Thursday, November 17, 2011

Sorta Basque Chicken


Tuesday 8 November
We had two meaty chicken thighs left over from Friday, a little Serrano ham from Sunday, a passel of peppers (both red and green bell, plus some red poblanos), and some late garden bag-ripened cherry tomatoes.  All of it went into this Basque-inspired but completely inauthentic dish. 


We carefully removed and reserved the chicken skin, and shredded up the meat.  First we sizzled the pieces of skin in some olive oil in a skillet, to get them a mite crispy (the grievins effect); and for some anti-kosher anathema, then added the torn-up ham to crisp up too.  Removed them, and in the same pan sautéed a sliced onion, then some minced garlic, then the sliced peppers, first green, then poblanos, then red, with a careful touch of sweet pimenton, since the poblanos seemed spicy enough.  A little drench of white wine and the chicken shreds went in, and when everything was warm and happy, it was heaped on plates and topped with the crispy bits of chicken skin and ham.
As expected, the poblanos made this hothothot, so we wept as we ate, but we smiled as we wept.

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