Chicken, Catalonia-style
( Pollo alla Catalana )

Soak the plums and sultanas in warm water for about 20 minutes; after this period squeeze them very well from their soaking water and put apart.
Prepare the onions and tomatoes without removing the peel and seeds of the tomatoes.
Wash the chicken quarters under cold running water, pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper, season to taste with salt and pepper and brown them on both sides in the olive oil in a large pan. Once you've browned the chicken quarters, remove them from the pan and put apart.
Now add the plums, sultanas and 40 g (1 1/4 oz) pine nuts in the same olive oil. Let them fry lightly for some minutes; at this point remove the dried fruit from the pan and put apart. Now add the onions and tomatoes; let them fry lightly for some minutes and then add the water, the chicken and fruit you've put apart. Keep on cooking for about 30-40 minutes, half-covered, stirring now and then, until the chicken is tender and the cooking juice is well retired.
15 minutes before the end of cooking make this mixture: chop finely the almonds, the remaining pine nuts and the biscuit rusks and dilute this mixture with the wine. Add this mixture to the chicken, stir and let the cooking juice retire very well.
Serve hot.

Note

• - If you don't find fresh tomatoes, you can substitute them with canned peeled tomatoes.
• - We tried not to fry all the ingredients in the first steps of the recipe; we put the olive oil, chicken, plums, sultanas, pine nuts, water, onions and tomatoes all together and began cooking over a low heat, half-covered, stirring now and then. At the end we added the mixture of almonds, pine nuts, biscuit rusks and wine and completed the cooking. The recipe is tasty and first of all healthy!

What's the right wine for " Pollo alla Catalana " ?

Our suggestion is: Jerez Amontillado (white wine from Spain). If you prefer an Italian wine, you could choose Dolcetto d'Alba (a red wine from Piedmont).

You can find some ideas for combining this dish with other ones and setting up the table in the Members-only Area: so you'll be able to plan a Spanish dinner party!