A delicious Christmas recipe from Tom at Brindisa. The festive green and red peppers is in keeping with the festive spirit. This authentic Spanish dish is a true taste of the Mediterranean and a perfect midweek meal. If you can, be sure to source good quality chicken for this recipe.

 

Instructions

  1. Start the picada by heating the oil in a heatproof earthenware pot (if you don’t have one, use a casserole dish)
  2. Add the bread, whole garlic cloves and almonds and cook for a few minutes until golden brown. Lift these out with a spoon and keep on one side
  3. Season the chicken pieces just before they go into the same pot, then colour them well on all sides. Lift out and then keep to one side
  4. Lower the heat, put in the onions and peppers and cook gently for about 20 minutes
  5. Return the chicken to the pan and add the Cognac.  Let it bubble for about 10 minutes and then once the chicken has taken on the flavours of the Cognac and the other ingredients, add about 500ml of water, or enough to cover all the chicken pieces
  6. Season with a generous pinch of salt and leave to simmer over a low heat for about 1 hour
  7. Meanwhile, finish the pinada by pounding the reserved fried bread, garlic, almonds and parsley into a paste using a pestle and mortar or a blender
  8. Add this to the pan 20 minutes into the cooking time and stir well.  The bread and almonds will thicken the sauce
  9. After 1 hour, remove from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes

Then serve and enjoy!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 x 1.8 – 2kg chicken (the bigger the better) cut into small pieces, 10 if possible

Sea salt

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped

100ml Cognac

For the Picada

100ml olive oil

50g bread, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic

50g blanched almonds

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

 

Pair with

                                             

 

Estrella Galicia Cerveza Especial

A traditional flavour of marked bitterness and refreshing aftertaste.

Available from: Waitrose, Majestic, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Greene King online.