Cornish Hens with Apricots, Tomatoes and Spices

Recipe By : Joyce Goldstein (Square One, SF)

12 tbsp chicken fat
6 Cornish game hens -- halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
4 tsp cinnamon
4 c chopped onion
1 tsp cloves
3 c canned plum tomatoes, diced -- with juices reserved
3 1/2 c dried apricots -- soaked in hot water for 1 hr and drained
2 c chicken stock
1/3 c brown sugar

Heat 6 tbsp fat in a large saucepan. Sprinkle the hens with salt, pepper and 1 tsp cinnamon, then brown well. In another saucepan, heat remaining chicken fat, add the onions and cook over low heat 5 min or until onions are transparent. Add remaining 3 tsp cinnamon and the cloves and cook 3 more min stirring occasionally. Add about 1/2 c of the reserved tomato juices. Puree half the soaked aprico ts in a food processor or blender, and coarsely chop the rest. Add the pureed apricots, the diced tomatoes and 1 c chicken stock to the onion mixture. Simmer, uncovered, 5 min. Puree 2 c of the onion mixture. Return to the pan, add the remaining apricots, brown sugar and remaining chicken stock. Add enough additional liquid to thin the sauce out to a medium thickness. Place half the sauce in the bottom of a large casserole. Add the hens and cover with the remaining sauce. Bake, covered, in a 350F oven until done, 30-40 minutes.

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NOTES : From _The Jewish Holiday Kitchen_ by Joan Nathan. Schocken Books, New York: 1988.