Squash seed pepitoria harvest in Guatemala Pe Stephen Bates

Lightly coat the chicken with the flour. Heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat and add six pieces of chicken. After 30 seconds, reduce the heat to medium and season with a pinch of salt. After 4 minutes, turn the chicken over, season the other side and cook for a further 4 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining chicken.

To me this is one of the best chicken dishes in the Spanish traditional gastronomy and it is as old fashioned as it gets. So much so hsieh su wei siblings that it is hard to even find it in restaurants anymore. It’s heavily influenced by the Arabs gastronomy as it has almonds and spices.

Cool down, peel and separate the egg white from the egg yolk. Olive oil, the onion, and the bay leaves. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the onion is soft and nearly translucent, about 6 minutes.

Pollo en Pepitoria, or chicken braised in saffron, almond, and egg yolk sauce, is a classic Spanish dish that fits the bill. Put chicken back into the pan and add the white wine, chicken stock, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover and simmer on medium heat for approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Add the chicken and berries and cover with enough of the stock to just cover the chicken pieces.

Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and allow to cook for 1 hour. When ready, strain the stock, squeezing as much liquid from the vegetables as possible. This is more stock than you need for the pepitoria so you can freeze the leftovers. In the meantime, boil the eggs and reserve the egg yolks.

You will also find it in savory dishes of Morocco and India, etc. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, turning the chicken over about halfway through. I love every minute of it— from buying the right ingredients to chopping and mincing, boiling and baking, and, finally, serving and eating.

You can also cover the skillet a bit later in the cooking process to prevent it from reducing further. To serve, divide the chicken among plates, cover with the sauce, and garnish with the reserved chopped egg white. Gently toast the almonds in a pan over medium heat until golden brown. While the almonds are toasting, prepare your portobellos by removing the stem and gills. Although I’ve prepared this version with portobellos, other kinds of mushrooms would work well here too. One ingredient that you can’t skimp on, however, is the sherry – it gives the sauce it’s special “Spanish” flavour.