Aves de corral, they call them. Aves refers to pollos (chickens) and gallinas (hens), patos (ducks), and pavos (turkeys) domesticated and raised for consumption like they have been since ancient times. The corral is just that, a pen, and reminds us of the appreciation for birds that still peck around the side of the farmhouse and continue to carry their rich, slow-grown flavors.
Whereas now chicken often occupies a second tier of meats, it once reigned supreme, and was prepared for most auspicious occasions. This is because chickens were largely raised for eggs, and only butchered when they were old and had stopped laying, or else to cook for a particularly important meal. Flip through any traditional Spanish cookbook. There are very few—if any—plain or straightforward chicken recipes. Rather, they all seem to be highly elaborate preparations. Just look at one typical preparation from La Mancha called pepitoria (see page 212) that dates from at least the sixteenth century. It uses not just a valuable hen, but also includes almonds, saffron, and hard-boiled egg yolks. If this is one of the most splendid ways to prepare a chicken today—just imagine hundreds of years ago when butchering the hen was truly a festal act, and such ingredients only available to the wealthiest.
It’s not surprising, then, that many traditional poultry dishes get regal consorts: chicken stewed with prunes (see page 220), ducks and geese with pears (see page 210), even olives. And capons! Capones are male birds neutered young and slowly fattened over eight months to be eaten at Christmas. As the saying goes, “Capón de ocho meses, comida de reyes” (literally “Capon of eight months, food of kings”). The most famous capones in Spain come from the old Roman town of Villalba de Lugo (population 15,000), in the Galician province of Lugo. Capons begin arriving in the market in mid-December and peak over the holidays. Plump ones weigh some 9 to 12 pounds/4 to 5.5 kg and are generally stuffed with dried fruits and nuts and roasted in the oven.
The texture of poultry is special, and should be treated carefully—cooked until done, but no more. It should be juicy and tender. Keep in mind that a good free-range chicken will take a bit longer to cook. The flavors will be richer, though, and the sturdier bones of these aves make noticeably stronger, deeper-tasting stock.
It wasn’t until I moved to Spain that I discovered what a marvelous meat rabbit is—healthful and high in protein but low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium, tender, and, most important, delicious. It’s versatile, succulent and relatively mild-tasting on its own, and about once a week we either grill, roast, stew, or use a rabbit in a rice dish. In the United States, many butcher shops sell rabbit or can get hold of it as a special order, and it is easily obtainable from specialist purveyors like D’Artagan and Nicky USA (see Sources, page 345). Hare and mountain rabbits are leaner and more flavorful than farm-raised rabbits, and need to be cooked much longer to be tender, but the meat is also more aromatic, reflecting their diet of wild herbs. These combine well with a range of flavors, especially bold, earthy ones like bacon, mushrooms, onions, chestnuts, and white beans.
