Recipe: Circassian Chicken in Paprika-Laced Walnut Sauce (Cerkez tavugu) appetizer

CIRCASSIAN CHICKEN IN PAPRIKA-LACED WALNUT SAUCE
(Cerkez tavugu) appetizer


Before making this dish you must make sure to have sweet tasting waknuts and good quality paprika. Both of these ingredients can sometimes be old or of poor quality. Taste the walnuts to make sure they do not have a rancid, harsh aftertaste.

One (3 lb) chicken, cut into serving pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots
8 black peppercorns
Salt
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs parsley
PAPRIKA OIL:
3 tbsp walnut oil
2 tsp good paprika
WALNUT SAUCE:
2 oz French bread ( 2 or 3 slices), crusts removed
Milk
3/4 lb walnuts (about 3 cups)
1 1/2 tbsp crushed garlic
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp good paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
Walnut halves (for garnish)

Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry; reserve.

Put 1 1/2 quarts water into a pot with the onion, carrots, peppercorns, salt, bay leaves, and parsley and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add chicken pieces and simmer in the broth gently for 20 minutes, just until done. Cool in the cooking liquid. Remove the pieces from the pot; skin and bone them. Discard the skin and bones; divide the meat into bite size pieces and reserve. Strain the chicken stock and reserve.

TO MAKE THE PAPRIKA OIL:
Meanwhile, infuse the walnut oil with paprika by heating the oil until warm and stirring in the paprika. leave this mixture on a warm spot on the stove.

TO MAKE THE WALNUT SAUCE:
Soak the bread in a little milk until soft. Then squeeze it dry and set aside.

Grind the walnuts in a food processor or blender until fine. Put them in a large bowl. Crumble in the bread. Stir in the garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne, salt, and 2 cups of the strained defatted chicken stock. Mix and process in batches to make a smooth sauce. Adjust taste with salt; add a little more chicken stock if necessary to make a thick pouring consistency.

Mix half of the sauce well with the chicken pieces. Arrange the mixture on a serving platter and pour the remaining walnut sauce over it. Decorate with the walnut halves and the paprika-infused oil. Serve cold or at room temperature. It will keep several days in the refrigerator.