Best Poussin Al Mattone Recipes

POLLO AL MATTONE

Steps:

• Take a whole chicken and remove "backbone" - The chicken can now be opened to lay flat on cooking surface. The cooking vessel for this dish is a stovetop griddle pan (an extra-large saute pan would work, if necessary). The griddle pan needs to be medium-high when chicken is first placed on surface for cooking. The chicken should be seasoned with gray salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a slight drizzle of olive oil.
• Place skin side to pan first, place a saute pan or another griddle pan on top of chicken to apply pressure and weight while cooking. Cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium to avoid burning, cook additional 10-15 minutes on skin side. Remove weighted pan and turn over. Replace weighted pan and continue cooking 10-15 minutes until done.

POLLO AL MATTONE

Steps:

• Special equipment: weights such as foil covered bricks or cast iron saute pan
• In a small bowl combine the garlic, crushed red pepper, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, pimenton, and cumin. Drizzle in olive oil until the mixture becomes a paste. Place the chicken into a large bowl and massage with the spice mixture. Let marinate for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator or 2 hours at room temperature.
• * If refrigerating the chicken, remove from the refrigerator 45 minutes to 1 hour before cooking to let the chicken come to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay the marinated chicken in the pan, skin side down. Oil the bottom of another large saute pan, lay it on top of the chickens and place bricks or weights in the second saute pan. Cook the chicken until the skin starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Place the whole shootin' match in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
• Remove the pans from the oven and remove the weights and the top pan. At this point the skin should be lovely and dark brown. Check the chicken for doneness, it should be cooked through but still succulent and juicy. Remove the chickens from the pan and reserve on a large platter.
• Remove the excess fat from the saute pan and add the white wine. Cook over high heat until the wine has reduced by more than half. Add the chicken stock, season with salt and reduce by half.
• Arrange chicken on serving plates or a platter. Spoon the juices over. Tastes like chicken!

TIE ME UP POUSSIN WITH MADEIRA SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Wash and pat dry each poussin. Tuck 1 sage leaf under the skin of each breast. Season the inside of each cavity liberally with salt. Stuff each cavity with 1 lemon wedge and a generous amount of fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage. Truss each poussin (see Cook's Note**). Evenly coat each poussin with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Place the poussins breast side up on a baking tray and refrigerate for 20 minutes to let the butter harden.
• Heat large saute pan over high heat and place poussin in pan breast side up. Sear for 2 minutes and then place in oven. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear from the hip joint (about 160 degrees F). Remove from the oven. Set the poussins aside in a warm place to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Skim most of the fat from the saute pan and set aside drippings to finish Madeira Sauce. Remove the butcher's string from poussins. Serve each person 1/2 poussin drizzled with 1 to 2 ounces of the Madeira Sauce. Garnish on a bed of greens with pomegranate seeds.
• After skimming most of the fat drippings from the pan, return the pan to medium heat. Add the Madeira and simmer until the liquid is reduced by two thirds. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, swirl in butter. Season with salt and serve with poussin.

POLLO AL MATTONE: CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mince the garlic and parsley and combine with the zest, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Wash the chicken under cold running water and dry. With poultry shears, remove the wing tips, any excess fat, and cut out the backbone. Put them aside for stock. You may want to remove the ribs and breastbone, too. Mix together the marinade ingredients. Lay the chicken flat, skin side up. Stuff the garlic mixture under the skin, place in the marinade, then cover and marinate for a few hours or, even better, overnight. Turn two or three times.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a cast-iron pan large enough to hold the chicken (I use a 12-inch cast-iron skillet). Place the chicken skin side down and weigh it down with the two clean bricks wrapped in foil. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then place the skillet and bricks in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, after which you'll remove the weights and turn the chicken over, cooking another 10 minutes or so, until done. Cut into serving- sized pieces.

PARTY POUSSINS WITH FESTIVE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• For the poussins, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place the poussins in a roasting tin. Pour the oil slowly over the top of the top of the poussins. Rub the oil into the poussins so that they are well coated.
• Place the salt, sugar, cinnamon and paprika in a small clean bowl and mix well. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the poussins. Slice the lemon into quarters and then slice each quarter into 4 so you have 16 small pieces. Place the pieces around and in between the poussins.
• Separate the garlic bulb into cloves and place the pieces around and in between the poussins. Transfer the poussins to the oven and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Remove the poussins from the oven and then let them rest for 10 minutes in their tin.
• Place the couscous, sultanas, spices and salt into a microwave-proof bowl and mix well. Add the freshly boiled water to the bowl and then cover the bowl with cling film. Leave the mixture to sit for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed by the couscous. Remove the cling film from the bowl and stir the couscous with a fork to separate the grains. Carefully pour some of the juices that have collected in the roasting tin of poussins into the bowl. Stir the mixture again and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the couscous to a serving dish.
• Slice the pomegranate in half and extract a good quarter of the seeds. Place them onto the couscous. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro (coriander) over the top.
• To serve, place the poussins onto clean plates and place the couscous alongside. Use the oven-charred lemon pieces and garlic cloves from the roasting tin to garnish.

POUSSIN "SOTTO MATTONE" OR BABY CHICKEN COOKED UNDER A BRICK

Steps:

• To marinate poussin, first slice lemon into rings and place on cookie sheet. In 475 degree oven, or preferably, wood roasting oven, char lemon until very fragrant. Allow lemon to cool and toss with thyme, olive oil and poussin. Marinate at least 2 hours. Prepare eggplant and figs by cutting each in half, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill eggplant and figs and keep warm. Lay poussin skin side down on grill. Place brick atop poussin and grill 3 to 4 minutes. Remove brick, rotate poussin 90 degrees and grill 3 more minutes under brick. Finally flip over poussin and grill 2 minutes without the brick. Assemble on large platter with grilled eggplant and figs. Drizzle dish with fruity olive oil and fresh herbs.