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8 poussin/pargiyot (baby chickens)
Air dry the hens on a rack in your refrigerator overnight. Toast the almond pieces on a baking sheet in your oven or by sautéing in a lightly oiled pan over a medium heat.
Quickly fry the orzo in about 4 tablespoons olive oil over a medium-high flame. Do this in 2 batches. Transfer to a large pot and add the boiling water and chicken stock. Add salt, pepper, 3 to 4 sprigs of thyme, and 3 to 4 of rosemary. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and leave covered for another 5 minutes. (I cover the pot with a dish towel at this point and then put the cover on. This absorbs some of the moisture.) Remove the thyme and rosemary stalks.
Caramelize the onions in a large fry pan. (This will probably take 2 or 3 batches.) During the last few minutes add the garlic. Remove to a bowl. Sauté the mushrooms and remove to a bowl.
Mix the orzo, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and almond pieces. Stuff each hen with this mixture and add a sprig of thyme and of rosemary, then close the opening of the hen with toothpicks. If you wish, gently lift the skin up at the neck and slip a sprig of thyme and/or rosemary between the skin and the breast meat. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
A tasty option is to spread the remaining orzo mixture in the bottom of the baking pan.
Put a rack in the baking pan and place the hens breast side down. Put in a pre-heated (375°F) oven for a half hour. Baste and turn the hens. Bake for about another half hour, until the skin is a deep golden brown. If you don't bake the remaining orzo under the hens, deglaze the baking pan with chicken stock and make a gravy.
Poster's Notes:
Posted by Scott Mann
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A
2 500g packages orzo (rice shaped pasta)
4 cups chicken stock, warmed to a boil
4 cups water, warmed to a boil
8 medium onions, cut into thin slices
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped
300g almond pieces (the peeled stuff which is ivory in color)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
The following is what I'm serving second night of Rosh Hashana. In Israel we've been getting fresh "pargiot" which are young chickens. This recipe is a lot of patchkie, but I think it's worth it.