Cornish Hens with Quinoa Stuffing
Nov 3, 2022
Christine Cushing, this year’s recipient of the Junior League of Toronto’s Culinary Trailblazer Award shares one of her family favourite recipes with you - her Dad’s Moussaka!
I like to prepare dishes for guests that allow me to enjoy their company. In order to do this, I select dishes that can be prepared before the guests arrive and are already cooking while we are enjoying their company. My "Sure to Please" Chicken Cacciatore is a prime example of this. Over time I have made several adjustments to enhance the flavour while at the same time using healthy alternatives (eg. skinless chicken thighs and breasts; I saute ingredients in extra virgin olive oil instead of butter). Because this dish has an Italian flare, so do all the other dishes that I serve before, during and after this meal. I serve an antipasta tray as an appetizer, and toasted garlic bread, a tossed green salad with an oil and vinaigrette dressing, whole wheat spaghetti, and the same wine that is in the cacciatore. For dessert I serve Tiramisu (also made ahead). As a result, most of my work is complete before company arrives. I have shared this recipe with women who say they do not cook and I have received rave reviews from all of them - their guests loved it so much that one man ate the leftovers for breakfast the next morning. I like to make this dish in the summer, when I can use fresh produce from my vegetable garden or from the local farmer's market. My inspiration for this recipe is that I love to cook and entertain. This recipe is full of flavour, easy to prepare and tastes like you were in the kitchen all day (what a bonus!).
The time you spend and your devotion to detail would make Primo and Secondo proud. You can make each component ahead and assemble and bake just before you put on a Louis Prima recording to set a jazzy mood.
It is hard to believe that this entire meal for 6 can be prepared in under an hour. The ingredients in this main course and side dishes are completely Canadian (including the Canola oil), but just like our country's unique cultural mosaic -- they have been flavoured with exotic spices and other wonderful additions which highlight Canada's tolerance and respect for people of other lands. The lamb was reared in Ontario and the eggplant can be grown in almost any Canadian garden. I sometimes serve the lamb with chick pea fries and chuckle when I remind my Indian in-laws that Canada and Australia are now growing garbanzo beans, too.
