Pitu de Caleya Guisado

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy pot or cazuela with lid, 6 to 7 litres
• •Kitchen tongs
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Food mill or immersion blender

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the pitu

   Pat the chicken pieces dry. Mix the five crushed garlic cloves with 18g of the salt and all the black pepper, then rub the paste over every piece. Put the chicken in a covered non-reactive dish and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. This seasoning time matters with a large, mature bird; it carries the salt beyond the surface.

   Keep the chicken below 4°C while it seasons. Take it from the refrigerator only 30 minutes before browning.
2. 2

   Brown it deeply

   Scrape away loose garlic so it doesn't burn, then pat the pieces dry again. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in three or four batches, starting skin-side down and leaving room around each piece. Give each batch 10 to 12 minutes, turning until the surfaces are a deep burnished gold. Brown the neck and backbone as well; they give the sauce body. Transfer everything to a tray.

   Don't hurry the batches. Crowding the pot releases water and leaves the skin pale, and pale chicken makes a pale, thin-tasting guiso.
3. 3

   Build the sofrito

   Lower the heat and leave about 60ml of oil and chicken fat in the pot. Add the onions, green pepper, carrots, and 4g of the remaining salt. Scrape up the browned bits and cook gently for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is dark gold, very soft, and almost jammy. Add the three chopped garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, until its water is gone and the oil shows again around the edges.

4. 4

   Reduce the wine

   Take the pot off the heat before pouring in the brandy, then return it to medium heat. There is nothing gained by setting it alight. Add the white wine, scrape the bottom thoroughly, and boil for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sharp smell of alcohol has gone and the liquid has reduced by roughly half.

5. 5

   Braise without hurry

   Return the chicken, neck, backbone, and any collected juices to the pot. Add the bay leaves and 600ml hot water; the liquid should reach between one-third and halfway up the pieces, not cover them. Bring it just to a bubble, lower the heat, and cover with the lid slightly ajar. Cook for 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes, turning the pieces about every 40 minutes. Add hot water in 50ml measures only if the sauce drops below one-third of the chicken. It is ready when a skewer enters the thickest thigh easily and the joint moves without resistance. A mature thigh will often read 88 to 92°C; 74°C means it is safe, but it may still be stubborn.

   For a young free-range chicken weighing 1.8 to 2.2kg, begin with only 350ml water and check after 75 minutes. It will usually be tender within 90 minutes.
6. 6

   Finish the sauce

   Lift the tender chicken onto a warm tray and discard the bay leaves, neck, and bare backbone. Pass the sauce through a food mill, or blend it directly in the pot until smooth. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon but still runs. Taste before adding the final 2g salt; the reduction may have seasoned it enough. Return the chicken and its juices and warm gently for 5 minutes.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Take the pot off the heat, cover it, and rest the stew for 20 minutes. The sauce settles around the meat and the oil rises into a fine gloss rather than sitting heavily on top. Serve large pieces of pitu with plenty of the dark onion sauce and bread for the plate. Con buenos ingredientes y paciencia, nothing else is needed.

Chef Tips

• •Pitu de caleya is about age and rearing, not merely a free-range label. Look for a mature stewing hen or cockerel with firm legs, yellow fat, and a stronger smell than a young roasting bird. A soft, quick-cooking broiler cannot give the same dark broth.
• •Canned whole tomatoes are sensible outside tomato season. Drain and crush them, then cook until their water has gone and the oil returns at the edges. They make the sauce a little brighter and more concentrated than fresh tomato.
• •You can replace the white wine with the same amount of dry, still Asturian sidra natural. This is a proper home variation, not a trick; the finished sauce will be sharper and slightly fruitier.
• •A wide, heavy pot matters more than a handsome one. It gives the chicken room to brown and lets the finished sauce reduce evenly without catching at the edges.
• •The stew is better after a night in the refrigerator. Cool it within two hours, keep it covered for up to three days, and reheat gently until the centre of the largest piece reaches 74°C. Remove any solid layer of fat only if it seems excessive.
• •Pour Asturian sidra natural or a light red from Cangas with it. The cider cuts the rich sauce; the local red suits the bird's darker meat.

Advance Preparation

• •Season the pitu 8 to 12 hours before cooking. Keep it covered in the refrigerator, then bring it out 30 minutes before browning.
• •The complete stew can be cooked one day ahead. Cool it promptly, refrigerate it in its sauce, and reheat covered over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, adding 50ml water only if the sauce has set too thick.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)