Transforming a recipe into a "nesting doll" Baby chicken with cumin marinade and pomegranate glaze or...

A lot of other things. One of the ways you evolve as a cook, is to be able to look at a recipe and know when you can change it, and more importantly, HOW. Actually, I need to refine that: you can always change a recipe. What you develop is: when does a change make sense, and when will it be good? Let me give you an example of when it doesn't work, and then we'll follow with the "real thing." Many years ago, when Annalena's hair was still brown, she gave a recipe to a school friend. It involved roasted cashews, butter, cream, and cheese (we were young, remember). Two weeks later, she got a call "I made your recipe but it didn't work." My response "Oh, I'm sorry. Tell me what happened." "Well, I did everything you said, except I made just a few exchanges."

"Oh? Tell me what they were."
"Well, I didn't have cashews so I used unroasted peanuts."
"I see." (after a pause).
"And I didn't have cream, so I used skim milk."
(Longer Pause). "Ah."
"Oh, and instead of butter I used margarine"
"Of course you did."
"And I didn't want to make it too fatty, so I left out the cheese."

If any of you say or think "well, I don't know why that recipe wouldn't work" you shouldn't be reading this blog. You see Annalena's point.

Now, you can of course look at a recipe and see EXACTLY where you can change it. I have been posting recipes, for example, where I've been talking about the substitutibility of squid/shrimp/scallops. You can almost always exchange ripe mangos for ripe peaches, and vice versa. I've gone on at great length about substituting onion family members for each other.

And here's another one. This recipe appeared in the NY Times under the by line of my favorite Melissa Clark. It called for chicken thighs on the bone, one of my favorite things.
Except I had poussins (baby chickens). Structurally, the thighs of chickens are somewhat similar to a baby chicken, they are just smaller. So, you adjust the cooking time. Had I quail, I would have made that substitution. Probably, I could have used pork chops too, since the meat texture is somewhat similar and mild. You see what I mean?

The marinade for the dish called for cumin , paprika and allspice. These are all aggressive seasonings, so I left out the allspice, since I don't much care for it in chicken. I did use the pomegranate molasses that the recipe calls for, but you could use something else. Honey, for example, or molasses, or any kind of fruit syrup. My lovely Australian friend June Taylor makes wonderful herbaceous and fruit syrups that would go splendidly on a dish like this. In fact, I may try it again with her stuff.

I am going to give you the recipe as I made it, with two poussins which had been boned out. If you get these (you can get them as "rock cornish game hens too), and they are whole, cut out the backbone, and flatten it. This, as I have written before, is called "spatch cocking," and you may get some of your friends excited when you tell them you were spatch cocking in the kitchen." So, too, with quail. If you use quail, you will want to double the number of birds. A poussin weighs just under a pound, a quail, just under half a pound. See how it works.

Ok, now let's get to work. You need somewhere between 2.5-3 pounds of poultry, on the bone, with skin, and stick to stuff that is not a chicken breast. Wash the stuff and pat it dry. Put it aside, while you combine 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of pimenton dulce (sweet paprika. You can use hot if you like. You can also use something other than cumin, but use something strong and spicy, rather than sweet. FOr example, I could see coriander in this recipe, but I could not see cardamom). Also get a big handful of thyme, maybe 6-8 branches, and chop it. Chop a whole bunch of garlic (I used a complete head of new garlic. You will want to use anywhere from 4-8 cloves), and two tablespoons of olive oil. Mix this all up in a bowl, put the birds in, and let this marinate, preferably overnight.

When you're ready for dinner, heat up a stove top grill pan (I have one of those ridged ones, and I brush olive oil on it before I start heating). When it's nice and hot, put the birds, breast side down on the grill pan. Cook them for about four minutes, and then flip them for another three. You'll see the beautiful brown carmelization you're getting here. Then, put them in a preheated, 375 degree oven, for 4-5 minutes and let them cook away. If you remember, flip them once during the cooking in the oven, but no great loss if you don't.

PROTECT YOUR HANDS, and get them out of the oven. While they're still on the grill pan, but not with fire under it, brush a total of about two tablespoons of your favorite syrup (like pomegranate molasses, or honey, or molasses, etc), on them. Both sides.

And you're done. According to Ms. Clark, eight chicken thighs will feed four people.

I think she's cooking for hobbits. I would say that makes for two. Measure your appetite and decide, and if you have to double, then do so.

Really good food, really easy. When great with some macque choux and a zucchini salad. Look up the choux. It's in here...