Stuffed Game Hens with Mole and Navajo Kneel Down Bread

CHICKEN STOCK

1. Drizzle a little oil in a large stockpot. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and let the vegetables brown.
2. Add garlic cloves, chicken pieces, and tomatoes. Add water and scrape the pot to get anything on the bottom unstuck and stir everything in the pot together. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.
3. Add the herbs. If you use chile, taste it first so you’ll know how hot it is (remove the seeds if you want it milder). Let slowly simmer for about two hours.
4. Strain the stock, picking out all the chicken meat and reserving it for a later use, for tamales or sandwiches. Reserve the stock for both the mole and wild rice stuffing.

KNEEL DOWN BREAD

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. With a sharp knife, cut the bottom heel from each ear of corn, then slice lengthwise down the center of each ear of corn only to the kernels. Carefully remove the husks and silk from around each ear, keeping the husks as intact as possible and saving them for wrapping the bread.
2. Whether you’re using fresh husks or dried and soaked husks, the process is the same: Tear 8 long strands of husk (around an inch thick) for tying. (Save the leftover cobs for corn stock, or feed to animals.) Process the corn kernels in a food processor or blender until they are relatively smooth but still textured. Strain this newly created masa through a strainer to remove the excess water.
3. Place approximately 3 tablespoons of the masa in the center of a husk. Similar to folding a letter in thirds, roll the husk first from the left side and fold over, then from the right side and fold over so that it covers the masa. Take another piece of corn husk and roll it over the open side of the masa, covering it. Fold up the bottom of the corn husk and tie together using a strand of the corn husk. Place the bundles on a sheet pan and bake for about an hour and a half, or until the bread is firm to the touch.

Note: For a fruit version of Kneel Down Bread, make the same base as above and add 1½ cups of dried fruit. A good combination is ½ cup each of dried goldenberries (also called ground cherries), dried blueberries, and dried cherries. This may yield a few extra breads.

MOLE

1. Toast the chiles in a 350° oven for three minutes, then take off the stems, remove the seeds, and break the chiles into pieces. Using a cast-iron cooking grill or open flame, roast the tomatoes until the outer skin is blackened. Remove the tomato skins and dice them when they are cool enough to handle.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat oil until it is hot but not smoking. Add onions and saute until they are translucent, stirring as you go. Add the garlic and ancho and guajillo chiles, and cook for a couple of minutes while stirring. Add the pecans, tahini, pumpkin seeds, canela (or cinnamon), salt, and pepper. Cook for approximately five minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add apricots, cherries, raisins, and both kinds of chocolate, and cook for another few minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
4. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd your blender, blend the mole on high until it is completely blended. Return the mole to a saucepan and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. If the mole seems too thick, add a little water to thin it out.

STUFFING

1. Put rice and three cups of stock in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.
2. While the rice is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. After a minute, add the onion and cook for about five minutes. Add garlic and cook for another few minutes.
3. Add the onion-garlic mixture to the cooked wild rice, along with dried blueberries, piñon nuts, sage, mild red chile powder, salt, and the remaining half cup of chicken stock.

CORNISH GAME HENS

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Dry the outside of the game hens. In a small bowl, mix the butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and fresh sage. Divide the butter mixture between the four hens, sliding the butter underneath the skin of each bird.
2. Stuff each hen with a cup of wild rice filling. Tuck the wings under and tie the legs together with a piece of corn husk or kitchen twine. Rub a bit of oil over each bird and sprinkle with a pinch of red chile powder and a pinch of kosher salt.
3. Roast the game hens for about one hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 180° and the temperature of the stuffing reaches 165° on a thermometer. Let the hens rest for 10 minutes.

To serve: For each plate, put a generous spoonful of mole down first. Then place a Cornish game hen on top. Serve Kneel Down Bread on the side.

Note: A variation of the stuffing uses a combination of cooked Navajo Kneel Down Bread folded into the wild rice before stuffing the game hens. For this version, remove four cooked breads from the husks and mix with half of the wild-rice mixture, as with a porridge, before stuffing. This should leave you with four additional breads to serve on the side along with extra wild rice.

Recipes for Mole and Navajo Kneel Down Bread are adapted from Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky: Modern Plant-Based Recipes Using Native American Ingredients by Lois Ellen Frank and Walter Whitewater, the book’s culinary advisor.