April 2021 TPT Member Magazine

PUERTO RICAN FRICASÉ DE POLLO BY NETTIE COLÓN

On a bright autumn day, Chef Nettie Colón (Red Hen Gastrolab) invited Chef Yia Vang (Union Hmong Kitchen) and the Relish crew to her backyard kitchen to cook up some of her Puerto Rican grandmother’s fricasé de pollo (chicken fricassee). A cross between a stew and a braise (without searing the meat), fricasé de pollo is a very popular island dish that exemplifies the island’s many cultural influences. Watch the episode and more ways to make this dish at tptoriginals.org/relish/fricase-de-pollo

PREPARATION

INGREDIENTS

Preparation on Stovetop In a cast iron Dutch oven kettle with a tight-fitting lid, heat on medium high the olive oil and sauté the sofrito along with the ham and dried oregano for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken, mix to coat all the ingredients in the pot and cook for 3 minutes. Add the vinegar, olives, capers, prunes, bay leaves, pumpkin or squash and tomato sauce. Once all is well incorporated, add the annatto- or sa‘ron-infused broth to cover everything by 1 inch. You can always add more of the broth later on as it cooks if needed. Raise heat to medium high, bringing to a moderate boil, cover with the lid and reduce heat back to medium, and cook for about 45 minutes. Once chicken is done uncover the pot, add the peas and the cold butter, and cook until sauce is thickening to coat back of the spoon. If sauce is not thick, then cook for longer period of time. If sauce is too thick, then add some of the leftover infused stock.

One 2 ½ to 3-pound whole chicken, washed, skin removed & cut into 10 pieces bone-in and season with olive oil, salt & pepper Sofrito Base (this can be made ahead in a pestle & mortar or food processor) 3 cloves of garlic smashed with the back of a knife 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 medium Spanish yellow onion peeled diced small 6 small, sweet bell peppers (to seed or not to seed your choice) 4-6 fresh leaves of culantro, roughly chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil ½ cup cured ham, diced in small cubes 1 teaspoon Dried oregano (Dominican or Mexican oregano) ¼ cup Sherry vinegar (white vinegar is a good substitution) ¼ cup pimento-stu‘ed olives (small to medium size) 2 teaspoons capers 10 prunes pitted and sliced 4 bay leaves 1 pound pumpkin or winter squash (in summer you can use potatoes) ½ cup tomato sauce 1 – 1 ½ quarts of annatto-or sa‘ron-infused chicken stock or “pipe stock” 1 pound of green peas (frozen will work as well) 3 tablespoons cold butter

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Find recipes, videos and articles for all episodes on tptoriginals.org/relish

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