It was so wonderful to be at the farm last week. Puttering from room to room, I imagined what the upcoming summer would bring. Family and friends coming to visit, planting and caring for our new vegetable garden, and being with Ralph. I feel incredibly blessed that, after all of these years of being together, I would rather do nothing with Ralph than just about anything with anybody else. When I am with him everything seems possible. When we are together, at our farm, that feeling intensifies.
Possibly because Ralph and I have a blended family, our focus on consciously creating our life has always been present. We have never allowed life to meander. At the farm, we are even more focused. We spend hours and hours walking through the woodlands, talking about our daughters, family, friends, business and politics. There is something about being so immersed in nature that frees your imagination. The wide open meadows act as an emotional liberator. Life is put back into perspective and once again we are centered.
Being grounded is one of the most fundamental needs that Ralph and I share. When we are at our farm, our feet are firmly planted.
For the last several weeks, there has been a flood watch along the Saint John River bank. Happily for us we are perched high upon a hill with a spectacular view… even more so with stormy skies!
We went to the farm to ready it for the upcoming summer season. I knew that I would be tired from cleaning all day so, I prepared a yummy but really simple Cornish hen dinner. This meal will take you 15 minutes to prepare and 1 hour to roast. We love it!
ROAST CORNISH GAME HEN WITH LEEK, SAGE, PROSCUITTO BREAD STUFFING sorry about the long title!
serves 2
preheat oven 400*F
wash and dry 2 cornish game hens, set aside
1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
2 ounces of proscuitto, chopped
8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup day old good quality baguette or ciabatta, cut into cubes, placed in mixing bowl and set aside
10 fingerling potatoes, washed and unpeeled use enough potato for 2 people
place a large skillet over medium high heat and bring butter to a froth
add leek, garlic and proscuitto and saute for 5 minutes…add sage, salt and pepper and saute 2 minutes more
pour contents of skillet over bread cubes and toss well
divide stuffing between the 2 birds
place the potatoes in a well buttered roasting pan then place the hens on top of the potatoes this will cause your potatoes to become crispy from the drippings
drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper over the birds and cover
place in oven and roast for 1 hour…basting every 15 minutes
take the cover off for the last 15 minutes to brown the hens
Ralph and I can eat a whole hen each but if you have a smaller appetite cut the recipe in half
This stuffing is delicious in chicken too!
Thanks for reading.
