Sunday Flavors

RICE AND BROAD BEANS WITH FRIED CHICKEN

He was the one to scrape out the tureen and then turn to watch the door, waiting for the strapping young woman with the quivering breasts to bring in the next delicacy. Making the floor tremble and with her face still redder, she duly returned and placed on the table a dish overflowing with rice and broad beans. What a disappointment! In Paris, Jacinto had always hated broad beans. Nevertheless, he tried a timid forkful, and again his eyes, dimmed by pessimism, lit up and again he looked at me. He took another larger forkful, concentrating this time and eating as slowly as a friar, savouring every mouthful. Then he cried:
‘Excellent! Now these beans I like. What a bean! So delicious!’
And overcome by blessed gluttony, he praised the mountains, praised the perfect art of those talkative women busily stirring saucepans in the kitchen, and praised Melchior who was presiding over the banquet.
‘You wouldn’t get rice and beans like this even in Paris, Melchior, my friend!’

Eça de Queiroz, The City and the Mountains,1901.
Translated by Margaret Jull Costa, Dedalus edition, 2008.


YOU WILL NEED (serves 4):
RICE AND BROAD BEANS
400 gr / 14 ¼ oz of frozen broad beans, peeled;
300 gr / 10 ½ oz of long grain rice;
100 ml / 3 ½ fl oz extra virgin olive oil;
1 yellow onion, diced;
3 garlic cloves, sliced;
2 bay leaves;
Salt and pepper;
Dash of white wine;
Dried oregano (optional);
Fresh coriander, chopped (optional).
FRIED CHICKEN
600 gr / 1lb and 5 ¼ oz of clean chicken (or other poultry meat of your preference);
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to season;
4 garlic cloves, sliced;
1 teaspoon of paprika;
2 bay leaves;
100 ml / 3 ½ fl oz extra virgin olive oil;
100 ml / 3 ½ fl oz of white wine;

METHOD:
RICE AND BROAD BEANS
If you use fresh broad beans in the pod, split the pods down the sides and push out the beans with your finger. Unless the beans are very young and tiny, remove the skin by cutting it a little bit with a small knife, pushing out the green bean. If you use frozen broad beans, after defrosted remove the skin in the same way;
In a saucepan, heat olive oil and sauté by this order, onion, garlic and bay leaves;
Season with salt and pepper;
Add white wine and oregano;
Add water and bring it to a boil;
After 5 minutes boiling, add broad beans and bring back to the boil;
After 5 minutes more, add rice and bring back to the boil. Then turn the heat very low and put the lid on the saucepan;
Stir well to avoid catching the bottom of saucepan;
By tasting a grain or two, cut the fire right before the rice is soft (should still a bit damp);
Optionally, add fresh coriander, chopped, and stir gently;
FRIED CHICKEN
Cut chicken in small pieces, clean, wash and dry;
Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and reserve for a couple of hours;
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil, garlic, bay leaves and paprika and brown chicken pieces until golden;
When the meat is getting dry, add white wine, dash by dash, and sauté a few more minutes to concentrate the flavor and evaporate the alcohol;
Cut the heat and drizzle in lemon juice.