Dear Eric: Could you please recommend a stuffing that would go well with raspberry or cranberry glazed Cornish game hens? I would cook the stuffing on the side, not stuffed inside the hens. Thank you for your interesting and informative column and great recipes.
Kathi William
Dear Kathi: Rock Cornish game hen is a hybrid of Cornish and White Rock chickens, hence its name.
You can tell by its pedigree that it's not actually a game bird, but the bird's smaller size and use in more-refined preparations make it seem like one. Because of that, I often like to serve it with wild rice, as I find its earthy, nutty taste nicely complements this succulent bird.
I used that rice in the dressing recipe below. A dressing is what you call a stuffing mixture you don't stuff inside the bird, but cook separately and serve alongside it on the plate.
I've enhanced the rice with bits of apples, nuts and raisins and made it more clingy and dressing-like by incorporating breadcrumbs. If desired, Kathi could make the dressing and bake it straight away. Or, she could get the dressing oven-ready earlier in the day, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. If she does that, she may need to add a few minutes to the baking time, as the dressing will be quite cold.
WILD RICE, APPLE AND NUT DRESSING
This flavourful dressing features earthy wild rice, juicy apples, sweet raisins and rich nuts. It could be served with roast poultry or pork. Wild rice is sold in the rice aisle of many supermarkets.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 60 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
1 cup wild rice
1 large red apple, cored and cut into small cubes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp melted butter, plus some for greasing
2 Tbsp honey
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 tsp herbes de Provence (see Note)
? salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place the wild rice in a pot and add 6 cups cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water gently simmers.
Simmer the rice, uncovered, until just tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well, cool in ice-cold water and drain well again.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the rice, apples and remaining ingredients, except butter for greasing, in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Spoon the dressing into a buttered 9-by-13inch baking dish. Cover and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until steaming hot.
Note: Herbes de Provence is a French-style blend of herbs available in the herb and spice aisle.
Dear Eric: I enjoyed your article in the Times Colonist discussing cabbage, but was surprised that you did not include "sweet" or "flathead" cabbage.
Have you tried it? Dusty Rose
Dear Dusty: In the article Dusty mentioned, published a few weeks ago, I described three types of head cabbage - green, red and savoy. I would have squeezed in the head-type of cabbage Dusty spoke of, except for one problem: I'd never heard of it before.
Whether you're a novice cook, or someone like me who's been doing it professionally for decades, Dusty has proven what I've always felt: There is always something new to learn.
Thanks to information found on garden-store chain Burpees Home Gardens website, burpeehomegardens.com, I now know sweet or flathead cabbage is a wide, quite squat (flat) specialty cabbage prized for its large, mild-tasting leaves, containing up to 30 per head. The company says those green/white leaves are very sweet and tender and make terrific sandwich wraps.
Flathead cabbage has a very short core and less dense interior, making it easy to slice or shred and a great choice for coleslaw and cooking. Dusty said the cabbage is excellent in soup.
Because of its use in its nation's cuisine, flathead cabbage is also sold as Taiwan or Taiwanese cabbage. Dusty said this cabbage is a little more expensive than regular green cabbage and, in Victoria, is available at Fairway Market.
ASIAN-STYLE COLESLAW
This inviting salad features sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours. Serve it as a side dish for grilled salmon, chicken, pork or burgers.
Or bring it to a potluck dinner.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp hot Asian-style chili sauce
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
4 cups finely shredded flathead cabbage
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh bean sprouts, soaked in ice-cold water until crisp, and then drained and dried on paper towel
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
1 medium carrot, grated
Place the first eight ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the remaining ingredients, toss and, for the crispest texture, serve immediately.
Submit cookery questions to chef and cookbook author Eric Akis by email or write to Ask Eric, The Times Colonist, 2621 Douglas St., Victoria BC, V8T 4M2
