Catalonia 14: ROAST CHICKEN AND MEATBALLS WITH MESENTERY 🌞

[justaprogressive]

Recipe so rare there is no available image.
ROAST CHICKEN AND MEATBALLS WITH MESENTERY

Ingredients (for 4 people)

1 free-range chicken (1.5 kg) 20 baby onions
2 garlic heads
400 g (14 oz) preserved mushrooms
200 g (5.25 oz) lean pork
200 g (5.25 oz) lean veal
100 g (2 oz) fresh streaky bacon
3 garlic cloves
1 parsley sprig
2 eggs
breadcrumbs soaked in milk
salt
black pepper
300 g (10.5 oz) pig mesentery
olive oil or lard
2 dl (7 oz) rancio wine
1 dl (3.5 oz) brandy
water

Preparation

1. The first step is to make the meatballs. Mince lean pork, veal and
streaky bacon with a meat grinder, running it through the small hole,
if possible.

2. Place in a bowl and knead together with the three garlic cloves and
parsley, chopped, and eggs, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.

3. Once the mixture is ready, make large meatballs and wrap in
mesentery rectangles.

4. In a frying pan with very hot oil, first fry one side and then turn over
until the outside is brown and the inside cooked.

5. Place on a paper towel and reserve.

6. Clean chicken well; scorch, if necessary, to eliminate all feathers.

7. Cut into eight pieces and add salt and pepper.

8. In a pot with oil, brown the chicken slowly.

9. When medium brown, add garlic and onions. Cover and cook.

10. Pour rancio wine and brandy and turn chicken over. Let alcohol
evaporate.

11. Pour spoons of water on top to prevent the chicken from drying and
add meatballs. Adjust salt.

12. A few minutes before the end of the cooking process, toss in
mushrooms and finish cooking.

Comments

Roast chicken is a typical Sunday meal in Catalonia, prepared with a few
onions, a couple of garlic heads and a few types of seasonal mushrooms.
Each guest gets to choose his or her favourite part of the chicken: the
young tend to choose the drumstick and the adults the dryer breast, but I
personally prefer the thigh, the tastiest part.

Meatballs wrapped in mesentery are mouth-watering. They can be served
alone freshly made, or braised with a sofregit and a picada. They can also
be part of a good roast or accompany a giblet preparation.

The mesentery is the membrane that wraps around the pig’s liver. It’s used
to make these meatballs, to wrap boned veal tail, or to prepare the pa de
fetge, a sort of pâté de Campagne made with pork liver, bacon, pork neck
and eggs in the regions of Cerdanya and Empordà. The mesentery must be
washed thoroughly to remove its strong smell. Soaking it with the juice of
a lemon for a few hours is the best method. The water must be changed a
few times before using.

If the mushrooms are fresh, they can be added directly to the roast; but if
they’re salted, they must be soaked for a few hours in water and sautéed
for a couple of minutes. During spring, don’t forget morels, because they
make a miraculous roast!

From "Catalan Cuisine" by Joan Roca

MMmmm Roast chicken!!