The Unofficial Recipes of The Hunger Games (13 page)

PRESIDENTIAL STUFFED FOWL

SERVES 5

President Snow served a lot of elaborate and fanciful poultry dishes at his parties and dinners, using food to impress people and illustrate his status as the most powerful man in Panem. He may have had bad judgment and a real evil streak, but he knew good food. While not everything met with Katniss and Peeta's approval, they seemed to like the poultry dishes quite well.

This recipe will impress your dinner table, but it's just as much about flavor as it is about good looks. The cranberries add a wonderful tartness to the rice stuffing.

2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL

2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER

½ CUP CELERY, CHOPPED

¼ CUP FRESH MUSHROOMS, SLICED

1 (6-OUNCE) PACKAGE FAST-COOKING LONG GRAIN AND WILD RICE MIX

1½ CUPS CHICKEN BROTH OR STOCK

¼ CUP WATER

½ CUP WATER CHESTNUTS, CHOPPED

½ CUP DRIED CRANBERRIES

½ CUP DRIED APRICOTS, CHOPPED

½ CUP GREEN ONIONS, CHOPPED

2 TABLESPOONS REDUCED-SODIUM SOY SAUCE

5 CORNISH GAME HENS

In a saucepan, melt butter with olive oil until no longer frothy.

Cook celery and mushrooms on medium-high heat in butter and olive oil until tender.

Stir in rice and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the contents of the rice seasoning packet (if one), broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5–6 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Add the water chestnuts, cranberries, apricots, onions and soy sauce to rice.

Stuff the hens with rice mixture.

Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 50–60 minutes, or until juices run clear and the hens register 160 degrees according to a meat thermometer inserted inside of the thigh.

OCEAN CREATURES AND COCKTAIL SAUCE

SERVES 24

It's hard for any dish to stand out on a table that's spread with twenty kinds of soup. However, a seafood dish like this would have been a true rarity in District 12, and surely got the attention of Katniss.

This is a great way to feed a crowd on a summer day, especially at the beach or during some type of outdoor party. If you'd like a little variety, you can add clams or mussels to the pot.

COCKTAIL SAUCE:

2 TABLESPOONS FINELY GRATED RAW HORSERADISH

1 TEASPOON DARK BROWN SUGAR

¼ TEASPOON FRESH LEMON JUICE

½ CUP KETCHUP

SEAFOOD:

4 LEMONS, HALVED

1 (2.5-OUNCE) JAR LIQUID SHELLFISH BOIL, SUCH AS ZATARAIN'S

1 TABLESPOON DICED GREEN CHILI PEPPER

SALT TO TASTE

10 POUNDS MEDIUM SHRIMP, PEELED AND DEVEINED

12 BLUE CRABS, CLEANED

COCKTAIL SAUCE:

Combine horseradish, brown sugar, lemon juice and ketchup.

SEAFOOD:

Use a very large stockpot and fill it half full with water; bring water to a full boil.

Add lemons, shellfish boil, hot peppers and salt. Bring to a boil.

When everything is tender, turn off the heat.

Mix in shrimp and crab.

Cover pot and let it sit for 10 minutes.

When shrimp are pink and the crabmeat is opaque and flaky, remove all of the shellfish from the pot and pour them over ice. Let chill, and then serve with cocktail sauce.

SAVORY PUMPKIN SOUP WITH NUTS

SERVES 6

This creamy soup at Snow's lavish banquet enchanted Katniss. Though she tried to set a “one plate per table” rule for herself, this dish was the first of many that night.

Pumpkin soup has a rich creaminess that makes for an especially good dish. Don't worry, this soup tastes nothing like pumpkin pie. If you've never tried pumpkin soup, this is a great one for your first taste.

3½ CUPS CUBED FRESH PUMPKIN

6 CUPS CHICKEN STOCK

1 CUP ONION, CHOPPED

1½ TEASPOONS SALT

½ TEASPOON FRESH THYME, CHOPPED

1 CLOVE GARLIC, MINCED

5 WHOLE BLACK PEPPERCORNS

½ CUP HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

½ CUP SLIVERED ALMONDS

½ CUP BLACK SESAME SEEDS

Cut pumpkin into ½-inch cubes.

