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Moela ao molho
Chicken gizzards in tomato sauce
Moela ao molho: chicken gizzards slow-stewed in tomato with peppers and cheiro-verde
In botecos all over Brazil, a little clay pot of moela ao molho, tender gizzards in a thick tomato sauce, is served with bread for mopping and a cold drink, and in Minas Gerais and São Paulo it often turns up as a cheap and tasty lunch with white rice. Gizzards are firm and lean, so they need a long, gentle braise to turn tender, while the sauce of onion, garlic, sweet pepper and tomato cooks down around them. Chef's tip: a pressure cooker cuts the cooking to 25 minutes once the sauce is in.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb chicken gizzards
- 1 limehalved
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 green pepperdiced
- 3 ripe tomatoeschopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups water
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Clean the 1 ¾ lb chicken gizzards: cut away any yellow lining and the tough silvery skin. Skipping this is the common mistake, as that skin never softens. Halve them, rub with the 1 lime and rinse well.
15 minStep 2: Heat the 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot over a medium-high heat and brown the gizzards for 8 minutes until coloured all over.
8 minStep 3: Lower the heat to medium, add the 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic and 1 green pepper and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the 3 ripe tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato purée and 1 tsp sweet paprika and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down.
10 minStep 5: Uncover and simmer for 10 minutes more until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Check the seasoning and stir in the 3 tbsp chopped parsley and spring onion (cheiro-verde).
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does moela ao molho take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 85 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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