I wanted to add something new to my Moroccan repertoire, so I decided to make a new tagine for dinner tonight. The word tagine applies to the both the cookware and the stew cooked in said cookware. This tagine takes two cornish game hens and stuffs them with a saffron couscous and simmers them in a sauce with paprika, cumin, parsley, onion, and cilantro. It turned out incredibly tender, but next time, I intend to cut the oil in the spice rub and up the spices by adding more paprika and adding more other spices. I am giving you this recipe as I would have cooked it, not how I actually cooked it tonight. I cooked this in a tagine, but if you don’t have a tagine, which most people don’t, you can use a dutch oven or stove-safe casserole pot. One thing about this dish is that it is absolutely beautiful before is cooked. I wasn’t able to get it golden red by sauteing, the way the recipe called for, so my after photo is actually less impressive than the before shot.

Before cooking:

Close up:

The final result:

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth
16 threads Spanish saffron, toasted in a non-stick skillet and crushed
1/2 cup couscous
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted on low heat in a non-stick skillet
5 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons smen (clarified butter, recipe below) — can sub 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon of olive oil if you don’t have smen on hand or haven’t made it in advance
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
3 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Cornish game hens, rinsed and patted dry
2 onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of the chicken broth and 8 of the saffron threads to a boil. Stir in the couscous and cover. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. The couscous may be a little wetter than normal. Add 1 tablespoon of the toasted pine nuts, half of the parsley, and the smen (or olive oil and butter) to the couscous. Set aside while you work on the hens.
2. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, the rest of the saffron, the paprika, the cumin, the coriander, and ground cinnamon. Rub the spice mixture over the hens and in the cavities. If you can get the spice mixture under the skin, this will enhance the flavor. Also, add salt and pepper to the cavities of the hens.
3. Spoon the couscous mixture into the cavity of each hen until fully stuffed.
4. Place the hens snugly into your tagine or a small Dutch oven or casserole. Around the hens, sprinkle the rest of the parsley, the onions, the cilantro, the bay leaf, and the other cup of chicken broth. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Cover and cook over medium low heat until the hens are tender. When you pierce the hens with a fork, their juices should run clear. It should take roughly an hour.
6. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Transfer the hens gently to the skillet and saute them until they are reddish-gold. While sauteing, let the sauce simmer down and thicken. Adjust the seasoning as needed.
7. Serve the hens with the sauce and a nice crusty bread for dipping.

If you want to go the extra mile and make the smen 1 to 2 weeks ahead of time, here is the recipe, which makes about 1 and half cups and be stored in the fridge for up to six months:

1 pound unsalted butter
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon sea salt 

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. While the butter is melting, take the oregano leaves and wrap them up in a bit of cheese cloth fixed with kitchen twine to create a little pouch. Set the pouch in the butter, and simmer until the butter become clear and golden. White sediment will start to settle on the bottom. This should take about 25 to 30 minutes. Skim off any foam and discard the oregano pouch. Strain the melted butter through a fine muslin dish cloth until clear. Transfer the clear liquid to a glass jar and add the salt, mixing well. Let the jar stand in a cool place until the butter becomes pungent, which should take 1 to 2 weeks. After you open the jar, be sure to refrigerate!

Enjoy!