AI-generated image
Galeto al primo canto
Roast spring chicken
Galeto: Serra Gaúcha spring chicken marinated in white wine and herbs, roasted, with fried polenta and pasta
BrazilianCaxias do Sul's galeterias serve galeto as an all-you-can-eat feast: young chicken, so small it is called al primo canto, at its first crow, marinated overnight in white wine, garlic, sage and rosemary, then roasted over embers and brought to the table with crisp fried polenta, pasta and salad. The habit came with the Italian immigrants of the Serra Gaúcha, and the meat is tender, juicy and fragrant with herbs. The marinade uses dry white wine; part of the alcohol cooks off during roasting but not all, so for an alcohol-free galeto use the same amount of chicken stock with 2 tbsp white wine vinegar. Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge. Many cooks baste with the raw marinade right to the end; stop 10 minutes before the chicken is done so no raw juices reach the plate. Chef's tip: set the polenta the day before so it slices cleanly and fries crisp.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the galeto
- 3 poussins (spring chickens)about 600 g each, spatchcocked and halved
- 1 ¼ cups dry white wineor 300 ml chicken stock plus 2 tbsp white wine vinegar for alcohol-free
- 8 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 oniongrated
- 10 leaves fresh sagechopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemaryleaves chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
For the fried polenta
- 9 oz polenta (cornmeal)
- 1 litre water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups vegetable oilfor frying
For the pasta
- 10 ½ oz tagliatelle or spaghetti
- 1 ¾ cups tomato passata
- 3 tbsp fresh parsleychopped
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ¼ cups dry white wine, 8 cloves garlic, 1 onion, 10 leaves fresh sage, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 2 bay leaves, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp ground black pepper in a large dish. Add 3 poussins (spring chickens), turn to coat, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning once.
Step 2: For the polenta, bring 1 litre water and 1 tsp salt to the boil, whisk in 9 oz polenta (cornmeal) and cook on a low heat for 25 minutes, stirring often, until very thick. Spread 2 cm thick in an oiled tray and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
25 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan), or light a charcoal grill. Lift the chicken onto a rack in a roasting tin, skin side up, and keep the marinade.
Step 4: Roast for 40–45 minutes, basting with the marinade every 10 minutes but not in the last 10, until the skin is deep golden and the thigh reaches 165°F with clear juices.
45 minStep 5: Meanwhile, cut the polenta into 2 cm thick fingers. Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F and fry in batches for 4–5 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain on paper.
15 minStep 6: Cook 10 ½ oz tagliatelle or spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente. Warm 1 ¾ cups tomato passata in a pan with a few spoonfuls of the roasting juices from the tin for 5 minutes, then toss with the drained pasta and 3 tbsp fresh parsley.
12 minStep 7: Serve the galeto in pieces with the fried polenta and pasta, and a green salad.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 830 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
- Fat
- 35 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does galeto al primo canto take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of dry white wine?
- Stock with 1 tsp white wine vinegar per 120ml (½ cup).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
PingadoHot milk with coffee
Order 'um pingado' at the balcão of any São Paulo padaria at 7 in the morning and the attendant pours hot milk into a ridged glass tumbler (the copo americano) and 'drips' in a splash of strong coffee, hence the name. It is milkier and gentler than a média (half coffee, half milk), creamy and lightly sweet, usually drunk standing up with a pão na chapa, a toasted buttered roll. At home you need strong filter coffee and milk heated until steaming. Scalding the milk is the frequent mistake, as boiled milk tastes flat and forms a skin. Chef's tip: froth the hot milk for a few seconds with a whisk or by pouring it back and forth between two jugs before adding the coffee, as padaria machines do.
Arroz con pitu de caleyaSoupy rice with chicken
A pitu de caleya is a cockerel raised free in the lanes, or caleyas, of rural Asturias; its firm, flavourful meat needs long stewing, and families around Villaviciosa and Grado still cook it for feast days. The stew is often finished as a soupy rice, so the deep chicken juices go into every grain. Use the best free-range chicken you can find. The braise includes dry white wine; replace it with extra stock and a squeeze of lemon if you want it alcohol-free. Chef's tip: brown the chicken slowly and deeply; that colour is where the flavour of the whole pot comes from.
Spanish
Bobó de camarãoPrawns in cassava and coconut purée
Velvety, coral-coloured and rich with coconut, bobó de camarão is what Bahian families put on the table when there is something to celebrate, and beach restaurants from Praia do Forte to Itacaré serve it in clay pots with white rice and farofa. Cassava is boiled until it falls apart, blended with coconut milk into a smooth cream, then folded into prawns cooked with onion, tomato, peppers and a slick of dendê oil. The result is somewhere between a stew and a thick sauce, sweet from the prawns and gently earthy from the cassava. A frequent mistake is boiling the prawns in the purée for too long, which leaves them tough and curled; they go in at the very end. Cassava must always be cooked right through, never eaten raw: cut out the woody core and boil it until a knife meets no resistance. Chef's tip: blend the cassava while it is still hot, with some of its cooking water; cold cassava turns gluey in the blender.