Chicken with Etag Bits (etag is Sagada's version of Parma Ham)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 whole chicken
• pepper
• 2 onions
• 2 heads garlic (1 bulb, not 1 clove)
• chili, according to taste
• 2 cauliflower
• pack of brussel sprouts (aka - born again)
• 1/2 lb. etag (or bacon or ham)
• salt to taste

Preparation
Cut up chicken in serving pieces and smother with pepper. Chop garlic, onions, cut lower tip of brussel sprouts. Cut the florets from the cauliflower. With the stem, slice-off the surrounding tough exterior and discard. With the softer core (it should still be hard like carrots), chop it up. Chop etag into small bits, like bacon bits in salad.

Cooking Process
Heat the olive oil and butter on the frying pan on medium high heat. When the butter sings, toss-in the chicken until brown, turning only once. Add cauliflower core, garlic, onions and chili and toss until well coated with gooey caramelized chicken oil. Cover and turn heat into highest setting for 10 seconds, then turn to low and let stay for 15 minutes. Add cauliflower on top (don't mix it in), sprinkle a little salt (just a little) on top, cover, turn heat on high for 10 seconds and turn to low again for another 10 minutes. If there is too much water, leave the cover half-open. If you still have too much water after 10 minutes, leave it uncovered and put the heat to high until liquid is reduced. Toss the brussel sprouts and toss for 1 minute. Turn heat off, sprinkle the etag bits and toss. Add salt if needed. Make sure you taste it first before putting salt. Etag is already salty to begin with. You're done.

Verdict
Normally, I would add the etag during the browning process of the chicken, but adding it at the last minute made the etag more aromatic. The main taste comes from the chicken but the etag flavor certainly added dimension to the dish. Add to that the crispy-but-cooked veggies and you get a heck of a dish.

--- TheLoneRider

Aklay Tips:

• etag is already ready for eating (just like ham), without cooking. Chopping it in bits allow it to cook fast with just the remaining heat of the dish. If added early, it will harden due to being mixed with water produced by the veggies, and thus will require 1.5 hours to soften.

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