Pollastre a la Catalana amb Prunes i Pinyons

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy casserole with lid, 28 to 30cm
• •Large mortar and pestle
• •Tongs
• •Box grater
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak and season

   Put the prunes in a bowl, pour over the vi ranci, and leave them for 20 minutes. Drain them without pressing and keep every drop of the wine. Pat the chicken dry, then season it all over with 12g of the salt and the black pepper. Dry skin browns; wet skin sticks.

   You can season the chicken up to 8 hours ahead and refrigerate it uncovered. Bring it out 30 minutes before cooking so the pieces lose their refrigerator chill.
2. 2

   Brown the chicken

   Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in two or three batches, skin side down first, until deep gold on both sides, about 10 to 12 minutes in all. Don't crowd the casserole or the pieces release water and go pale. Transfer each browned batch to a tray; the meat should not be cooked through yet.

3. 3

   Cook the sofregit

   Lower the heat and leave about 45ml of oil and chicken fat in the casserole. Add the onions and cook over low to medium-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until dark gold, soft, and jammy. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the grated tomato and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until it is dark, thick, and nearly dry, with the oil beginning to show at the edges. This is the sofregit, and rushing it gives you a thin, sharp sauce.

4. 4

   Build the braise

   Pour in the brandy and scrape the browned bits from the bottom. Let it bubble for 1 minute, then add the reserved vi ranci and reduce it by about half, 4 to 5 minutes. Return the thighs, drumsticks, and wings to the casserole. Add the stock, bay leaf, and cinnamon; the liquid should reach roughly halfway up the chicken. Bring it to a gentle simmer, cover slightly ajar, and cook for 20 minutes.

5. 5

   Braise with prunes

   Add the breast pieces skin side up and tuck the soaked prunes between the chicken. Cover slightly ajar again and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Turn the dark-meat pieces once, but leave the breasts skin side up. The prunes should swell and soften while keeping enough shape to lift with a spoon.

6. 6

   Pound the picada

   While the chicken braises, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking often, until pale gold. Set them aside. In a mortar, pound the almonds, toasted bread, remaining garlic clove, parsley, and remaining 2g salt into a coarse, damp paste. Ladle in about 100ml of the braising liquid and work it smooth enough to stir into the casserole.

   A small food processor works if you have no mortar. Pulse rather than running it continuously; picada should retain a little texture, not turn into nut butter.
7. 7

   Thicken the sauce

   Stir the loosened picada gently into the spaces between the chicken pieces, then add 30g of the toasted pine nuts. Simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the casserole now and then, until the sauce is glossy and coats the back of a spoon. If it becomes too thick, add hot water 15ml at a time. The thickest chicken piece must reach at least 74°C at the bone.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon. Take the casserole off the heat and let the chicken rest in its sauce for 15 minutes. Spoon off only any clear excess fat, leaving the glossy sauce beneath it. Scatter over the remaining 10g pine nuts and serve from the casserole with bread for the sauce. Tal com es fa allí, exactly as it is made there.

Chef Tips

• •Vi ranci is a dry, oxidatively aged Catalan wine with walnut and dried-fruit notes. Dry oloroso sherry is the proper substitute abroad; it tastes a little sharper and nuttier. Avoid sweet or cream sherry, which makes the sauce cloying.
• •Use a mature, well-flavoured chicken if the market has one. A very young bird cooks quickly but contributes little to the sauce. Bone-in thighs alone also work; use 1.6kg and braise them for about 40 minutes before adding the picada.
• •Taste the pine nuts before cooking. They turn rancid quietly and one stale handful spoils the whole casserole. If good pine nuts are unavailable, use another 30g of toasted almonds, knowing that you lose the buttery pine flavour that names the dish.
• •Choose soft, unsweetened prunes rather than glossy ones coated with syrup. Firm prunes need a full hour in the wine before cooking; very soft ones need only the stated 20 minutes or they will disappear into the sauce.
• •This is better after a night's rest. Cool it promptly, refrigerate for up to 3 days, and reheat at a low simmer until the chicken reaches 74°C. Keep the final handful of pine nuts separate and scatter them over after reheating.
• •Serve it with pa de pagès, Catalan country bread, and a young Garnatxa-based red from Montsant or Terra Alta. The wine should have fruit and freshness, not heavy oak.

Advance Preparation

• •Season the chicken up to 8 hours ahead and refrigerate it uncovered. This seasons the meat through and helps the skin brown.
• •Soak the prunes in the vi ranci up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them covered, and reserve the soaking wine for the casserole.
• •The complete braise can be made 1 day ahead. Cool and refrigerate it in its sauce, then reheat gently with up to 60ml water if the picada has thickened too much.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)