Delia Smith Spanish Chicken Food

CHICKEN PAPRIKA

Steps:

• Begin by heating 2 tablespoons of the oil in the frying pan or casserole and gently frying the chicken joints or thighs to a golden colour, you will probably need to do this in two batches. As the chicken is ready, use a draining spoon to transfer it to a plate, and season it with salt and pepper. In the oil left (add a little more if you need to) fry the onions gently for about 10 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, if you are using fresh tomatoes, you can skin them. To do this, pour boiling water over them and leave them for exactly 1 minute or 15-30 seconds if the tomatoes are small, before draining and slipping off their skins (protect your hands with a cloth if they are too hot). You can also watch how to skin tomatoes in our Online Cookery School Video on this page.. Now stir in the flour, cayenne pepper and paprika into the onions, with a wooden spoon, to soak up the juices before adding the chopped tomatoes. Stir them around a bit, then add the stock. Bring everything up to a simmering point, then return the chicken to the pan or casserole, put the lid on and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. After that, stir in the chopped pepper, replace the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes. Just before serving, spoon the soured cream all over, mixing it in just to give a marbled effect, then sprinkle on a little more paprika.

SPANISH CHICKEN WITH BUTTER BEANS, CHORIZO AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• First of all, begin by cooking the butter beans. Place the soaked and drained beans in a pan with the sprigs of thyme and 1 of the bay leaves and cover with water. Bring to simmering point and then cover with a lid and simmer the beans for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the beans are tender. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Begin by peeling the onion and carrots and finely chopping them. Next, take the tough green ends off the leek, then make a vertical split halfway down the centre and run it under cold water to rid it of any hidden grit. Then slice the leek in half lengthways and finely chop that too, followed by the celery sticks. Next, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the casserole and when the oil is hot, brown the chicken breasts on both sides until golden brown. Then transfer the chicken to a plate and now add the rest of the oil to the casserole. Stir in the onions, carrots, leek and celery and cook everything over a low heat, covered with a lid, to allow the vegetables to sweat in their own juices for 10-15 minutes or until they are beginning to soften. While that is happening, you can prepare the chorizo sausage. Peel the skin off the chorizo and then cut into small dice before stirring it into the vegetables with the pimentón. Turn the heat up to medium and cook everything together for 2-3 minutes to start to draw the fat from the chorizo - you will need to stir constantly to keep everything on the move, to prevent the chorizo from sticking to the bottom of the casserole. Now add the cooked, drained beans (you can throw away the thyme and the bay leaf), garlic, tomatoes, the other bay leaf and the saffron, followed by the hot stock. Season with salt and freshly milled black pepper and give everything a good stir. Place the chicken breasts on top, bring the whole lot to simmering point, then reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes. Finally, lift the chicken breasts out on to warmed plates, and stir the parsley into the sauce before spooning it over the chicken. Serve it with a chicory and rocket salad.

SPANISH CHICKEN TRAYBAKE WITH CHORIZO & PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic and thyme leaves with a little seasoning and 2 tsp oil to make a paste. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, finely grate the garlic, then stir everything together.
• Rub the herb and garlic paste on the underside of the chicken to flavour it.
• Cut each of the pepper halves into 2 or 3 chunky strips, depending on their size. Pile into a large roasting tin with the chorizo and olives, toss with the remaining oil, then sit the chicken on top, skin-side up. Scatter over the tomatoes, spoon over the vinegar, season and tuck in the thyme sprigs.
• Roast for 1 hr until the chicken skin is crispy and the vegetables have softened. Serve with crusty bread, pasta or potatoes.