The conquest of Spain by the Moors introduced culinary ingredients such as olives, almonds and aubergines, and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and saffron. These changed the regular peasant foods such as paella, which was made with foraged ingredients including snails and rabbit, into more sophisticated dishes. The advent of 'cocina nueva'(the new kitchen) has come to represent a more refined and more modern interpretation of Spanish food. Basque Chicken, is a traditional slow-cooked one-pot dish from northern Spain. The big difference with this 'Micawber' version, is that it only takes a third of the usual time to cook. Micawber's Basque Chicken - (Serves 4) Ingredients:- 2 tblsp olive oil 1 clove garlic - peeled & crushed 1 large onion - peeled & sliced thinly 1 red and 1 yellow pepper -trimmed, seeded & cut into strips 4 chicken breasts - skin on, each cut into 2 pieces 150g chorizo sausage - skinned & sliced 100ml chicken stock 50ml dry sherry or white wine 1 tsp tomato puree 1/2 tsp sweet paprika Sea salt & pepper - to taste 50g pitted black olives 1 tblsp parsley - finely chopped Cooking Method:- 1. Using a large frying pan heat 1 tblsp of olive oil, add the garlic and onion and fry for 1 minute. Add the peppers and continue cooking for 8-10 mins until just soft and beginning to brown. 2. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large casserole and brown the chicken pieces by batches. Remove when browned, then add the chorizo to the pan and fry for 1 minute on each side. 3. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, the sherry (or wine) and the tomato puree, stir and simmer for 15 mins. 4. When the onion and peppers are soft, stir in the paprika then add to the casserole dish. Season, stir and cook until the chicken is cooked through. 5. Add the olives for the last few minutes of cooking and scatter the parsley over. 6. Serve with a crisp green salad.
