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| One marinaded spatch-cock piri piri chicken |
One of the really great aspects of having an interest in military history is getting to combine that interest with all the other aspects that go with it. Namely reading, writing, painting, travelling and getting to know the countries where all that history happened.
Part of that getting to know, is all about trying the food. When I'm touring in Normandy, its the Camembert and Calvados, when in Belgium its the Moules et Frites and when in Portugal its got to be Piri Piri Chicken, and I don't mean that stuff they serve in Nandos, I mean proper Piri Piri Chicken.
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| sealed on the griddle |
Imagine my delight when following a post by Sara Seydak on her blog "My Neighbor Wellington" about Portuguese Sweets and deserts, she was kind enough to follow up on my comment and take a look at my favourite dish and the Portuguese way of preparing Piri Piri, together with its historical connection to Portugal.
http://myneighborwellington.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/piri-piri.html
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| Then finished off in the oven |
Once Sara's post was up I was equally up for getting hold of some authentic ground Portuguese piri piri and mixing it with my oil to have it sat in a cupboard for about six weeks exuding all its loveliness into said oil. I then took a crash course, courtesy of the BBC cooking web site, in spatch-cocking chickens and put two of them in the fridge overnight marinading in my piri piri oil
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| Looking good |
After a spell on the griddle and principle cooking time in the oven I finished off both chickens on the barbecue to add that cooked out doors final touch.
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| On the BBQ for that outdoor flavour finish |
We really enjoyed the flavour and after kick of the piri piri which brought back a lot of memories of previous Portuguese holidays. Great fun.
If you want to have a go at Piri Piri Chicken, check out Sara's post in the link above and have a read of her blog that covers some really interesting historical facts and information about the history of the Peninsular War from a Portuguese perspective.
Jonathan, that looks delicious! Quite right about the benefits of being well-traveled. One is certainly learning the culture through its foods.
ReplyDeleteI am headed off to the Piri-Piri recipe link and see if this is something I could prepare. I wonder if I can find that pepper in the States? Looks a lot like cayenne.
Hi Jon, I tracked down a Portuguese specialist importer into the UK on the net. As you will see it is a particular type of chilli that now grows wild in Portugal and there are various recipes around on the net that all tend to include a period of allowing the chilli to flavour your oil and then to marinade the chicken.
DeleteEven after having a go myself I would still highly reccomend eating this dish in Portugal. Nothing quite like a tour around the lines of Torres Vedras followed by dinner eaten out doors in a lovely climate.
Hi JJ - great post. I, like Jonathon, am off to visit the blog post and investigate this a lot more.. Looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteHi Carlo, have fun, it is great dish especially with thin French fries
DeleteThe first time I saw Nando's I was straight in there for some authentic Portuguese cuisine. Twenty minutes late I was thinking wtf is this cr*p ? Definitely not the "real thing".
ReplyDeleteVince
Ha! I couldn't of expleted it better myself.
DeleteBrilliant Jonathan, I loves me chicken! cooked any way!
ReplyDeleteThanks Paul. If you haven't tried this dish, you are in for a treat. As I said, it tastes even better in Portugal.
DeleteExcellent Jonathan! And I live right next to a grilled chicken house here in Oeiras. Hungry now... Thank you for refering me. :)
ReplyDeleteOh!.... And: HUZZA!
ReplyDeleteHi Sara, I am so jealous. There is a fantastic business opportunity here in the UK for an enterprising Portuguese piri piri chicken entrepreneur. Once people had tasted the real thing they would be flocking in every night.
DeleteKeep up the good work and all the best
JJ
Well, you know what to do now.... :)
ReplyDelete