Escaldums de Pollastre

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy casserole with lid, 5 to 6 litre capacity
• •Large mortar and pestle or small blender
• •Slotted spoon
• •Heatproof jug
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the chicken

   Pat the chicken dry so it browns instead of steaming against the pot. Season it all over with 8g of the salt and the black pepper, then leave it for 20 minutes while you prepare the vegetables. Keep the remaining 4g of salt divided for the potatoes and sofregit.

2. 2

   Brown the chicken

   Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in two batches, skin-side down first, for 4 to 5 minutes, then for 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. You want a deep golden skin and browned bits on the bottom, not meat cooked through. Lift each batch onto a plate and keep every drop of juice.

3. 3

   Fry the potatoes

   Lower the heat to medium. Add the potatoes to the same oil and fry them for 10 to 12 minutes, turning carefully, until their edges are golden but the centers remain firm. Season them with 2g of salt and lift them onto a second plate. They finish cooking in the sauce later, where the browned outside helps them hold together.

   Use a waxy potato. A floury baking potato collapses before the chicken is ready and leaves you with mash in the gravy.
4. 4

   Toast the picada

   Add the almonds, 3 whole garlic cloves, and bread to the casserole. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, turning often, until the almonds are golden, the garlic has softened, and the bread is crisp on both sides. Remove them to a mortar. Toast the pine nuts for about 1 minute until pale gold, then set them aside separately. Pour the cooking oil into a heatproof jug and return exactly 45ml to the casserole.

5. 5

   Build the sofregit

   Set the casserole over low to medium-low heat. Add the onions and the final 2g of salt, then cook for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until dark gold, soft, and nearly jammy. Add the 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until its water is gone and the base leaves a clean trail when you draw the spoon through it. This slow reduction gives the sauce sweetness; rush it and the whole pot tastes thin. Add the sobrassada and stir for 2 minutes until it has melted through the sofregit. Pour in the brandy and let it bubble for 3 minutes to cook away its raw edge.

6. 6

   Braise the chicken

   Return the chicken and its resting juices to the casserole. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, marjoram, and hot stock. The liquid should come roughly two-thirds of the way up the chicken rather than drown it. Bring it just to a simmer, lower the heat, cover slightly ajar, and cook gently for 25 minutes. Turn the pieces once without disturbing their skin more than necessary.

7. 7

   Grind the picada

   While the chicken braises, pound the fried almonds, garlic, bread, and parsley in the mortar. Work until no hard almond pieces remain and the mixture forms a thick, slightly coarse paste. Ladle in about 150ml of hot liquid from the casserole and mix until smooth enough to pour. A small blender works if you have no mortar, but stop before it becomes an oily nut butter.

8. 8

   Add potatoes and fruit

   Nestle the fried potatoes, prunes, and raisins around the chicken. Cover slightly ajar and simmer gently for 18 to 22 minutes, until a knife enters the potatoes without resistance and the thickest chicken pieces reach 74°C at the bone. Keep the bubbling quiet. A hard boil breaks the potatoes and pulls the chicken apart.

9. 9

   Thicken and rest

   Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon. Stir in the loosened picada and most of the toasted pine nuts, moving the chicken carefully so the paste reaches the sauce. Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, until the gravy is glossy and coats the back of a spoon. If it tightens too far, loosen it with a small splash of hot stock or water. Rest off the heat for 10 minutes, then scatter over the remaining pine nuts and serve from the casserole.

Chef Tips

• •Buy soft, spreadable sobrassada de Mallorca if you can. It should dissolve into the sofregit rather than sit in firm cubes. If you can find only mild cured chorizo, mince 50g with 15g pork fat until pasty; the finished sauce will be smokier and less silky.
• •Use good canned whole tomatoes when fresh tomatoes are pale and hard. They are cooked down completely here, so a ripe tomato preserved in season beats a sad fresh one in winter.
• •Don’t make the dried fruit sweeter than it is. Plain pitted prunes and unsweetened raisins belong in the savory sauce; candied fruit does not.
• •The finished gravy should coat a spoon but still move when you tilt the casserole. Picada keeps thickening as it rests, so stop the heat while the sauce looks a touch looser than you want at the table.
• •Serve escaldums with pa moreno, Mallorcan brown bread, for mopping the sauce. A dry young red made from Manto Negro suits it; a straightforward Tempranillo is the useful substitute.

Advance Preparation

• •Toast the almonds, garlic, bread, and pine nuts up to 2 days ahead. Keep them airtight at room temperature, but add and grind the parsley only when making the picada.
• •The completed stew can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Cool it within 2 hours, cover, and reheat gently with a splash of water. The flavor deepens overnight, though the potatoes become softer.
• •For the firmest potatoes at a special meal, prepare the chicken and sauce one day ahead without the potatoes or picada. Reheat gently, add freshly fried potatoes, then finish with the picada as written.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 580g)