CookEat Recipe
Chicken Legs with Risotto
Chicken legs in a claret and tomato sauce, served around saffron rice finished with Parmesan.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Put the three pounds raw veal bones into a large food-safe stockpot with the five gallons cold water. Use equipment with room for the full batch and safe headspace. Bring to a boil and carefully skim off the scum.
Step 2
Peel the four medium carrots, two small turnips and two onions and leave them whole. Add them with the one parsley root, three leeks and two celery stalks. Cover and gently boil for four hours, skimming as needed.
Step 3
Strain the broth through clean food-safe cheesecloth. Measure one and a half pints of the actual strained broth for this rice and keep that portion hot. Divide the unused broth into small shallow containers, cool rapidly in an ice or cold-water bath and refrigerate at 40°F or colder within two hours; freeze if keeping longer. If using chilled broth later, bring it back to a boil before use.
Step 4
For the tomato sauce, dice the four ounces lean raw ham, slice two carrots and two onions, and chop one leek, two parsley branches, one celery branch, one green pepper and one garlic clove. Melt two ounces butter in a large saucepan. Add the ham and these vegetables with two cloves, one teaspoon whole peppercorns, half a bay-leaf sprig, half a thyme sprig, one tablespoon salt and one light tablespoon icing sugar. Cook over brisk heat for about twelve minutes, stirring, until lightly browned.
Step 5
Stir the four tablespoons flour into the sauce pan and cook for five minutes. Add the two quarts fresh ripe red tomatoes cut into quarters and one quart cold water. Mix, cover and simmer very gently for one and a half hours, stirring occasionally. The diced ham must be thoroughly cooked; check that its centre reaches 70°C for two minutes.
Step 6
Press the sauce through a sieve and then strain through clean food-safe cheesecloth. Measure one and a half gills of the actual finished sauce and keep it hot for immediate use. Divide the unused sauce into small shallow containers, cool rapidly and refrigerate at 40°F or colder within two hours; freeze for longer storage.
Step 7
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In an oven-safe saucepan with a lid, heat the first half ounce butter for the rice. Add the separate one medium finely chopped onion and cook gently for five minutes, stirring, until golden.
Step 8
Add the half pound raw Italian rice and stir with a wooden spoon until golden. Gradually pour in the measured one and a half pints hot broth, stirring continually.
Step 9
Lightly crush the one saltspoon genuine Spanish saffron strands, steep them in a little clean water until the water takes up their colour, then strain into a small bowl, discarding the retained strands. Add all the strained liquid to the rice with the one heavy teaspoon salt and separate half teaspoon ground white pepper. Mix well, cover, bring to a boil and put the covered pan in the 350°F oven for thirty minutes as a guide, continuing as needed until the rice is tender. While it bakes, prepare the chicken legs.
Step 10
Use six safely refrigerated raw chicken legs, each with thigh and drumstick attached. Have the thigh bone removed from each while keeping the drumstick attached. Season all over with the separate one teaspoon salt and half teaspoon ground pepper. Thoroughly heat the one tablespoon butter in a wide sauté pan, place the legs side by side and cook gently for five minutes on each side. Add the remaining one finely chopped onion and cook for four minutes longer.
Step 11
Pour the one gill claret red wine into the chicken pan and reduce to half its actual volume. Add the measured one and a half gills hot tomato sauce and half teaspoon chopped parsley. Mix well, cover and cook for fifteen minutes as a guide, continuing as needed until each leg reaches at least 165°F in its thickest parts without touching the remaining bone. Keep hot while finishing the rice.
Step 12
When the rice is tender, remove it from the oven. Add the three tablespoons grated Parmesan and remaining half ounce butter and mix well with a wooden spoon for two minutes. Dress the rice on a hot dome-shaped dish, arrange all six chicken legs around its base, pour all the tomato-claret sauce over and serve promptly.
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