Piperades and Chicken Tendons

We explored the French Basque Country with the dish Poulet Sauté Basquaise (Basque-style chicken) with saffron rice--see my plating with crispy Bayonne ham slices.

This dish is characterized by a Piperade which is boringly referred to as a "vegetable garnish" in our French recipe as is just about every vegetable mixture in our recipes.

A piperade is a Basque dish typically prepared with tomatoes and green peppers, onions (all colors of the Basque flag), olive oil and Espelette pepper which is cultivated in the Basque region. (see the link for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espelette_pepper

This spicy pepper and tomato sauce can be a side dish, stewing ingredient or garnish and is often added to scrambled eggs and omelets (see a basic recipe below).

Before making our “vegetable garnish”, we begin with the chicken tendons. For home cooks, this is a non-existent step in prepping a chicken. However, to torture yourself or serve more restaurant-style chicken legs, check this out:

• Carefully slice the skin at the back of lower leg join
• Tug on the large tendons that run the length of the leg down to the foot and claws.
• Hook the tendons with some tool, twist and pull (I used a ladle hook and pulled until I was red in the face)

The chef had commented or perhaps joked (I may have missed the French intonation) in class that the women should find a strong man to help them with this step; therefore, there was no way ever I was going to ask for help.

The first few attempts of pulling on the tendons caused the claws to retract painfully into the palm of my hand—a cool horror movie effect. I then moved onto removing each tendon separately rather than risk being offered help by the chef.

Basic piperade recipe:

Sweat 1 thin sliced onion in hot olive oil. Add 2 thin-sliced peppers (1 red and 1 green is nice). If you’re in France peel the pepper or roast it and pull off the nutritionally-dense skin and toss—French cooking is very sensitive to potential and perceived digestive food elements.

Add peppers to onion mix and 3-4 crushed garlic cloves. Let cook until softened.

Blanch 4 tomatoes--for technique see http://www.instructables.com/id/EOMPU43YZBERIE2LQH/ Slice thin and add to onion mix along with dried thyme, a bay leaf and espelette pepper (or some mild chili powder). If tomatoes are not particularly fresh or flavorful, add a pinch of sugar.

Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes and season with salt and pepper as needed (if in France, add gobs of salt if serving a French chef—see my previous blog about salt consumption in France at http://chezmichelerd.blogspot.com/2007/11/french-pinch-of-salt.html