Chicken with Prawns

Submitted by: JustRightMenus

Description:

A Catalan recipe - goes well with rice and a spinach salad. I used a balsamic dressing over spinach, capers, and oranges.

Servings: 4-6

Categories: chicken, fancy dinner night, shrimp

From the kitchen of:

Mediterranean: 500 Best-Ever Recipes, page 125. I have made some minor alterations.

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs

1/2 TB olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

14 oz tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 bay leaf

2/3 cup white wine

1 lb large raw prawns (shrimp), deveined

1 tsp butter

2 TB pastis (or substitute anisette liqueur)

1/3 c double (heavy) cream

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt, paprika, and ground black pepper

fresh flat leaf parsley, to garnish

For the picada:

1/4 c. blanched almonds

1 tsp butter

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

3 Marie, Rich Tea, or plain all-butter cookies, broken

6 TB chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Rub the chicken pieces with salt and paprika.

Heat 1/2 TB olive oil in a casserole pan (this pan needs to be a stovetop-safe pan big enough to hold all your ingredients). I use a 12" cast iron pan.

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil until soft, then fry the pieces of chicken, turning until golden.

Add the tomatoes to the casserole with the bay leaf and cook down to a sauce.

Pour in the wine (reserving a bit for the picada), season, and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Keep a lid (or tinfoil) on as a cover for the first 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, dry-fry the almonds until just colored (heat in a dry nonstick pan over medium/low heat) and transfer to a blender or food processor.

Add 1 tsp butter to the pan and gently fry the garlic, then add it to the blender along with the cookies.

Add the parsley and blend to a puree with a little of the wine for the casserole.

Heat 1 tsp butter, and fry the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side. 

Pour the pastis into a ladle and set light to it (omit the lighting if you're using anisette liqueur; the proof is not high enough to light). Pour the liquor over the shrimp and let it burn off, then add the shrimp to the casserole. Stir in the picada, then the cream.

Add cayenne and other seasonings to taste, heat through gently, and serve garnished with parsley.