The ancient Romans would gift a leather bag of the legumes, in hopes that they would turn into gold coins. Even today Italians often eat lentils as part of the New Year’s Eve dinner for luck in the coming year. This elegant dish cooks spatchcocked poussin (baby hens) and serves them on a bed of puy (green) lentils with a topping of spicy harissa. It hits all the spots for me, and the serving of lentils for luck is just an advantage. This recipe is for a more intimate New Year’s Eve dinner for two.
Prep time 20 mins/cook time 85 mins/serves 2 (+ over-night marination)
Ingredients:
1 poussin
18 cardamom pods
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp thyme leaves
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
For the Harissa:
50g (1 ½ oz) whole dried chillies (mild or hot, depending on your preference)
1 red chilli, coarsely chopped (again mild or hot, depending on preference)
1 garlic clove
1 roasted red pepper from a jar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp, toasted and crushed cumin seeds
red wine vinegar
juice of ½ lemon
For the Lentils:
1 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely diced
½ bulb fennel, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
125g (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) Puy lentils
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Method:
Take the dried chillies for the harissa, break off any stems then place in a bowl and pour over just enough boiling water to cover. Set aside to soak for 15 minutes.
Spatchcock the poussin by removing the backbone with kitchen shears. Place breast side uppermost on a chopping board and press down on the breast-bone so that the bird flattens. Use a knife or kitchen shears to cut along the centre of the breast so that you have two equal halves.
Place the cardamom pods in a mortar and bash with a pestle. Remove the seeds, discarding the pods. Return the seeds to the mortar, add the cumin and crush then pound in the thyme and garlic. Pound to a past then stir in the olive oil, lemon juice and a little sea salt. Rub this mixture all over the poussin halves then place in a plastic bag and chill in the refrigerator over-night.
For the lentils, heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onion, celery, fennel and garlic. Fry gently for 15 minutes, until soft and translucent, adding a little water if mixture becomes too dry. Stir in the thyme and rosemary and cook for 2 minutes more. Now add the lentils, seasoning lightly with salt and black pepper. Pour over just enough water to cover the lentils. Bring to a simmer, and cook gently over low heat for 15 minutes, or until the lentils are soft but retain some bite (top up the water as needed during cooking.
To finish the harissa, drain the soaked chillies, place in a small blender and whizz to a thick paste along with the fresh chilli, cumin, a teaspoon of red wine vinegar, lemon juice and a little seasoning.
To cook the poussin, pre-heat the oven to 200C (180C fan/360F/Gas Mark 6). Whilst the oven is warming, place an oven-proof frying pan over medium-high heat, add a splash of olive oil and use to brown the poussin halves breast side down for 5 minutes. Flip the poussin halves over, transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
Warm the lentils through, adding the red wine vinegar. Once hot, divide the lentils between two plates, top with a poussin half and finish with a spoonful of the harissa.
