BAHIAN CHICKEN AND SHRIMP STEW

Bahian Chicken and Shrimp Stew image

Categories Soup/Stew Milk/Cream Chicken Onion Tomato Stew Lime Peanut Cashew Shrimp Hot Pepper Cilantro Gourmet

Yield Makes 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 20

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Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (3 1/2-lb) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
1/2 lb medium shrimp in shell (21 to 25 per lb), peeled and deveined
1 oz dried shrimp*
1/2 cup salted roasted cocktail peanuts
1/2 cup salted roasted cashews
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 lb fresh tomatoes, chopped
4 bottled red malagueta peppers** or 1- to 2-inch fresh red Thai chiles
1 3/4 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
1 cup well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk (8 fl oz)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons dendê oil***, optional
Special Equipment
an electric coffee/spice grinder

Steps:

Whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lime juice, half of garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat, then marinate, chilled, 30 minutes.
Whisk together 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice, remaining garlic, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in another bowl. Add peeled shrimp and toss to coat, then marinate, covered and chilled, until ready to use (not more than 1 hour).
Meanwhile, grind dried shrimp in grinder until very fluffy, about 1 minute. Pulse peanuts and cashews separately, in small batches, in a food processor, until finely ground (do not grind to a paste).
Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then, starting skin sides down, brown chicken, in batches if necessary, turning over once, about 6 minutes total per batch, transferring to a large plate. Add onions and bell pepper to pot and sauté, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits (from chicken), until onions are golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and malagueta peppers or Thai chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down, about 3 minutes. Stir in stock and bring to a simmer. Add chicken, along with juices accumulated on plate, and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.
Stir in ground shrimp and ground nuts and return to a simmer. Toss marinated shrimp with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and add to stew along with marinade. Simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in coconut milk, cilantro, remaining tablespoon lime juice, and dendê oil (if using).
*Available at Asian markets.
**Available at some Latino markets.
***Available at some Lantino markets and sendexnet.com.