Guiso de Pollo

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   Recipe shared by John Rivera, along with this:

 Guiso de pollo, or chicken stew, is a Spanish standard that transcends time and space…it has always been Spanish and has always been around as far back as any Spaniard can remember. The stockpot bubbling over the stove, containing a chicken and whatever fresh vegetables may be available, has always been part of the casa Espaniola, or Spanish household. Its flavor is uniquely Spanish. 

Poverty and hardship have worked hand in hand throughout history- in all cultures- to be the catalyst for basic, nourishing food. Because of that unique deliciousness, these dishes today, hundreds of years later, are savored, and resonate with the past.    

“Back in medieval Spain, sausage peddlers were a common sight, but more so were the vagrants who filled sixteenth-century Mediterranean cities. In Spain the ranks of the picardia (rogue’s den), included vagrants, adventurers, beggars, pickpockets, even students. They congregated in towns like Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The thieves and tramps came from the dregs of Spanish society and, when not robbing, looked for work and were naturally drawn to the ships heading for the Indies.

 As Spain entered its Golden Age in the late sixteenth century, brigandage was on the rise. The odd assortment of rogues in Spanish society during this period often became characters in literature. The picaresque novel, derived from the word for “rogue’s den,” saw the poor rascals become anti-heroes. They were known as the sopistas, the soup eaters living off the handouts of sopa boba at monastery doors. Two of the earliest picaresque novels were the anonymous Lazarillo de Tormes published in 1554 and Francisco de Quevedo’s La Vida del Buscón written in 1608. These novels about the down-and-out rascally youths are preoccupied with how to get food. In Lazarillo de Tormes, poor Lazarillo works for an evil priest who gives him one onion every four days. Lazarillo finds a tinkerer to make a copy of the key to the priest’s bread box. But he can eat only mere crumbs, like a mouse, so he will not be found out….. Contemporary rustic cuisine is often an outgrowth of historic poverty.”

In Spanish literature, it is amazing how so many picaresque stories began with the urchin smelling a guiso de pollo as they walked by a window, the scent being the catalyst for the adventure that was sure to come as they made their way into the household in search of a bowl of food. How many tales, how many stories…all with the same construct: wonderful smelling stew coming from a window leads an urchin to try to improve his or her lot!

There is gentle balance of chicken, vegetables and spice that gives this dish a simple, rustic, yet unique flavor that is impossible to recreate in another fashion. Guiso de Pollo is what it is, because of what it is….. No short-cuts will take you there. So, let’s try our hand at making that intriguing Guiso de Pollo….

And the recipe:

1 Whole Chicken
1 Large onion, chunked
3 Carrots finely diced
4 Medium potatoes, cut into 2” cubes
½ LB mushrooms halved
½ pint heavy cream (8oz)
1 (12oz) can tomato paste
2 Medium cans crushed tomatoes (28oz total)
1 bottle (3 cups) white wine
1 TBSP Oregano
2 TBSP salt
1 TBSP smoked paprika
2 TSP pepper
Olive Oil
Water

Method:

Cover the bird with water, add a little salt and then bring the pot to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and simmer for three hours, or until all the meat falls from the bones. Strain the solids, reserving the broth. After the solids have cooled a bit, pick through the solids and retrieve all the meat, discarding the bones etc. Set the meat aside.

Meanwhile, halve the mushrooms and chop the onion. Saute both in a splash of olive oil, then add a cup of wine to de-glaze. Let the liquids reduce down while dicing the carrots and potatoes. Add the carrots to the onion and mushrooms; toss the potatoes in a little olive oil and then put them under the broiler in the oven for a while to brown in order to add flavour and so that they hold their shape.

After de-fatting the broth, add the meat to the pot with the mushrooms, onions, carrots and potatoes. Add the tomatoes and the heavy cream, then the tomato paste and the remainder of the spices. Stir well and bring to a boil, making sure the paste is evenly distributed. Add the remainder of the wine and reduce heat to simmer at least two hours - it gets better the longer it simmers. 

Serve with hot, fresh, buttered bread.