Chicken with Olives

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Here's a classic food funny from Rosemary Zwick of - you guessed it -
Cape Town, South Africa:

Before performing a baptism, the priest approached the young father
and said solemnly, "Baptism is a serious step. Are you prepared for
it?"

"I think so," the man replied. "My wife has made appetizers and we
have a caterer coming with plenty of cookies and cakes for all of our
friends."

"I don't mean that," the priest responded. "I mean, are you prepared
spiritually?"

"Oh, sure," came the reply. "I've got a keg of beer and a case of
whiskey."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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Some of my readers might suspect that I chose this recipe because I'm
crazy about olives. Some of my readers might be right. Use imported
Seville olives for an authentic taste of Spain, but any good quality
brine-cured green olives will do fine.

Chicken with Olives (Pollo con Aceitunas)

3 Tbs (45 ml) olive oil
2-3 lbs (900-1350 g) chicken parts
1 onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 15-oz (425 g) can tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup (180 ml) dry sherry or water
1/2 tsp (2 ml) dried thyme
1/2 tsp (2 ml) fennel seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup (250 ml) pitted green olives

Heat the oil in a large pan over moderate heat and brown the chicken
pieces on all sides. Add the remaining ingredients except the olives
and simmer covered over low heat until the chicken is tender, about 1
hour. Add the olives and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Thu Feb 17 06:10:17 2005