Penguin Books Australia

Free recipe from Manu's French Kitchen, by Manu Feildel, Basque-Style Chicken Stew, page 153.

This summery dish features the flavours of the Basque region - capsicum and a type of chilli called espelette. In this part of France you can see houses covered with these chillies drying in the sun. This recipe is inspired by my great friend and fellow chef Jean Francois. He is from the Basque country and owns the charming restaurant Le Pelican in Surry Hills, Sydney.

100 ml olive oil
2 onions, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
100 g prosciutto, cut into 4 cm long x 3 mm thick strips (batons, see page 208)
1 each red, yellow and green capsicum (pepper), trimmed, seeded and cut into 4 cm long x 3 mm thick strips (batons, see page 208)
2 fresh long green chillies, halved, seeded and cut into 4 cm long x 3 mm thick strips (batons, see page 208)
cayenne or Espelette chilli pepper (see page 208), to taste
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
3 large tomatoes, peeled (see page 209), seeded and finely chopped
200 ml dry white wine
50 ml red-wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken marylands (leg and thigh joints)
Rice Pilaf (optional, see page 144), to serve

1. Heat 50 ml of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and stir for 3-4 minutes or until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and prosciutto and cook, stirring regularly for 10 minutes. Add the capsicum, chilli and cayenne pepper and cook for another 5 minutes or until the capsicum is just soft. Add the thyme, bay leaf, tomato and wine, then simmer for 6-8 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds. Pour in the vinegar and continue to simmer for 5 minutes or until nearly all the wine and vinegar have evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 50 ml olive oil in a large enamelled cast-iron casserole over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken, turning for 5-6 minutes or until browned all over, then cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Spread the vegetable mixture over the chicken. Cover and cook over low heat for another 50-60 minutes or until the chicken is very tender and nearly falling off the bone. Check the seasoning and serve with rice pilaf, if desired.

Serves 4 as a main