Curried Game Hens a la Muffy Ritz as shown in the Sun Valley Celebrities and Local Heroes Cookbook benefiting The Advocates (2001)

Serves 2 big appetites or 4 smaller ones

The Ketchum Art’s and Craft’s fair was really a wonderful one this year.  I went with a dear friend and she played the game at the Advocate’s booth and won this beautiful cook book with fabulous recipes and gorgeous pictures by our own Will Caldwell.  My friend never uses cookbooks so lucky me was gifted the winnings.  I read it from front to back and honestly, it has fabulous recipes in it.  One I really like is by Muffy Ritz.  So I called her and she gave me permission to reprint it here in my column in the Weekly Sun.  She prefaces this recipe by saying:  “Sauces make the world go ‘round! I don’t like spending too much time cooking when there are so many other things to do, but I love good food.  This recipe is very easy, very fast and very good”.  And indeed, every word quoted is true.  So, for those of you who don’t have this book YET, here is Muffy’s recipe:

Ingredients:

2 game hens (20 oz.) defrosted (you also can use regular chicken)

1 1/2 to 2 Tblsp. curry powder (Muffy uses a combo of sweet curry and hot curry in this recipe and reminds cooks that curry powder’s shelf life is about 6 months.)

2 Tbls. Soy sauce

1/2 C. mustard (I used the yellow ordinary kind)

1/2 C. honey

Optional: raisins (I used currents), sliced onion, sliced mushrooms

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine the above ingredients, including the optional ones, and place in a casserole dish.  Place the game hens in the dish and marinate for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 min., then flip the hens over, remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes and until done.

Serve with couscous (I used millet) and colorful vegetables.  This sauce is great on the couscous.

Additional notes from Margot:

How to cook Millet

Millet which I buy out of the bin is a staple throughout Africa and in much of Asia. It is gluten free where as couscous is not and is rich in the B vitamins as well as containing other valuable nutrients. So for those wishing a gluten free side dish that tastes like couscous, millet is your perfect substitute.

Ingredients:

2 Tblsp. olive oil &/or butter

1 C. rinsed millet

S&P

2 C. chicken stock

Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Directions:

Place oil/butter in a medium sauce pan and turn heat to medium. When oil/butter is hot, add the millet,  S&P, and stir cooking until the millet has a glossy look to it—1 to 2 minutes.

Add the liquid, cover, turn heat to low and cook about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the millet is tender.

Garnish with parsley leaves.