You were forewarned. My last post revealed the Kid joking about having all the baby animals associated with Easter for our holiday meal.

Since I don’t get a lot of face-time with Colt and because he promised to hang out at home (without friends!) the entire day, I conceded and bought all the “baby animals” that Whole Foods offered. Thusly, the next few posts are going to be about cooking and eating baby animals. It won’t be pretty. Delicious, yes. Pretty, no.

Our menu began with a fiber-rich spinach salad, because….well, you know. The onslaught began with roasted poussin and wild rice (recipe follows); followed by seared lamb loin with Jerusalem artichokes and red peppers; and continued with Ossobucco and Risotto Milanese. And since I couldn’t find a rabbit in the ‘burbs, we concluded with strawberry-blueberry shortcake.

Roasted Poussin

1 poussin or Cornish game hen
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Rub poussin with butter. Sprinkle salt and pepper inside the cavity and outside. Put rosemary and garlic inside cavity. Place on parchment-lined sheet pan and roast in 400° oven until internal temperature reaches 165°, about 35 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes, carve and serve.

Wild Rice with Almonds, Strawberries & Spinach
1/2 cup wild rice
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chopped baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Place rice, water, butter and a few pinches of salt in small pot over high heat. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is cooked, about 50 minutes. Gently stir in spinach, almonds and strawberries, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.