Heat stock in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Add pumpkin, onion, salt, thyme, garlic and peppercorns.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Let soup cool until safe to handle, then puree 1 cup at a time in a food processor or blender.

Pour back into the pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper.

Pour into soup bowls and garnish with slivered almonds and black sesame seeds.

TASTE OF SPRING SOUP

SERVES 8

At President Snow's extravagant banquet, this springtime soup was a welcome and refreshing antidote to all of the rich fare spread before the diners.

Asparagus and leeks complement each other deliciously. The overall flavor of this soup is one of springtime and freshness, so it's a terrific soup for lunch or as a starter to a rich or heavy meal.

¼ CUP BUTTER

1 POUND LEEKS, CLEANED AND CHOPPED

4 STALKS CELERY, FINELY CHOPPED

1 ONION, CHOPPED

2 QUARTS WATER OR HIGH-QUALITY VEGETABLE STOCK

3 LARGE RED POTATOES, CHOPPED

2 LARGE CARROTS, CHOPPED

1 BUNCH FRESH ASPARAGUS, TRIMMED AND CUT INTO 1-INCH PIECES

4 TEASPOONS SALT

½ POUND FRESH SPINACH LEAVES, CHOPPED

1 CUP HEAVY CREAM

Melt the butter in a very large stockpot over medium heat.

Stir in the leeks, celery and onion. Cook until tender, stirring as necessary.

Pour the water into the pot.

Add the red potatoes, carrots, asparagus and salt to taste.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Stir spinach and heavy cream into the soup mixture and continue cooking about 5 minutes before serving.

COLD RASPBERRY SOUP WITH FRESH BERRIES

SERVES 4

Raspberries grew wild in the forest where Katniss hunted. They were a rare treat, and a symbol of spring. During the Quarter Quell banquets, these simple berries, all dressed up in Capitol clothes, must have seemed out of place.

If you need to use frozen raspberries for this recipe, make sure that they're completely thawed and well drained before you use them.

4 CUPS RASPBERRIES

½ CUP SUGAR

¼ CUP CRANBERRY JUICE

½ CUP SOUR CREAM

¼ CUP HEAVY CREAM OR HALF-AND-HALF

FRESH RASPBERRIES AND MINT LEAVES FOR GARNISH

Put raspberries, sugar and cranberry juice into a blender and blend until very smooth and sugar is dissolved.

Pour into a large dish and stir in first the sour cream and then the cream.

Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours before serving.

To serve, ladle into shallow bowls, sprinkle with fresh raspberries and place a mint sprig in the center.

NO MANNERS NEEDED CHOCOLATE CAKE

SERVES 12–15

Katniss expressed her disregard and disdain for the Capitol in slightly covert ways. Shooting an arrow into the Gamemakers' Suckling Pig was a bit less subtle than picking a chocolate flower from an elegantly decorated cake.

Feel free to pluck the flowers from this cake with no manners at all.

1 PACKAGE DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE MIX

1 PACKAGE INSTANT CHOCOLATE PUDDING MIX

1 CUP SOUR CREAM

1 CUP CANOLA OIL

4 EGGS

½ CUP WARM WATER

2 CUPS DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS

CANDIED FLOWERS (OR CREATE FLOWERS WITH ICING)

¼ CUP POWDERED SUGAR

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water.

Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well-greased, 12-cup Bundt pan.

Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly.

After cake is completely cooked, flip onto a plate carefully, sprinkle with powdered sugar and decorate with candied flowers, or, if preferred, draw flower shapes with icing.

BLOOD ORANGE QUAIL

SERVES 4

Katniss takes a bite of “fowl” and finds her mouth filled with orange juice, an ingredient that she's only tasted once — when she first visited the Capitol in
The Hunger Games
. The use of blood orange here seems appropriate.

This dish is a very elegant one for dinner parties, especially a Capitol-style
Hunger Games
party for adults. The combination of wine, sage and blood orange is delicious.

4–6 SMALL QUAILS

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

8 BLOOD ORANGES, DIVIDED

1 WHOLE STALK OF CELERY

1 SMALL BUNDLE FRESH THYME

1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL

6 TABLESPOONS BUTTER

6 CLOVES GARLIC, WHOLE AND UNPEELED

10 SAGE LEAVES

1½ CUPS SWEET WHITE WINE, DIVIDED

QUAIL:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Wash the birds thoroughly inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.

