Gallo de Mos stuffed

How to make a stuffed Mos rooster .

A rooster has been strained in my kitchen, and I thought it was the alpha male of the house … with all the law I have had to cook, there can only be one!

The dish that I present to you today is perhaps one of the most cooked Christmas recipes in Galician lands at this time. A rooster that directly rivals Villalba’s capon on Christmas dates.

The result is first class if you follow all the steps that you will find below.

And if there is no budget this Christmas remember that roasted chicken  or free-range chicken or pitu caleya are also good options. I encourage you to go into the kitchen and treat it brown with this animal, it will not disappoint you.

“The day after the San Martín, my friend Leiras de Parada, a serious mustachioed man, puts the capons in the capoeiras for the second and last time of fattening. And yes, the inhabitants of the capoeiras of Terra Cha, fed with what they asked for, unable to move, receiving the heat of the kitchen, are already sleepy easy, good breeders tip them once or twice a day, after beloved’s balls, half a glass of sweet wine. Of wine that over there is called Getafe ”
Leiras da Parada.” Xente de aqui de acolá ” . Álvaro Cunqueiro

Cunqueiro had already written in 1946 about this way of raising capons and how they fed them with ground corn and clean water until the day of the slaughter, a few days before Christmas.

With this recipe I pay you a small tribute with one of the best-known products of our gastronomy along with the Villalba capons . Take the opportunity to fill it with chestnuts and nuts, also Galician, so you can not go wrong.

Before cooking the Mos rooster

1. You can see in the photo that the friend gallo de mos was great. I cut off the legs and neck with which I prepared a great clean broth with which I later watered the rooster.
2. Luckily it comes already empty and clean, but it is important to pass it through a little water to clean possible impurities and then dry it with absorbent paper.
3. On the other hand it brings the kidneys, heart, liver and abdominal fat, the latter very important to prepare a plate of ten points.
4. Once we have the rooster clean and neat, it is ready for the funniest step in the entire process.
5. We chose the liquor that you like the most to cook, I used a good aged rum, but it would be perfectly suited for cognac, brandy, brandy … even cava or a good port.
6. You need to buy some syringes that have a fine needle, they are easy to get at any pharmacy. I usually buy a few and I have them in the medicine cabinet because sometimes they come in handy for cooking.
7. We fill a glass with the chosen liquor and load the syringe. We inject the rooster as if it did not cost, always pricking the breasts a little more, since they are the ones that tend to get drier.
8. I assure you that the meat will be perfect and the action of the oven will help caramelize the liquor within the same animal, the impressive result.
9. Once we have the rooster fully alcoholized, we have to season it on the outside and inside, it is very important that you do it with enough salt, not a pinch, otherwise it will be bland.

Preparation of the filling for the rooster

1. We prepare the raw filling by gathering all the ingredients in a large bowl: the previously minced ham, the foie gras, the vegetables in small pieces and the chestnut garnish that you can buy in any supermarket or large area.
2. The filling that we use will give the rooster or capon aromas and part of the flavor of the same will be filtered in the meat, come on, a luxury.
3. We remove everything very well gathering the ingredients and with a spoon we fill the rooster under pressure, until we have a hole the size of a lemon.
4. To close it, you have three options: either cover with a whole lemon, or sew it with kitchen thread or close with chopsticks (the worst option).
5. We divide the broth with which we plan to bathe the rooster, half will go to the oven tray and the other half in a bowl to bathe the rooster
6. With the remaining liquid from the animal’s baking we will prepare one of the richest sauces I have ever tried.
7. We preheat the oven to 150º C for about 15 minutes.
8. As you can see in the photos, the oven tray will go to the bottom with the broth we have chosen, more or less with a finger and a half of broth to which we add some bay leaves, virgin olive oil and honey.
9. In this way the oven will have enough humidity so that the rooster does not stay like a stone.
10. The oven rack is placed on the next level to the tray, that is, below the middle position of the oven.

Baked Mos Rooster

1. We put the chicken smeared with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and part of the honey, on the oven rack at 150ºC for 45 minutes per kilo.
2. This took me 3 hours in the oven at 150º C (the first hour with aluminum foil on top).
3. The last 30 minutes will be for the golden rooster of Mos in function of air and soft grill controlling that it does not burn us.
4. The most important thing is to water it with the broth that we have reserved every 20 minutes, thus we avoid that the animal stays dry and that the skin burns us.
5. The process is not difficult but it is laborious. Set the kitchen clock to notify you every 20 minutes.

Preparation of the side dish

1. While we can take advantage to prepare the garnishes, I opted for one of potatoes and another of peas with mushrooms. I think it was excessive, for the next time I will be left with only the peas one.
2. It is a very simple garnish. Heat the animal fat in a saucepan over medium heat until it melts.
3. Meanwhile we chop the onion or leek into small pieces and poach in the fat of the animal. This will give the garnish an unmatched flavor.
4. Add the chopped asparagus and sauté with the onion while browning.
5. Once they have color, we introduce the previously washed and laminated mushrooms and cook with the vegetables, they will release water and make a small broth.
6. Let them reduce by half and add the drained fine peas.
7. Season and mix all the ingredients.
8. The garnish will not take us more than 20 minutes, just enough to water the rooster a little. Remember, every 20 minutes.

Presentation of the rooster of Mos

1. Once we have everything prepared, animal and garnish, we leave the rooster in the oven already off and remove the broth from the bottom tray, strain and pour it into a saucepan. We let it reduce to strong temperature for about ten minutes until we have a thick and very aromatic sauce.
2. To serve, put a piece of rooster, garnish with peas, part of the filling, the roasted potatoes and water with the sauce.
3. Do not think of putting previous dishes, it must be a single dish.

It only remains for me to wish you a Bo Nadal , to see if we are already out of this damn crisis and if it cannot be at least that we get caught with a full belly.

Curiosities about the rooster of Mos

• Herville’s Roosters de Souto  are animals raised in a traditional and outdoor way. This farm has recovered the forms, culture and tradition of raising our elders in order to achieve ancient flavors.
• The food these roosters receive on a daily basis consists of a mixture of vegetables, greens, corn and wheat, all cooked, plus a supplement of cereals and grass.
• Part of these ingredients are harvested on the farm itself in order to have the greatest control over their quality and to be able to serve them at their optimum ripeness.
• This beautiful and noble animal was one of Cunqueiro’s favorites , which as you well know is a benchmark in my kitchen. This year marks the centenary of the birth of this Galician writer, great cook and enthusiast of Galician cuisine.