Ezra Malmuth

Ezra Malmuth of Berkeley, Calif.    
Polletto alla Diavola (Spicy Cornish Game Hen)
 
Malmuth attends Jewish Community High School of the Bay. His interest in the culinary arts runs deep. He has attended several sessions of cooking camp, classes at Sur La Table in Berkeley, and a pastry class at Spun Sugar. He now works for local catering companies. Malmuth created and oversees his school’s Kosher BBQ and Philosophy Club.
 
He says, “The club meets several times a month as a substitute for our organic cafeteria lunch. It has three different areas of interest: business management, food preparation, and grilling. The kids who are interested in the business aspects are in charge of scheduling and communication with the distributors of the meat and other products; kids interested in the preparation aspect are in charge of setting up the grills, preparing the lunch area and making sure that the food is ready for the time lunch is served. We won second prize in a San Francisco-Fillmore BBQ Cook-off and Jazz Festival competition for our chicken recipe.”
 
Malmuth's recipe for this contest, originally submitted in the Family Heritage category, is served with a red pepper polenta, mushroom ragu, and rainbow chard with roasted pine nuts. It is based on dishes he prepared with his grandmother Nini while visiting family each summer in Italy.

Spicy Cornish Game Hen with Marinade
Ingredients
7 tablespoons salted butter
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon 
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
4 16-ounce Cornish game hens
2 tablespoons softened, salted butter
1 bunch Italian parsley
8 medium garlic cloves
Poultry twine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
 
Method of Preparation
1. Melt 5 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Place melted butter into a non-reactive bowl to cool. Add olive oil, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and zest. Then add the shallot and 1 chopped garlic clove.
2. Let marinade sit until cool
3. Clean hens with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Make sure innards have been removed.
4. Place the hens into a roasting pan, breast side up, and rub them with the 2 tablespoons of softened butter. Season the hens as desired with salt and pepper.
5. Dip a small handful of parsley into marinade and place into cavity of each hen. Crush the medium cloves of garlic and add 2 to the cavity of each hen.
6. Tie the legs together with twine and pour marinade over each hen.
7. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes, rotating each hen a few times.
8. Remove from refrigerator. Drain half the excess liquid into a separate dish to be used later for basting. Keep hens breast side down.
9. Place pan in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Baste and rotate hens regularly.
10. Before last five minutes, put oven on broil and rub on 2 tablespoons of butter with a small sprinkle of lemon juice.
11. Remove from pan and let hens stand for five minutes before cutting.
 
Sauce for Cornish Hen
Ingredients
Drippings from hens
Zest of 1/2 medium-sized
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
 
Method of Preparation
1. Pour drippings into a medium saucepan. Place over low-medium flame.
2. Add zest and lemon juice.
3. Reduce sauce until it thickens. Remove from heat
4. Stir in the butter, and return to low flame for several minutes.
5. Spoon over plated hens.
 
Rainbow Chard with Shallot and Roasted Pine Nuts
Ingredients
6 cups water
1 bunch rainbow chard
1 cup ice and 6 cups cold water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, sliced
1/2 cup pine nuts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
 
Method of Preparation
1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Put pine nuts in a 400 degree oven until brown.
3. When water begins to boil, add salt and rainbow chard. Blanch the chard for 3 minutes.
4. Put into an ice bath immediately until cold. Drain chard and set aside.
5. Heat olive oil and add shallot. Cook until shallot becomes translucent.
6. Add a handful of pine nuts to mixture.
7. Cut the chard into small pieces and add to skillet.
8. Sauté mixture for 2 minutes, stirring with tongs.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
 
Sautéed Red Pepper Polenta
Ingredients
4 cups water
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 tablespoons salt
1 cup instant polenta mix
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1 tablespoon peperoncino-infused olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
 
Method of Preparation
1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add chopped pepper to the skillet and sauté until soft, then remove from heat.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. When water boils, add 1-2 tablespoons of salt. Remove from flame and whisk in 1 cup of polenta. Return to flame on low to medium heat for 1 minute.
5. Add sautéed red pepper, parmigiano reggiano, and peperoncino-infused oil to pot.
6. Mix polenta for 4-5 minutes with a wooden spoon.
7. Transfer from pot to a 8-inch x 11-inch x 1 and 1/2-inch glass dish. Place in refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes.
8. Remove polenta from refrigerator. Using a 3-inch, plain, round cookie cutter, remove four rounds from the polenta.
9. While holding a round, coat with olive oil. Place round in 8-inch x 11-inch x 1 and 1/2-inch glass dish. Repeat with remaining 3 rounds.
10. Place pan in 400 degree oven for 5 minutes, then place on broil until golden brown.
11. Remove pan from oven. Let rounds cool.
 
Mushroom Tomato Ragout
Ingredients
1 cup water
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
3.5 ounces chopped chanterelle mushrooms, rough chopped
2 ounces chopped crimini Mushrooms, rough chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small, fresh garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1-14 ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes with basil
2 tablespoon reserved porcini mushroom water
1/4 cup regular water
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
 
Method of Preparation
1. Boil 1 cup of water. Take off the heat and rehydrate porcini mushrooms for 5 minutes.
2. Place medium saucepan on high heat and add olive oil.
3. Remove porcini mushrooms from water (do not discard water) and give a rough chop.
4. Heat oil in saucepan. Add shallots and garlic until the start to turn golden brown.
5. Add all of the mushrooms to saucepan, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until mushrooms are tender.
6. Add can of tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of reserved porcini water, and 1/4 cup water to pot. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.