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Caribbean Chicken and Chicken Liver Stew(French Creole Style)

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Caribbean Chicken and Chicken Liver Stew(French Creole Style)

by Caribbean Diva
from Edgworth, Bolton, lancashire

Recipe Story

As a student at Victoria University of Manchester , Chicken Livers were very easy to come by on the markets. Growing up in Trinidad, making a stew with livers was the one thing I always left to my Mother or sisters who were infinitely better than I was - being the youngest of 5 girls and 3 boys. The stew uses a French Creole technique of caramelised sugar for browning and flavour. This is part of the colonial heritage of Trinidad and the rest of the Caribbean. The cold damp Manchester weather forces you to miss home and the warmth and sunshine - so cooking this food was a way of connecting back home and comforting myself when I felt lonely. I tried it on my own and loved it and it became a success- probably because there was no Mother or Sisters to be compared to! I have cooked it since leaving University and wherever I have worked and lived, London, New York, Brussels, Spain. As my mother says- 'Chicken Livers have lots of goodness'
It is traditionally, made as part of the Sunday lunch as the gravy is rich and flavoursome.Also the gravy is often added to mashed potatoes for weaning babies- and I made it for my son Morgan when I was weaning him as well!
This is a dish that for me is about coming of age, independence, making it on my own, building a career but keeping true to my roots.It is also about recalling all that is near and dear to me especially my family back in Trinidad and those I have since acquired in England...they know who they are . Now I share it with friends at dinner parties and it never fails to excite the palates!

Servings:

6 persons

Level of difficulty:

Advanced

Ingredients


Chicken Livers 500g
Chicken legs and thighs 500g( about 4 legs and thighs)
Seasoning:
1 lemon
1 tablespoons salt
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
4 sprigs of fresh Thyme
1 teaspoon Black pepper
2 tablespoons Tomato ketchup
1/2 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons Brown sugar
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 Scotch Bonnet or other Chilli Pepper (stalk intact)
1 cube of Chicken Stock
1 tablespoon Coconut cream
3 tablespoons milk (Soya, Goat or Diary)

Method


1. Prepare Chicken
Remove skins from legs and thighs
Joint the pieces
Squeeze the lemon juice over chicken - taking care not to allow seeds to fall into chicken
sprinkle on salt and leave for 2 mins
Thoroughly rinse away all lemon and salt and drain
2. Prepare Livers
Cut away any pieces of blood vessels etc. Also check the colour of the livers should be deep red - any with green colour should be discarded
3. Prepare seasoning
Mince seasoning ingredients - onion, garlic, Black pepper, Thyme and ketchup
to make a paste

4. Season Chicken and Livers
Pour half of the paste all over chicken , rub in well and leave to marinade for 30 mins
Pour other half of marinade onto Livers and gently mix in esuring they are well covered.
Leave to marinade for 20 mins.

5. Need a medium sized pot - heavy cast iron is best, Le Creuset will also be OK

6. Prepare browning for Chicken
Place pot on fire, add cooking oil and sugar.
careful to place the sugar within the circumference of the oil
Watch the oil and sugar interact and sugar will begin to caramelise.
Keep watching until the sugar turns a beautiful Chestnut colour
Add chicken and ensure that chicken pieces are coated with the brown mixture - the steam rising can be daunting, savour the smells but move it around the pot, turn down heat
add enough boiling water to just cover chicken pieces ,
add chicken cube (crushed in hand)
Add Chilli or Scotch Bonnet pepper- leaving on stalk. Do not cut or puncture. Allow it to float in the pot.
Cover pot and bring to slow boil.
Slow cook chicken on low heat

Repeat the same caremalisation process for the Chicken Livers
but only add a few tablespoons of boiling water, bring back to boil
Set aside once bubbling as do not want to overcook livers.

6. Add LIvers to Chicken taking care not to damage to Pepper

7. Add Coconut milk and Soya / Diary/ Goat milk

8. Bring back to bubble boil.

9. Remove pepper before serving

Serve with Rice and Peas and green salad

Enjoy
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