Roasted Capon

Step by Step Recipe

1. In a large container put the dried figs, dried apricots, and prunes previously cut into small cubes.
2. Also add the raisins, almonds, walnuts, and the 300 grams of minced pork.
3. Stir so that the ingredients are integrated.
4. Peel and cut the apples into small pieces and add them to the rest of the filling along with half of Pedro Ximenez.
5. Stir again until the filling has bound and set aside.
6. Clean the capon of feathers and fur and wash it under the tap.
7. Pat the bird dry with kitchen paper and season the inside with salt and ground black pepper.
8. Put the filling in with a spoon and then close the hole so it does not come out. You can do it with a lemon or by sewing it with a needle and kitchen thread.
9. Tie the legs of the bird together and the wings to the body, smear it with a little olive oil, and then put it on the tray where you are going to bake it.
10. Pour 50 milliliters of the remaining alcohol into the tray and put the rest in a sauceboat along with the 250 milliliters of chicken broth. With this mixture, you will water the capon so that it does not stay dry during baking.
11. Put the capon in the oven covered with silver foil for the first 2 hours of the 4 hours of baking.
12. Every 45 minutes, water the bird with the sauce.
13. Peel and slice the potatoes and, when it is 1 hour and a half left to bake, distribute them on the capon tray. In the last half-hour put the grill option to brown the skin.
14. When serving, put the potatoes in a bowl and the liquid released by the capon into a sauceboat.

Roasted Capon: Complete Recipe

During Christmas, there are many typical dishes that are usually cooked in Spain.
This is the case of roast lamb in Castilla-La Mancha, suckling pig in Segovia, or galet soup in Catalonia.
In the case of Galicia, it is very common to prepare roasted capon during these dates, especially in the Villalba area.
It is a type of bird that is raised in such a way that its meat is softer and finer than that of another type of rooster. However, it is not a type of roast meat, but the capon is usually filled with minced meat and different fruits and accompanied by a garnish such as baked potato. If this Christmas you want to surprise your guests with something different, do not hesitate and prepare this delicious roasted capon.

Elaboration

• Start by putting in a large container all the ingredients that will be part of the filling, such as raisins.
• Before adding the dried apricots, prunes, and dried figs, cut them into small cubes.
• Also, add the previously chopped almonds and walnuts and the 300 grams of minced pork.
• Mix everything with the help of your hands so that the ingredients are integrated.
• On the other hand, peel the apples and remove the core before cutting them into small cubes and incorporating them into the filling.
• Add salt and ground black pepper to taste and half of Pedro Ximenez or you are going to use(It can be brandy, cognac, or another that you like).
• Stir the filling so that all the ingredients bind and reserve while you prepare the capon.
  The capon that you are going to use should be medium, weighing approximately 6 or 7 kilos. In the butcher shop, they will clean it by removing the viscera, but before starting the recipe you will have to remove any remaining feathers or skin.
• Then wash the capon under running water and dry it with kitchen paper to have it completely ready.
• The next step will be to season the inside of the bird with salt and black pepper and then start stuffing it.
• Once you have finished with the filling, you must close the capon so that it does not come out. You can choose to plug the hole with a lemon previously washed under the tap or sewn with a needle and kitchen thread.
• The latter is the safest option, but with which you must be careful not to break the skin.
• Next, tie the legs together and then the wings so that they are flat to the body and the capon holds its shape throughout the baking process.
• Spread the bird with a little olive oil and put it on the tray or dish in which you are going to bake it.
• Pour half of the remaining alcohol (Pedro Ximenez, brandy, cognac …) into the tray.
• Put the other half in a sauceboat with the 250 milliliters of chicken broth, a liquid with which you should water the capon from time to time while it is in the oven. Put the oven to heat to 180ºC and then put the capon at the bottom covered with aluminum foil that you can remove after the first 2 hours of cooking.
• The bird will take about 4 hours to be ready, although every 45 minutes take the capon out of the oven and water it with the sauce to make sure it does not stay dry.