Moorish Chicken

Portuguese p. P-3
Miscellany

Cut up a fat hen and cook on a mild flame, with 2 spoons of fat, 
some bacon slices, lots of coriander, a pinch of parsley, 
some mint leaves, salt and a large onion.

Cover and let it get golden brown, stirring once in a while. 
Then cover hen with water and let boil, and season with salt, 
vinegar, cloves, saffron, black pepper and ginger. When chicken 
is cooked, pour in 4 beaten yolks. Then take a deep dish, lined 
with slices of bread, and pour chicken on top.

       4 lbs chicken
       2 T lard  (sub butter)
       5 strips bacon (3 1/2 oz) (no bacon used)
   1/3 c green coriander
       1 t parsley
   1/2 T mint
   1/2 t salt
    10 oz onion
 2 1/2 c water
     2 T vinegar
   1/4 t cloves
     8 threads saffron
   1/2 t pepper
   1/2 t ginger
     4 egg yolks
     6 slices bread (toasted)

Dismember chicken (thighs, legs, wings in two pieces, etc.),
 slice onion, wash and coarsely chop parsley, mint, and coriander.  
Melt fat, fry bacon a couple of minutes, put chicken, herbs, salt, 
and onion into pot and fry uncovered about 10 minutes, cover and 
cook covered another 20 minutes.

Add water, vinegar, additional spices, bring to a boil and cook 
45 minutes. Toast bread, arrange toast in bowl.  Break egg yolks, 
stir them in and remove pot from heat, and pour into bowl with toast.

Note that this is a 15th-century Portuguese idea of an Islamic dish:  
a real Islamic dish would not have the bacon!
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