Poulet Catalan: Chicken In the Style of Catalonia

I wasn’t going to blog about this, but my guests tonight insisted - in those rare moments when they weren’t slopping up the sauce from the serving platter like people who hadn’t eaten all day. Good thing that I made a couple notes, and as is my custom, took a couple photos - to remind myself what the hell I did.

Really, this is an incredible dish, that is actually quite easy to prepare. There are two secrets to it: time (as in slow, low cooking) and using the right ingredients.

This is essentially chicken cooked in a tomato sauce with oranges - and is typical of Spanish cuisine. But that description is deceptively simple. These flavors are complex, highly nuanced, many layered and bold - demanding a decent Zinfandel or Merlot with herbal, chocolate notes. This is a dish that grabs you and won’t let go. I’m glad there were leftovers, since it will be even better tomorrow night.

As I said, this dish is reminiscent of the Catalan region of Spain, but borrows some of it’s bits from adjoining France. At any rate, this is truly Mediterranean ‘Slow Food’ - trading on real ingredients, authenticity, care of preparation. This is the polar opposite of ‘fast food’.

Smoked Spanish Pimenton, oranges (bitter oranges if you have them) and spanish saffron are the key players.  The incredible, nutty Spanish Romesco Sauce - indicative of Catalonia -adds amazing depth of flamor. Oh, and a free range chicken. The kind with the honest, flavorful yellow fat and meat that actually tastes like something other than the styrofoam containers other factory chicken comes in.

Unless you can do this dish right, don’t attempt it. Sorry to be like that, but anything less … well, you’ll get the ho-hum dish you deserve.

This is where you go the extra effort - for an ‘impress the boss’ or show your new Mother-in-law that you really can cook type dish.

Ingredients - serves 6

One 5lb (approx.) free range chicken - preferrably air chilled, not water chilled. More intense flavor.

1/2 pound bulk chorizo sausage - or two big! Chorizo sausages in the casing, cut up

5 slices of thick, smokey bacon - cut into large bite-sized pieces

2-3 cups of Spanish white wine (you can substitute any dry white wine)

1/2 cup Romesco sauce See the video on this same blog for the easy recipe/technique. I keep a jar of this in my fridge most of the time.

1 large onion - cut into inch pieces

6-8 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped

2 oranges, bitter oranges, blood oranges, or Minneola Tangelos

1 tablespoon of honey

1 28-ounce can of San Marzano ‘Crushed’ or ‘Puree’ tomatoes (or similar quality Italian tomatoes, such as Cento, DeLallo, Carmelina, Bella Terra, Strianese brands. Whole Foods carries them in addition to specialty grocers. )

2 tablespoons Spanish Smoked Pimenton (Paprika) Do Not substitute Hungarian Paprika

.5 gram or one scant teaspoon Spanish or Morrocan Saffron (an expensive ingredient, but see my sources below to save money)

One bunch of fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons sea salt

A couple pinches ground pepper

Olive oil for browning the chicken, and more to brown the sausage and onions

 

Technique

Rinse your chicken under cool water and pat very dry with paper towels. Cut the chicken up. If you don’t know how to cut up a chicken, shame on you. Learn. Paying top dollar for cut-up chicken is silly. Learn to sharpen a knife and how to properly use one.

Once you’ve cut up your chicken, lightly salt it. Heat up a large, heavy bottomed pot, add the olive oil - and when the oil is hot, add one of the cut up oranges and some of the rosemary stems. You’re flavoring the oil. Add the chicken. Brown the chicken all over. Don’t skimp here. Color (browning) equals flavor. Don’t over-crowd the pan with chicken or it will steam rather than brown. Do this step in stages.

While the chicken is browning, prep your other ingredients.

When the chicken is done, remove it to paper towels to drain. Remove the oranges and rosemary. If you need to wipe out the pot and refresh the olive oil, do it now. Add the chorizo, bacon, garlic and onion. Saute for about 5 minutes.

When the chorizo, bacon, garlic and onions are nearly ready, add the paprika and saffron, and stir to combine. Add the wine. You want to raise the heat a bit and let the wine reduce for a few minutes.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes, the Romesco Sauce, honey, the chicken, the other cut up orange, two to three stems of rosemary (cut in half if they’re large). Just tuck all this down into the tomato sauce and sausages.

Cover tightly and simmer over the lowest heat setting for about 2 hours.

Prepare to be amazed.

Serve with lots of crusty artisan bread, a huge salad with a light viniagrette made with Spanish Sherry Vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and agave nectar. Grate some nice parmasan over the salad and serve.

-maven

Saffron: I have ordered from Sahar Saffron, and find their quality to be excellent, and prices are more than fair. I suggest you try the Sample Pack of all three - Kashmiri, Spanish Mancha and Moroccan for $25. I realize this is a lot, but it does go a long way and keeps well in the freezer. I’ve kept the big hand-tied ‘hanks’ of Iranian saffron - well wrapped - in the freezer for nearly a year.

You can also buy Saffron on Amazon, at La Tienda Spanish grocer. But I haven’t been able to find better prices for the quality on the Saffron anywhere but Sahar. You can get really nice Iranian Sargol saffron from Persian Saffron Online.

Wine: I recommend a Merlot - like the Provenance Vineyards 2007 Merlot or a Cabernet Sauvignon such as Napa Cellars 2008 Cab or a Zinfandel that isn’t on the ‘fruity’ side such as an Earthquake (Lodi) 2008 Zinfandel. I should note that the Napa Cellers Cab is awesome but must be decanted for the flavors to open up. The Provenance Vineyards Merlot should be opened at least 30 minutes prior to drinking.

You want something with ‘earth’, ‘leather’, soft integrated tannins, chocolate, blackberries or cherries, cassis, cloves, herbs and spices. Certainly not a big fruit palate.

For the white wine I used in the cooking, I happened to have a bottle of Jeromin Zestos Blanco Malvar Madrid 2009 in the cooler and used that. It’s inexpensive and nice - but you could just as easily use any decent $10 California white here.

Comments

[blackantilope]

I'm going to try this,it looks so yummi and easy to make.