Spanish Chicken and Rice with Roasted Vegetables, Butifarra, Morcilla and Chorizo
Pastured chicken pieces are roasted with winter vegetables then baked with stock-soaked bomba rice with saffron, garlic, fire-roasted tomatoes, piquillo peppers and butifarra, morcilla and chorizo sausages..
Spanish Chicken and Rice with Roasted Vegetables, Butifarra, Morcilla and Chorizo
Serves 4
1 1/2 pounds chicken pieces
1 large carrot, oblique-cut
1 leek, split, rinsed and sliced
1-2 bulb onions, sliced
6 cloves whole, unpeeled garlic
1 tablespoon pastured butter
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup filtered water
3/4 cup fire-roasted tomatoes
3-4 piquillo peppers, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 cup bomba rice, rinsed
1 quart homemade chicken stock, divided
saffron threads, crushed
1/3 pound morcilla (blood sausage), sliced
1/3 pound butifarra (white garlic sausage), sliced
1/3 pound Spanish cooking chorizo, cubed
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in paprika, then add chicken and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, add water then roast in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add carrot, leek, onion and garlic and put back in the oven for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, begin cooking rice in chicken stock with saffron threads.
Remove pan from the oven and transfer chicken and garlic to a cutting board and allow to cool enough to be handled. Transfer the vegetables and cooking liquid to a Dutch oven. Add in rice and stir to combine.
Briefly sauté the sausage then add to the pot with vegetables and rice. Stir in fire-roasted tomatoes.
Peel and chop the garlic. Pull the chicken meat from the bones and tear into chunks. Add to the pot with the vegetables and pour in 1 cup of chicken stock. Cook uncovered until most of the stock has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and parsley and piquillo peppers and allow to stand 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary and serve hot.
Red Chili Grits
Stone-ground corn grits simmered in chicken stock with green onions and ancho puree, served with pork belly and fried eggs..
Red Chili Grits with Pork Belly and Fried Eggs
Serves 3-4 (adapted from a recipe by Taylor Ranch)
For the Grits
3 cups homemade chicken stock
1/4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
3/4 cup organic, stone-ground coarse corn grits
1/4 cup ancho puree
2 tablespoons pastured butter
3/4 cup raw milk cheddar, grated, divided
Bring the stock to a boil, then add onion, garlic and salt & pepper. Slowly whisk in the grits and simmer until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the ancho puree, butter and half of the cheese. Spoon onto serving plate and top with additional cheese, onions and a dollop of ancho puree. Serve with fried eggs and pork belly.
For the Ancho Puree (makes 3/4 cup)
1 cup filtered water
3 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 2 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and allow to steep 20 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth.
Santa Fe Hot Pot
Human occupation of New Mexico stretches back at least 11,000 years to the Clovis culture of hunter-gatherers, who left evidence of their campsites and stone tools. After the invention of agriculture the land was inhabited by the Ancient Pueblo Peoples who built houses out of stone or adobe bricks. They experienced a Golden Age around AD 1000 but climate change led to migration and cultural evolution into the modern Pueblo peoples who lived primarily along the few major rivers of the region. (Wikipedia)
A contemporary New Mexican-style pork stew with dried beans, toasted chilies, onions, peppers, onions and sweet potatoes with cinnamon, cloves, green garlic, cumin and corn flour..
Santa Fe Hot Pot
Serves 2
1/3 cup mixed dried heirloom beans such as yellow Indian woman, tepary, pinquito & black
4 cups chicken stock, divided
1/2 pound braised feral hog (substitute leftover pork belly or pork shoulder roast), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons leaf lard (substitute bacon grease)
1/4 cup mild chili powder
2 dried New Mexico chilies, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground cloves
1 large tomatillo, husked, rinsed and chopped
2 red Fresno chilies, sliced
1/2 Spanish onion, chopped
1/4 cup poblano pepper, chopped
1 bulb green garlic, including leaves, chopped
1/3 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon smoked black pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon corn flour (not corn meal)
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Rinse, pick over and soak a variety of dried beans overnight. Place in a pot with 2 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 1 hour.
Heat lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add diced sweet potatoes and cook until browned along the edges and somewhat tender. Add onions, fresh and dried chilies, peppers and green garlic and sauté until softened.
Add tomatillo, pork, beans, stock, pork, chili powder, paprika, cinnamon and cloves, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add corn flour, stir and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Add cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with wedges of lime and corn chips or cornbread.
This post is part of the Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday!
Traditional Maryland Fried Chicken, Cream Gravy
While the exact origin of Maryland Fried Chicken isn’t known for certain, a dish by this name did show up on the menu of New York’s Grand Union Hotel as early as 1878..
