TAPAS

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

Chicken Tapas with Romesco Sauce

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 50 mins

This is a great chicken tapas dish for any dinner party.

The romesco sauce can be made in advance and the chicken thighs can be cooked very quickly in a hot frying pan, grill or barbecue and finished in the oven. You can serve it as an individual dish or as a platter for everyone to help themselves. This dish is also a very healthy option for a mid-week dinner when served with a side salad.

Total Time 50 mins

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

• 12 free-range chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

For the romesco sauce:

• 2 whole red peppers, core and seeds removed, cut into halves
• 2 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 piece of stale bread, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 12 toasted marcona almonds
• 12 whole hazelnuts, skin off
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• ½ tsp of cumin seeds
• ½ tsp of smoked paprika dulce

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Pre-heat your oven grill. Place the peppers halves, skin side up on a tray, drizzle with one tablespoon of the olive oil and place under the grill, until the skins are completely black all round. Remove from the grill, cover with a kitchen cloth or aluminium foil and allow the cooked peppers to rest and steam for 10 minutes. After this time, you will be able to peel them very easily. Cut the peppers into long strips and chop them into small pieces.

To make the romesco sauce, heat gently in a small frying pan the cumin seeds to release their oil, it takes about one minute. Pound the seeds in a pestle and mortar, until you obtain a fine powder. In a food processor or blender, add the roasted peppers, tomatoes, bread, garlic, almonds, hazelnuts, cumin, smoked paprika, the olive oil and sherry vinegar and blend lightly until you have a chunky paste with the consistency of a pesto. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Romesco sauce will taste better if you make it the day before for the flavours to blend.

For the chicken thighs, pre-heat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. On a plate, drizzle the chicken thighs with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. In a hot frying pan, brown the chicken thighs for 3 minutes on each side. Add the thyme and garlic and roast skin side down for 30 minutes.

Serve the roasted chicken thighs on a bed of romesco sauce, topped with some crushed almonds and a drizzle of olive oil.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking