CHICKEN WITH PRAWNS (SURF & TURF) - POLLASTRE AMB GAMBES (MAR I MUNTANYA)

This is a very traditional Catalan dish that every household has its own way of doing it. It's also very common to use scampi instead of prawns. I have used a couple of recipes from well known Catalan cooks and adapted them to create my own. Mixing chicken and seafood has been very traditional in many regions of Catalonia. Chicken used to be eaten only for big celebration and Christmas, and some seafood such as lobster or scampi were cheaper products on the coastal regions. In fact, they use to call the recipes Lobster and chicken because the chicken was then more scarce!

I served it with Rossejat de fideus but without the allioli, the sauce was so flavoursome that it didn't need the extra punch of the garlic. Also, I find that raw garlic can repeat when eaten at night time!

Ingredients

1 chicken (approx. 1.6kg)

16 prawns

3 ripe, chopped tomatoes

2 carrots

1 onion

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup cream

4 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup of brandy

1/3 cup of sherry

1 tsp butter

1 litre of chicken stock

flour

2 sprigs of parsley

2 Maria biscuits

Oil, salt, pepper

1/2 walnut

10 toasted hazelnuts

1 piece of dark cooking chocolate

Method

Cut the chicken into eighths, season with salt and pepper and coat in flour.

Place an ovenproof casserole over medium heat with a splash of oil and brown the chicken pieces on each side. Set aside.

In another pan with a splash of olive oil, lightly sauté the prawns and set aside.

In the same pan, make a soffritto with the finely chopped onion, carrot and bay leaf. Halfway through cooking, add the grated tomato. Allow to cook down until jam consistency.

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Add the sherry and brandy and let the alcohol evaporate. Next, add the stock and bring to the boil. Then, add the butter, cream and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Place the casserole dish in the oven and cook until the chicken is almost tender.

Meanwhile, make a picada with the garlic, parsley, Maria biscuits, hazelnuts and a grated square of chocolate.

Moisten with the cooking juices and stir into the casserole. Add the prawns and cook for another couple of minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

The chicken is ready to serve, although it is better if you let it rest for a while.

Serves 4 - 6

Comments

SLOW-BAKED LAMB SHOULDER

This is a lamb recipe that is so delicious you are going to make it more than once. A favourite of friends and family. I like to accompany with a couscous salad with feta and almonds and a yoghurt and bean dip . Recipes in this blog. INGREDIENTS 1.8 - 2.2 kg lamb shoulder, with or without the bone 2 tsp sea salt flakes 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 6 sprigs rosemary, stripped and leaves chopped 1 Tbsp black peppercorns 100ml extra virgin olive oil zest and juice of 1 lemon 3 Tbsp dried oregano 100ml white wine vinegar METHOD: Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan-forced). Trim extra fat from lamb. If you using a shoulder with the bone, make small incisions on the skin. Grind the salt, garlic, rosemary and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or small food processor. Add the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and dried oregano. If using a boned shoulder, open out the lamb. Massage the marinade into the lamb. Make sure it goes into the small incisions. Pla...

TOMATO CARPACCIO WITH SPRING ONION & GINGER SALSA

There is only one trick to this salad: the tomatoes must be ripe! The rest is easy and it is so delicious, you will want to make it many times. It would be a fantastic side dish to accompany any recipe. It is exceptionally good. INGREDIENTS 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 3 spring onions, very finely sliced 40ml sunflower or olive oil 2 tsp good quality sherry vinegar 400g (beef) tomatoes (2-3 depending on size) sliced 2mm thick 1 small green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 1 1/2 Tbsp finely shredded coriander 1 Tbsp olive oil flaked sea salt METHOD: Put the ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of flaked salt into a pestle and mortar and crush to a fine paste. Transfer to a bowl with the spring onions and stir to combine. Put the oil into a small pan and place on a low heat until just warm: you don't want it to heat too much. Pour over the spring onions and add 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Stir together and set aside. Chop the chili and ...

TOFU MEATBALL KORMA

Tonight's meal is the Ottolenghi's Korma Feast. Gosh it was delicious 😋 ! I have been super tired with work and haven't felt much like cooking. We have not been eating very well in the last couple of weeks.... But tonight we really had a great meal even though I had to spend hours in the kitchen 🙄 . But it was worth it 😁 . Tofu meatball korma & Spicy berbere ratatouille with Olive oil flatbreads . All made from scratch. Just superb! The tofu meatballs are just amazing. I have leftover tofu and will make a batch and freeze them for another day. I can eat them just with no sauce or any other sauce. They would be lovely with some tomato base sauce or any curry sauce. But even with a side vegetable dish or salad. My husband thought that they were made with mince meat!! Yum yum! Ingredients ½ red onion, thinly sliced (60g) 2 tbsp lemon juice 40g cashews 20g blanched almonds 6 cardamom pods, shells discarded and seeds removed 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp coriande...

THE BEST ONION GRATIN

I love this recipe. I have to stop myself for not eating more than I need. It goes really well as part of a baked dinner. When you try it, you'd want to make it again and again. 😍😋💚 Ingredients 4 medium red onions, peeled and quartered olive oil sea salt & freshly ground black pepper 8 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced a small wineglass of white wine 4 Tbsp crème fraîche 50g gruyère cheese, grated 50g parmesan cheese, grated Preparation Preheat the oven to 200°C. Break the onion quarters apart to give you little 'petals'. Place these in an earthenware oven dish. Drizzle with a couple of glugs of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss in your thyme and garlic. Mix up well, add your white wine. Cover with a double layer of tinfoil, wrap tightly and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven, take the tinfoil off and pop th...

ROAST CABBAGE WITH PECORINO

This is the first time I cooked this recipe and it is amazing!! We had leftovers and served warmed the following day for lunch with family members and they all wanted the recipe. It is just a very different way to eat cabbage and it is scrumptious. From Ottolenghi's cookbook 'Simple'. INGREDIENTS 120ml olive oil 2 lemons: finely grate the zest to get 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp lemon juice 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 cabbage (sweetheart, pointed cabbage or other), cut lengthways into eighths a small handful of parsley or tarragon leaves, roughly chopped 30g of pecorino or parmesan cheese, shaved salt and black pepper METHOD: Preheat oven to 220°C. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the oil, lemon zest, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and a good grind of pepper. Set aside 2 Tbsp. Arrange the cabbage on a parchment-lined tray and brush with the oil mixture. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are crisp and golden-brown. Transfer the c...

HOMECOOKING WITH TERESA

Search This Blog