Chicken in Almond Sauce

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Here's a cute one from reader Gail Norris:

Grandpappy and his wife were discussing their 50th wedding anniversary
when she said, "Shall I kill a chicken tonight?"

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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The Moors introduced almonds to Spain where they show up in sweet
and savory preparations of all kinds. This dish has been cited as one
of the ancestors of the famous mole poblano of Mexico.

Chicken in Almond Sauce (Pollo en Pepitoria)

4-5 lbs (1.8-2.25 Kg) chicken pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Flour for dredging
4 Tbs (60 ml) lard or olive oil
25 whole blanched almonds
4-6 cloves garlic
1 thick slice bread, crust removed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbs (15 ml) chopped parsley
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cinnamon
A grating of fresh nutmeg
A pinch of ground cloves
10 whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp (2 ml) saffron
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry sherry or white wine
1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
1 bay (laurel) leaf
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbs (15 ml) toasted sesame seeds

Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper and dredge lightly
with flour. Heat the lard in a large skillet and brown the chicken
pieces on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a large casserole. In
the same skillet, saute the almonds, garlic, and bread until golden
brown. Transfer to a small bowl and saute the onion in the remaining
fat until lightly browned. Combine the almonds, garlic, bread,
parsley, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, peppercorns, saffron, and sherry in
an electric blender or food processor and process until smooth. Stir
the almond mixture into the onions and pour over the chicken pieces.
Add the chicken stock and bay leaf and bring to a simmer over moderate
heat. Reduce the heat and simmer tightly covered until the chicken is
tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and stir a little of the
liquid into the beaten eggs. Add the egg mixture to the chicken and
stir gently over very low heat until the sauce has thickened - do not
boil. Serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds. Serves 6 to 8.

"Naw," said Grandpappy, "Why blame a bird for something that happened
50 years ago?"
Received on Thu Jan 8 05:38:31 2004