Rock Cornish Game Hen with Pomegranante Sauce

Toast in a dry pan ½ cups of chopped walnuts and set aside. 2 small Rock Cornish Game Hens Wash, dried and thawed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Carefully remove the backbones and flatten the birds. If you have trouble doing this, and many people do, order the birds from a butcher and have him thaw them (they almost always frozen) and do it for you. Quickly brown the birds in a mixture of 1 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil. Brown them a lovely golden colour, but do not scorch or burn them. Place them a shallow roasting dish just large enough to hold them In the same pan place: ½ finely diced red onion 2 cloves of minced garlic Sauté with: 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of ground cummin, 1/2 tsp of saffron thread in spoon of hot water hot water. Add and bring to a simmer: 1½ cup of finely chopped/ground walnuts. 2 large crushed cloves garlic 3/4 cup of pomegranate molasses (from Middle Eastern stores, gourmet shops, and many Whole Foods. I prefer it from the Middle Eastern shops.). ¾ cup organic chicken stock 2- 4 tbsp. honey or to taste. (Pomegranate molasses varies in sweetness, taste the sauce, you need to taste it as you add the honey to know how muchyou wil need.) 1 tsp of salt. Whisk the simmering sauce with a fork to remove lumps simmer for 10 minutes Pour the sauce over the hens and bake in 375F/195C oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness, or poke the thigh to see if the juices run clear. Peel a large butternut squash or two smaller ones and cut in small pieces. Discard the seeds. Salt lightly and place in covered casserole that is microwave safe. Follow the directions for your oven for squash or microwave about 6 minutes, the squash should be tender. Open carefully! Watch out for steam! Pour off any moisture. Add: 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. fresh ground pepper, and 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. honey, and 1 glove of crushed garlic, and mash toughly. Taste and correct seasoning; you may want more salt and a bit more honey or oil. Serve the hens with the sauce warm spooned over. Garnish with the toasted nuts and ½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds. The squash is delicious on the side. Fragrant basmati rice, a Persian classic, would also be nice with this.