Ingredients

Wild Rice-Goat Cheese Stuffing
1 cup wild rice (do not use the long grain %26 wild rice variety)
5 cups water
Salt
6 ounces Spanish chorizo, finely diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons pure olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1 cup chicken stock
6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
-1/2 cup bread crumbs


1. Place wild rice, water and 1 tablespoon of salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook the rice until grains open all the way (the rice should be very soft to the bite). Drain the rice well and place in a large bowl.
2. Place a small saut pan over medium heat, add the chorizo and cook until golden brown and the fat has rendered. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
3. Heat the butter and oil in a large saut pan over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and the chorizo and bring to a simmer. Pour the mixture over the rice and stir to combine. Fold in the goat cheese and parsley and cup of the bread crumbs. The mixture should wet but if it appears too have too much liquid, add the remaining breadcrumbs a tablespoon at a time until the mixture just comes together but is still moist; season with salt and pepper. Let cool to room temperature.

Cornish Hens
4 Cornish game hens (1 1 pounds each), washed and patted dry with paper towels
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Wild Rice-Goat Cheese Stuffing

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rub each hen with 1 tablespoon of the butter and season generously with salt and coarsely ground black pepper, including the cavity.
2. Loosely fill each cavity of the hens with approximately cup of the wild rice stuffing and tie the legs together with butchers twine.
3. Place the hens in a roasting pan, breast-side up, and roast until the skin is golden brown and the thickest part of the breast meat registers 155 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 45-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.
3. Ladle some of the red chile gravy onto a large dinner plate and top with a Cornish hen. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.

Red Chile Gravy
Yields: 2 cups
2 tablespoons pure olive oil
1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 cups homemade chicken stock
4 New Mexico red chile pods, toasted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons honey
Salt and kosher pepper
Fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer. Add the stock and chiles, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half and the chiles are softened, 15-20 minutes. Strain the sauce into a bowl.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the gravy and thyme, bring to a boil and cook until thickened to a sauce consistency; season with the honey and salt and pepper.

Description

Wild Rice-Goat Cheese Stuffing 1 Cup Wild Rice (do Not Use The Long Grain %26 Wild Rice Variety) 5 Cups Water Salt 6 Ounces Spanish Chorizo, Finely Diced 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter 2 Tablespoons Pure Olive Oil 1 Medium Spanish Onion, Finely D

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