Poussin stuffed with mascarpone with peperonata & orange kūmara hummus
SERVES 4 GREEDILY / PREPARATION 20 MINUTES / COOKING 60 MINUTES
The advantage of a small bird is that there’s no argument of who is having the drum or breast, just plenty of meat and finger-licking goodness without much of a fuss. The pancetta and mascarpone provide richness and also help provide a sauce for the birds.
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 pieces pancetta (approx 40g), sliced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped thyme leaves 200g mascarpone
4 poussins
4 capsicums, mixed colours, cut into wedges 3 small/medium tomatoes, cut into quarters ½ cup olives
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ cup flat-leafed parsley
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Heat a frying pan, add the oil and fry the pancetta and garlic until cooked, then add the thyme and cook for a minute. Allow to cool then combine with the mascarpone. Season well with salt and pepper. This can be done the day ahead.
Pat dry the poussins, season inside and put around 50g of the mascarpone mix in each cavity. Tie the birds and put into a roasting dish. Lightly oil the outside of the birds and season generously. Put the capsicums, tomatoes, olives and capers around the birds, sprinkle the vegetables with the vinegar and season well.
Put into the oven and roast for 50-60 minutes, allowing the birds to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Scatter the parsley over the vegetables before serving.
If you prefer a thicker sauce, remove the birds and vegetables to a serving dish, make a roux (by melting a little butter in a pan, adding some flour and cooking for a minute), then add the liquid from the roasting dish and cook for 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened. continued on page 60