Anyone know how to make Chumpes?!
Answers: It's a Salvadorean dish with chicken and bread--anyone have a good recipe?
Is this it?
traditional Salvadoran chicken on French bread
Serves 8
5-pound whole chicken
Juice of 1 lemon or 2 tablespoons vinegar
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 green pepper
1 medium onion
6 ripe medium tomatoes
2/3 cup ground relajo spice mixture (see Note below)
Salt to taste
2 loaves French bread, or 12 rolls
1 head romaine lettuce
2 bunches watercress
8 ounces beets, boiled, peeled and sliced (or substitute canned beets)
2 small bunches or bags radishes, sliced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Remove the giblets from the chicken, and set them aside. Rinse the chicken inside and out, first with water, then with lemon juice or vinegar.
In a large skillet over low heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and whole chicken. Cook, turning the chicken until it is light brown all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a roasting pan just large enough to hold it, along with the giblets and any butter and garlic remaining in the skillet.
In a blender or food processor, puree the pepper, the onion, three of the tomatoes, the relajo seasoning and salt. Pour this mixture over the chicken, and bake in the oven until the chicken is tender and moist, about 2 hours. Set it aside to cool slightly. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pan, reserving the sauce. Remove the meat from the bones, and tear it into bite-size pieces. Keep it warm until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, slice the bread or rolls in half lengthwise and pull out a little of the insides to make a small hollow; if using a loaf of bread, slice the bread crosswise into individual servings. Slice the remaining three tomatoes. Cover a large platter with the lettuce leaves and watercress, and add the tomatoes, beets and radishes in an attractive arrangement. Warm the sauce if necessary. Serve the chicken and bread on separate platters, with the sauce in a bowl alongside. For each sandwich, let each guest put chicken, greens and vegetables, as desired, inside the bread, and moisten it with a bit of the sauce.
* Note: Relajo spice mixture is available at stores specializing in Latin American foods and at some supermarkets. Ground relajo spice mixture is available, but for the best flavor, use packets of whole relajo spices and grind them yourself in a spice grinder or food processor. One 3-ounce packet of whole spices makes about 2/3 cup ground.