Rustic spanish cooking

(This image is from here - a fantastic website I've stumbled across tonight)

If you lived in this beautiful farmhouse in Galicia, Spain, you could be eating this for dinner tonight.

On the weekend, this is the very yummy, and maybe a little bit bad for you, chicken dish that I made. I had copied it from a book many years ago (sorry I don't know which one) and never tried it, but finally I have made it and we all loved it. Here is the recipe.

Buttered Galician Chicken and Macaroni
(serves 4-6)

• 1.5 kilo chicken pieces
• 100 grams butter
• 250ml dry white wine
• 1 bouquet garni (2 sprigs parsley, thyme and 1 bay leaf)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 100 grams bacon
• 1 tables. tomato paste
• 700ml chicken stock
• a pinch of sugar
• a pinch saffron stands
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 175 grams macaroni
• salt and pepper

to serve:
• 2 tables parsley (finely chopped)

To accompany:
• 2 cloves garlic (finely diced)
• 3 tables. chopped parsley (finely chopped)

Melt three quarters of the butter in a heavy based casserole dish. Add the chicken pieces and fry until brown. Add the wine and bouquet garni. Cook over a medium heat until most of the wine has evaporated. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, melt the remaining butter and gently saute the onion and bacon until soft. Stir in the tomato paste and half of the stock. Add the sugar, saffron, nutmeg and season to taste. Add the onion mixture to the chicken. Add the remaining chicken stock and the macaroni and bring the dish to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the macaroni and chicken are cooked. Serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley to garnish.
Mix together the garlic and parsley to serve as an accompaniment and to sprinkle over the chicken at the table.