Traditional Maryland Fried Chicken
Serves 2-4 depending on appetite and accompaniments
1 whole pastured frying chicken, cut up
3 cups fresh whole milk plus the juice of 1 fresh lemon
2 cups sprouted wheat flour
1 tablespoon freshly-ground pepper
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, oregano and basil
4 oz ghee or clarified, pastured butter
1/2 small white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup fresh cream
1 cup chicken stock
fresh parsley, chopped
Wash chicken and place in a non-reactive bowl. Pour in enough milk to cover then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Combine flour, pepper, salt, paprika and dried herbs in a bowl. Lift a piece of chicken with one hand, let the milk run off, then place into the flour mixture. Use the other hand to coat the chicken and place onto a plate. Repeat until all the chicken has been lightly but thoroughly dredged.
Heat the butter in a high-walled iron skillet over medium heat to about 325-330 degrees (this is why you need a fat such as clarified butter with a high smoke-point), then carefully place the chicken in the pan, working in batches if necessary. Don’t crowd the pan too much. Turning as little as possible, cook until well browned on all sides. Transfer chicken to a heat-proof dish and finish in a 275 degree oven while you make the gravy (assuming another 15 minutes or so).
Add the onion and garlic to the pan that the chicken was cooked in and fry until golden. Scrape up the brown bits with the side of a wooden spoon, then whisk in enough of the remaining seasoned flour to form a thick paste (roux). Stirring continuously, cook until the flour is no longer raw, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, heat cream and chicken stock just to the boiling point. Whisk in roux and cook until gravy has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
The chicken may be served with the gravy over the top or on the side, as you prefer.
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- Traditional Maryland Fried Chicken
This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Thursday
Black Bean Tamales, Roasted Tomato Salsa and Chile con Queso
Fresh corn masa spread on soaked husks and filled with cumin-fried black beans. Served with fire-roasted tomato salsa and chile con queso..
Black Bean Tamales, Roasted Tomato Salsa and Chile con Queso
For the Chili con Queso
1 1/2 cups fresh whole milk
1 1/2 cups grated raw cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons pastured butter
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 red Fresno pepper, minced
1 tablespoon sweet dairy whey
1/2 teaspoon smoked chili powder
1 teaspoon cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
Heat butter in a heavy saucepan over medium low heat. Add peppers and cook until softened. Add milk and bring to a strong simmer, stirring often. Add whey (this gives the sauce a tangy taste) and stir to combine. Add cheese a little at a time, stirring as it melts. Season with smoked chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cilantro and parsley and keep warm.
For the Tomato Sauce
2 plum tomatoes, cored and halved
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small white onion, diced
1-2 small green chiles, diced
pinch of non-refined sugar (optional)
salt and pepper
Roast, grill or broil tomatoes until partially black and blistered. Allow to cool enough to handle, then sauté together with garlic, onions and chiles until most of the water has evaporated. Add sugar if using, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
For the Filling
1 cup black beans, soaked overnight
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 small white onion, diced
1 small clove garlic
1 tablespoon leaf lard
salt and pepper
Cook black beans in chicken stock until tender. Drain and set aside, reserving liquid
Sauté onion, garlic and cumin in lard until fragrant. Add beans and mash with the back of a wooden spoon. Add bean cooking liquid as necessary to form a thick but spreadable paste. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
For the Dough
1 1/2 cups coarse corn masa (not cornmeal)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, warm
1/4 cup leaf lard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
6 8-inch enconchada-style corn husks, soaked
Whip lard until fluffy, then blend in masa, salt and baking powder. Slowly mix in chicken stock until a moist, consistent dough is formed.
Spread dough as evenly as possible over one side of each husk, about 1/8 inch thick. Place a large spoonful of fried bean mixture in the center of the dough. Fold the sides of the husks so that they overlap in the center, forming a long cigar-like structure. Fold the empty part of the husk under so that it rests against the seam.
Bundle tamales together and steam standing upright until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
To serve, ladle tomato sauce into the center of a plate, carefully unwrap the tamales and arrange around the perimeter. Spoon chile con queso over the top, and garnish plate with bits of diced onion, red pepper and cilantro. Drizzle hot sauce and serve immediately.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays
Roasted Chicken Posole Soup
Achiote roasted chicken, homemade chicken stock, posole corn, yellow onions, fresh chile peppers, smoked chile powder, lime and vermicelli.
Roasted Chicken Posole Soup
Soak 1 1/2 cups dried posole overnight in cool, filtered water. Drain and put into a Dutch oven with 1 quart homemade chicken stock. Cover and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add 1 yellow onion, chopped, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1 large jalapeño, chopped, and a cup of mild red, yellow and orange peppers cut into varying shapes and sizes.
Add leftover roast chicken (skin removed) cut into large chunks 1 teaspoon smoked chile powder and 1 tablespoon toasted cumin seed and simmer until posole is tender, about 1 hour. Add additional chicken stock as needed.
Add crumbled saffron and cooked and drained vermicelli and simmer another 5 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and serve with fresh lime and/or wedges of avocado.
