Galicia is an autonomous community in the North-West corner of Spain. Its capital is Santiago de Compostela. I’m guessing that quite a few of our u3a members will have ended up there at the end of the pilgrimage routes known as the Camino de Santiago.
Here we have some typical dishes from the region, with Galician chicken and Padron peppers. Although we served the peppers with the chicken, they can equally well be eaten first, as an appetiser.
Ingredients
Chicken:
2 chicken breasts (approx. 250-300g total)
½ tsp smoked paprika
Rice:
150g basmati rice
375ml water
½ tsp ground turmeric
Sauce:
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 bay leaf
½ tsp smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp flour
½ tsp salt
250ml chicken stock/bouillon – stock cube is fine
Padron peppers:
About 180g Padron peppers (available in larger
supermarkets), washed and dried.
Olive oil
Flaked sea-salt
Garnish:
4 pimento-stuffed Spanish olives (sliced for added colour)
Enjoy!
Method
Chicken: Pre-heat oven to 230C (210C Fan). Cut each breast in half lengthwise. Sprinkle chicken with ½ tsp smoked paprika. Put about a tbsp olive oil in a small roasting pan and bake the chicken for approx. 25 mins (turning once) or until golden brown.
Rice: Whilst the chicken is in the oven, rinse the basmati rice in a fine mesh sieve under cold water. Put the rinsed rice in a medium saucepan and add
375ml water and stir in a ½ tsp ground turmeric and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and then immediately put on a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10-12 mins so that the water is fully absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for a further 5 mins. Remove the lid and fluff up the rice before serving.
Sauce: Whilst the rice is simmering, heat about a tbsp olive oil in a small pan. Add the crushed garlic and bay leaf and sauté briefly until the garlic browns (but does not burn). Add ½ tsp paprika, pinch of cayenne pepper, tbsp flour and salt. Mix well and slowly add the chicken stock/bouillon (made with hot water). Bring slowly to the boil, gently stirring to prevent lumps. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes or so, stirring frequently.
Padron peppers: Whilst the sauce is simmering, heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and then fry the washed and dried peppers in the pan for at least 5 mins turning several times, until the skins are blistered and soft. Sprinkle with the flaked sea salt.
Serve the chicken breasts on a bed of rice on 2 warmed plates and pour over the sauce. Either eat the Padron peppers as an appetiser (using the stalks as handy handles!) or use as a garnish with the pimento-stuffed olives.