Rub them liberally with salt and pepper.

Cut off the 2 ends of 6 of the oranges (save 2 oranges for the gravy); stand them on end and slice off the skin.

Slice the oranges into 5 or 6 rounds each. Set aside.

Remove the tougher outside ribs of the celery until you reach the white, dense bulb and slice across thinly.

Put celery into a bowl and mix in the thyme and a small pinch of salt and pepper, then stuff the cavity of each quail with it. (You will only fit barely a tablespoon of the celery mixture into each bird.)

Pull the skin at the front of each quail cavity forward to cover the filling, and tightly tie up with wet twine.

Heat a thick-bottomed pan on medium-high heat

Add the olive oil and the quail.

Cook until lightly golden on all sides.

Add the butter, garlic and sage and cook for 3–4 minutes, until golden brown.

Bake for 45 minutes, checking every 10–15 minutes and adding the wine at intervals, just enough to keep the pan slightly moist at all times.

When cooked, carefully remove the quail from the oven and rest upside down on a dish, allowing all the juices and moisture to relax back into the breast meat for at least 5 minutes.

While your meat is resting, make the gravy.

GRAVY:

Remove all the fat from the roasting pan and place the pan on low heat.

In the bottom of the pan will be your cooked, soft, sweet, whole garlic cloves and bits of browning from the birds.

When this gets hot, deglaze the pan with about ⅔ cup of wine and a wooden spoon.

Squeeze the juice from the 2 remaining blood oranges into the pan and simmer gently.

Push the cooked garlic cloves out of their skins with a spoon (discard the skins).

Pour any of the juices that have drained out of the rested birds into the pan with the gravy, simmer and season to taste.

Serve with roasted vegetable of your choice.

DISAPPEARING MINTS

MAKES ABOUT 20 COOKIES

These mints melt in your mouth, just like the mints that Katniss sampled at Snow's banquet. Katniss mentioned earlier in the book that candy was incredibly rare and expensive in District 12. It must have been surreal to see it piled up for all to take.

This recipe is easily doubled or tripled to make large batches for the holidays, or as homemade gifts for friends and family. They'll keep very well in sealed bags or jars.

4 EGG WHITES

¼ TEASPOON SALT

¼ TEASPOON CREAM OF TARTAR

1 CUP SUGAR

4 PEPPERMINT CANDY CANES (2 GREEN, 2 RED) CRUSHED

In a bowl, beat egg whites with a wire whisk until foamy.

Add salt and cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks begins to form.

Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff and glossy.

Spoon meringue into a re-sealable plastic bag. When ready to use, cut a 1-inch hole in the corner.

Squeeze 1-inch blobs of meringue onto ungreased, foil-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle half with red crushed candy canes and half with green candy canes. (You can crush the candy canes in the food processor with several quick pulses.)

Bake at 225 degrees for 1–1½ hours, or until dry but not brown. Cool and remove from foil.

Store in an airtight container.

SWEET PHEASANT WITH CRANBERRY JEWELS

SERVES 4

This lavish meal was considered to be a regular lunch in the Capitol, but the catching of a pheasant back in District 12 would have been cause for celebration.

If you can't find pheasant in your local grocery or in the wild, call around to local game meat dealers or order one online. They make a great meal for special occasions.

1 CUP OLIVE OIL

2 SPRIGS ROSEMARY, LEAVES STRIPPED AND CHOPPED

1 TABLESPOON FRESH THYME, CHOPPED

1 WHOLE PHEASANT, CLEANED

SALT AND GROUND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE

1 CAN CRANBERRY SAUCE (WITHOUT THE BERRIES)

PHEASANT:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Stir the chopped rosemary and thyme into the olive oil and set aside.

Clean the pheasant. Rub the pheasant inside and out with salt and pepper.

Place into a roasting pan then pour olive oil and herb mixture over it.

Bake for 1 hour, then cover with aluminum foil and continue baking an additional hour.

Baste the pheasant with pan juices every 30 minutes while cooking.

Remove from the oven, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

CRANBERRY JEWELS:

Thickly slice the cranberry sauce and use cookie cutters or cut diamond and circle shapes with a knife. Discard the leftovers and decorate a serving dish with the jewel-shaped cutouts.

Serve with Baby Vegetables in Lemon Butter Sauce.