Spanish Catalan Chicken

__________________________________________________

            FOOD FUNNY
__________________________________________________

Here's one for the ol' Worldwide Recipes Groan-O-Meter from Linda
Nienaber in Covington, Kentucky:

Did you hear what happened at the spice factory? The employees
got laid off because the work was seasonal.

__________________________________________________

            TODAY'S RECIPE
__________________________________________________

Most of us are familiar with the famous "mole poblano," the thick
sauce from Mexico that contains chocolate among its many ingredients.
Here is a dish along similar lines from the Spanish-speaking country
on the other side of the Atlantic.

Catalan Chicken (Pollo a la Catalana)

2-3 lbs (900-1350 g) chicken parts
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Tbs (30 ml) olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
A 3-inch (8 cm) piece of cinnamon stick
1/2 cup (125 ml) white wine, chicken stock, or water
1/4 cup (60 ml) blanched almonds
1 oz (28 g) unsweetened chocolate,
or 3 Tbs (45 ml) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp (5 ml) grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp (1 ml) powdered saffron

Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil
in a large skillet and add the chicken, garlic, onion, and cinnamon
stick. Cook the chicken slowly, covered over low heat, until browned
on all sides. Meanwhile, combine the wine, almonds, chocolate, lemon
zest, and saffron in a food processor or electric blender and process
to form a paste. Add the chocolate mixture to the skillet and simmer
covered until the chicken is very tender, about 45 minutes. Discard the
cinnamon stick before serving. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Thu Aug 18 08:36:28 2005