Cordero al chilindrón is a typical dish from Aragon in north-eastern Spain. Similar
dishes can be made with other meat, such as chicken, rabbit, pheasant, venison,
wild boar etc in which case cooking times may have to be varied. There are numerous recipes on line and this
is one I adapted and cooked recently in England. As young grandchildren were likely to join us, I omitted the hot paprika and used 1 tablespoon of smoked sweet paprika and one tablespoon of coarsely ground ñoras, ñora picada, instead.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4.
30 ml olive oil.
1 kg boneless lamb shoulder or neck fillet cut into cubes.
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely or minced
1 large onion peeled and
sliced
1 tablespoon sweet paprika.(Pimentón dulce)*
½ tablespoon hot paprika (Pimentón picante*)
2 bay leaves
4 ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato purée.
2 red peppers, de-seeded and cut into strips. (Or one jar of
roasted sweet red peppers)
250 ml red or white wine***
500 ml chicken stock.
750g potatoes
100g-200g chopped serrano ham or similar**
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and pepper
*This is really a matter of taste. You could use sweet, dulce, bittersweet, agridulce, or hot picante
in varying proportions. Some recipes use ñoras or ñora paste, others choricero
puree. Ñoras are popular in Murcia and
Valencia where they are sun-dried. In
Spain they will find any reason for a festival. We were in Guardamar del Segura
one year (the southernmost town where Valenciano is spoken) at the time they were celebrating a week long Ñora Festival!
Sundried Ñoras
Although
sundried paprika is local to the area which I frequent, I usually use Pimentón de la Vera which is smoked, the characteristic flavour often found in
chorizo, and originates from Extramadura in western Spain.
**Any similar ham or pancetta could be used, or lardons of smoked bacon. Some recipes add chorizo to this dish instead
of ham or in addition.
.***Most recipes I have seen suggest white wine, a few use
red. I think red suits the lamb
better. If I was cooking chicken (Pollo al chilindrón) I would probably
use white.
METHOD
I use a heavy cast iron casserole dish.
If using fresh peppers, cut into strips and gently fry in olive
oil until softened and set aside.
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Peppers gently softening over low heat
Place the lamb in a polythene bag and shake with flour seasoned
with salt and pepper. Shake off excess flour and fry the seasoned lamb gently
in batches until lightly browned on all sides and set aside.
Gently fry the onion until softened but not browned, adding the chopped/minced
garlic during the cooking. Add the chopped ham and gently fry for a few
minutes. Return the meat to the
pan. Add the pimentón, chopped tomatoes,
tomato purée and chopped rosemary. Stir to ensure meat is thoroughly coated.
Add the wine and two bay leaves. Bring
gently to the boil and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil, put
on the lid and gently simmer**** for 1 ½ hours.
Remove from heat, stir in prepared peppers and potatoes chopped into
bite size pieces and return to heat and simmer**** gently for 1 hour.
**** At this stage, instead of cooking on top of the stove, the
casserole dish can be put in a pre-heated oven at 130C.
When ready to serve, sprinkle fresh parsley on top. Serve with crusty bread and a green side
salad. On the day I made this I had just been to the allotment so had a surfeit of fresh vegetables to use up so served it with a mixture of spring cabbage, beans, carrots and chard!
London
8 August 2014
