Add brandy and bullion and water to pot to deglaze. Scraping up brown bits, about 8 minutes. Add meat and vegetables to pot, add wine, mushrooms, thyme and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Place pot in oven and cook for about 11/2 hours. Until beef is tender! This is one of my favorite hearty winter meals to make. Despite the name, it is very easy to prepare!

Happy Cooking!

Carmelized butternut squash ravioli with pine nuts and sage burre blanc

Carmelized Butternut Squash Ravioli

With Pine Nuts and sage Burre Blanc Sauce

1 package Won Ton wrappers

1 Butternut Squash 

2 sticks Butter

3/4 C Pine nuts

1/2 Cup chopped Sage and a few whole leaves for garnish

Salt and white pepper

dash of fresh grated nutmeg

1 C Romano cheese

Boiling salted water for cooking Ravioli

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Bake face down on cookie sheet with sides in about 1C water on 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. Check frequently so as not to burn. Turn squash over and roast under broiler for about 10 minutes, just to brown. Get that great carmel color going.

Melt  butter in small bowl. Scoop out squash, which should be soft and golden. Place in larger bowl, add 3 T chopped sage, 1/4 C pine nuts and 3 T melted butter and 1/4 C cheese. Salt and dash of nutmeg to taste.

Take one wrapper and brush with melted butter, add 1 t filling, place another wrapper brushed with butter on top and crimp to seal. Continue with all filling. Cook Ravioli in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes until tender.  Meanwhile, melt the rest of the butter, add sage and pine nuts.

Place drained ravioli on plates and serve with butter sauce. Sprinkle pine nuts, cheese, salt, white pepper and nutmeg on top.  Garnish with sage! Marvelous! Happy Cooking! Happy noshing! A great white wine for this one would be soft smooth chardonnay!