Sunday, January 17, 2010
Food, Recipes

Cooking with clementines

 

Trade Commission of Spain

Chipotle Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs, boneless, skin on
4 ounces chipotle peppers in adobo (half of an 8-ounce can)
8 clementines from Spain
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon oregano
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 cup     ginger bulb, peeled, sliced
2 cups chicken stock, warm
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
1 smooth skin avocado, cut in 8 slices, skin off

Instructions:
Zest the outer peel of 4 clementines with a micro grater, being careful to only grate the first layer—one strike at a time. Save the zest of 2 clementines. Puree the chipotle in adobo with the addition of zest of two clementines in a food processor until the flesh of the chilies is smooth but the seed still visible. Take the 4 clementines that have been zested, and place them in a pot of water with ginger, sugar, cinnamon stick and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover for 1 and ½ hours and cook over medium heat; let cool. 
Cut the cooked and cooled clementines in one-fourth segments; clean out any loose inner skin and seeds, if any, save segments for the chicken and keep the liquid.

On a cutting board, arrange all the thighs with flesh side up; butterfly the thick ends of the meat to level and stretch skin to be able to wrap into a roll. Season flesh with salt, and let rest for 5 minutes; crush oregano with your fingers as you sprinkle it onto the meat.
Season thighs with 1 teaspoon of the chipotle and the saved clementine puree mixture, keeping the ends clean. Roll the thighs tightly with the skin covering all the meat. Secure with a toothpick.

Place thighs in a baking dish, alternating with the cooked and cooled clementine segments (seam side down). Season top of the skin with the kosher salt.
Mix together clementine cooking juices, the juice of 4 clementines and chicken stock, and add to the baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes.  Turn and cook for 10 minutes, then turn back to skin side up and cook another 5 minutes.

Remove toothpicks, and serve chicken thighs topped with clementine segments, yellow rice (see next recipe) and sliced avocado.

Yellow Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups    medium grain rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon annatto seeds
2 bay leaves

Instructions:
Place annatto seeds in a Pyrex cup and top with olive oil. Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds or until it heats up and the annatto colors the olive oil. Strain the seeds out and discard, saving the oil for the rice. In a two-quart sauce pot, add annatto oil and rice; warm up tossing the rice, to coat it with the oil. Add bay leaf, chicken stock and salt; bring to a boil, cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, until liquid evaporates and rice is just cooked. Let it rest 5 minutes, covered. SP
To savor Chef Hector Santiago’s preparations, dine at Pura Vida Tapas, 656 N. Highland Ave. NE, 404-870-9797 or www.puravidatapas.com.