Roasted Rock Cornish Game Hens with North African Flavors

- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- Pinch of saffron, soaked in ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 Rock Cornish game hens (about 1 pound each) Kosher salt
- 2 lemons, washed well and cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons dark raisins
- 2 large white onions (about 1½ pounds total), sliced 1 inch thick
- 1 pound ripe plum tomatoes, each cut into 4 wedges, then halved crosswise
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, if using canned chickpeas, rinse well
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
Instead of serving each person an individual bird, I simply carve the larger birds into breasts and leg-thigh pieces and serve them family-style on a platter.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Mix the garlic, paprika, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, cumin, coriander, saffron with its lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the vegetable oil in a large bowl to make a spice paste. Toss the hens in the bowl with the spice paste and rub them until they’re evenly coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Remove the hens from the refrigerator; do not scrape off the marinade. Sprinkle the hens liberally inside and out with salt. Put a lemon quarter and one quarter of the raisins in the cavity of each bird. Put the onions in the bottom of a roasting pan, season with salt and pepper, and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Put two V-racks (or arrange two regular racks into a V) over the onions, and place 2 hens breast side down on each rack.
- Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the birds breast side up, give the onions a stir, and roast for an additional 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas to the pan and roast for an additional 15 minutes, or until the skin has browned and the hens are cooked through. The juices should run clear from the thickest part of the thigh when poked with a skewer; an instant-read digital thermometer inserted at the same spot should read 165°F. Transfer the hens to a platter.
- Add the chopped parsley to the vegetable mixture in the roasting pan, stir, and taste for seasonings. Spoon the mixture around the platter. Garnish with the remaining lemon quarters. Serve immediately.