Spanish Hunter’s chicken stew | Pollo a la cazadora
This dish is old, very old and unpretentious. An uncomplicated dish to be cooked with what was haunted on the day, a few herbs grabbed along the walk and a couple of veg that they would bring with them from home. As you can imagine, it is uncomplicated to execute but it carries one of the more comforting flavours I know. Since it is more probable that most of us are watching YouTube and cooking in our homes than hunting and cooking in the field, I have made the recipe that little bit better for extra flavour. Just imagine being in a humid Autumn afternoon in the middle of the countryside and getting this warming dish right there. That makes me well happy just of thinking about it.
INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken, cut in 8, carcase removed
50ml extra virgin olive oil
6 small shallots, peeled
4 carrots, peeled and into large chunks
2 leeks, into large chunks
1 garlic head, into cloves
200g mushrooms, whole
1 tomato, grated
4 fresh bay leaves
3 sprigs of rosemary
3 sprigs of thyme
1 glass of red wine
1 litre water
Salt and pepper
If using a whole chicken, remove the carcase and joint it into 8 pieces. Leave the skin on. Season generously with salt and pepper.
In a small saucepan add the pieces of carcase, the peelings of the shallots, carrots, the green of the leeks and pour the water. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes while you prepare and cook the rest of the ingredients to form a stock.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan or casserole over a medium heat and add the chicken pieces. Fry the chicken on all sides until light golden; this should take about 15 minutes and set aside.
Add the leeks, carrots, shallots, mushrooms, garlic and fry for 10 minutes until dark brown. Add the bay leaves, garlic and the chicken back into the pan with the rosemary and thyme. Add the tomato and reduce down for a couple of minutes. Pour the red wine, flambe and deglaze the bottom of the pan.
Season with salt and pepper, add the chicken stock you have formed and let it simmer with a cartouche or a lid on for 1 hour until tender.
NOTE: Enjoy with bread or you can add some baby new potatoes so they cook inside the sauce and will work fantastically as a garnish.
