Portuguese Night

This recipe for Portuguese Grilled chicken was inspired by a very delicious bottled sauce that came in to the Home Hardware the other day. I had heard of Peri Peri (or Piri Piri) sauce before but I never had the opportunity to try it. It's made with a base of African Birdseye chilies, lemon, olive oil and garlic. I've never seen that particular type of chili here in Invermere so I thought this would be a good way to try this Portuguese dish using a nice free run chicken I picked up at Hopkins Harvest last week. I was a little worried the chicken would be too spicy for me but the grilling seemed to tone it down enough that you really could taste all the different flavours in the sauce. I used it as a marinade along with some other ingredients and besides having a hard time getting the grill temperature right. It turned out great! My husband said he didn't mind a little charcoal! Grilling chicken is always a challenge for me. I try not to make it black on the outside and raw on the inside. I wont tell you about the Tandoori chicken I tried to make once........

Anyway I figured i might as well go with a Portuguese theme for the rest of my meal. I made a tomato and shrimp rice pilaf (using chicken stock I made from the other parts of the chicken) and bought a bottle of Portuguese wine from the B.C. Liquor Store called Vinho Verde. It is a very light (almost clear), delicate wine with slight frizziness and a lower alcohol content. This makes it a good match for spicy foods. Totally refreshing, low in alcohol (9%) and a great bargain. (I think it was less then $10.00) Serve very cold!

The active ingredient in most spice, capsaicin, activates pain receptors in the mouth, causing the ‘spicy’ reaction. Alcohol intensifies the burning feeling, but sugar can also reduce the burn – and that’s why this pairing worked so well





Marinade for Portuguese Grilled Chicken
1 free run or organic chicken, cut into quarters or 2 lbs of chicken pieces
1/3 cup dry white wine
Grated zest and juice from one lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp of tomato paste
1/4 cup of Peri Peri Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce will work too)
1/4 tsp of salt
A few grinds of fresh cracked black pepper

ADD everything to a large resealable freezer bag and squish around to evenly mix. Squeeze as much air out of bag as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
PREHEAT grill to medium heat. Oil grill with a clean cloth dipped in vegetable oil. Place chicken on grill skin side down and grill 10 minutes with the lid closed but check occasionally so you don't burn it. Turn and cook for another 20 or 30 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.

Portuguese Tomato and Shrimp Pilaf
A couple glugs of olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp salt
Several grinds of fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp of hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained or 1 1/2 cups of fresh chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of long grain rice (such as basmati)
2 1/4 cups homemade chicken stock (recipe to follow)
2 Tbsp each of chopped fresh parsley and cilantro (I didn't have any at the time)
A large handful of thawed, UNCOOKED shrimp peeled and deviened*

HEAT olive oil on medium heat in a large saute pan. Add onion and cook about 4 minutes until soft. Add garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and bay leaf and cook another minute. Add tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Add rice, cilantro and parsley and stir well. When liquid returns to a boil stir again, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer without lifting the lid for about 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. remove from heat, scatter shrimp on top and let sit 5 more minutes, covered. Fluff rice with fork and serve*.

*Use a small bowl to shape the rice for a nicer presentation.
*If you peeled your own shrimp. save the shells and add them with the stock and tomatoes. They give a wonderful shrimp flavour to the rice while it cooks. Discard with the bay leaves before serving.