Pollo a la Santanderina

My favorite Spanish chicken dish - easy to cook and always a hit.

• 1 whole chicken (or parts - I use about 8 - 10 pieces of chicken)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, cut in about 8 - 10 wedges
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
• 1/2 c white wine
• olive oil
• salt

1. Clean the chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Cover the bottom of a frying pan with oil and add the chicken.  Brown the pieces, then remove to a paper towel to drain.
3. In the same oil, saute the onions, carrots, peppers, and garlic until tender.
4. Put the vegetables in a dutch oven/soup pot (spoon out - because you want to reuse the oil one more time).  Add the chicken to the dutch oven.
5. Add the wine and brandy to the frying pan and heat well - allowing the drippings to come off the bottom of the pan.
6. Pour on top of vegetables and chicken.
7. Cover the mixture and cook on top of the stove about an hour (until chicken is done and vegetables are very tender.
8. Remove the chicken from the pot.
9. Use an immersion mixer and puré the vegetables and sauce into a "cream of vegetable" soup type texture.
10. Return the chicken to the soup.
11. Serve with bread.