There are some dishes that once you taste them, you have a hard time forgetting them. Either because they awaken something in your soul or because you recognize in them a rare combination of creativity and technique. It is an excellent appetizer for the waistline, a meal that is both exuberant and balanced, a little gastronomic diamond that tempts you to roll up your sleeves and get into the kitchen to prepare it for your own people, no matter how complicated it may sound.
Preparation time: 60΄
Cooking time: 150΄
Ingredients for 8 servings
For the rooster
- 1 whole rooster
- A little olive oil
- 250 g. chopped white onion
- 15 g. garlic
- 200 g. chopped carrot
- 100 g. chopped celery
- 50 g. bacon
- 40 g. tomato paste
- 700 g. fresh grated tomato
- 30 ml cognac
- 200 ml red wine
- 5 g. thyme
- 3 g. cumin
- 3 g. sweet paprika
- 5 g. smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 g. pepper
- 20 g. salt
For the croquettes
- The meat of the cooked rooster
- 250 ml sauce glaze
- 150 g. grated parmesan
- 200 g. sour cheese
- 2 g. oregano
- 2 g. pepper
- 3 g. sweet paprika
- 3 g. smoked paprika
- 2 g. nutmeg
- 2 g. cumin
- 20 g. chopped parsley
- 20 g. chopped chives
For the breading
- 300 g. all-purpose flour
- 3 egg whites, lightly beaten
- 400 g. panko or coarsely ground breadcrumbs
For the pepper jam
- 500 g. Florina pepper
- 200 g sugar
- 10 g glucose
- 20 ml lemon juice
- 100 ml water
- 2 g salt
- 3 sprigs basil
Execution
1. Chop the Florina peppers in a food processor and then transfer them to a saucepan. Add all the remaining ingredients for the jam and boil the mixture over medium heat for 30-40 minutes, until slightly dehydrated. Remove the basil sprigs and let the jam cool. Then store it in a jar.
2. Cut the rooster into four large pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan over high heat and brown the pieces of the rooster until golden brown on all sides. Remove them to a platter and keep them warm.
3. In the same pan, sauté the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and bacon very well. Add the paste and let it burn long enough to release its aromas. Add the fresh tomato and, once the liquid has evaporated, deglaze with the cognac. Wait for the alcohol to evaporate and add the red wine.
4. Return the rooster pieces to the pot along with the spices and herbs and add enough water to cover the meat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium and let the rooster cook for 40 minutes.
5. When the meat is ready, carefully remove it from the pot and leave the broth to boil for another hour. This will create a glaze, which we will use in the croquette. Finally, strain it and set it aside.
6. Remove the meat from the bones and cut it into thick pieces. Add the glaze we made from the sauce, the parmesan, the sour cheese and all the spices and herbs. Mix very well and form small croquettes in the shape of your choice, weighing 20-30 g.
7. First, roll the croquettes in flour, then in egg white and finally in panko (or breadcrumbs) and fry them over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with pepper jam and freshly grated gruyere.
