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1
Season the Chicken
10 Mins
Room temperature
Pat the drumsticks dry and rub them all over with salt and cumin. Leave them at room temperature while you chop the vegetables.
Dry skin browns; wet skin steams. Pat the drumsticks really dry.
Done when: Drumsticks evenly seasoned, skin dry to the touch.
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2
Brown the Drumsticks
10 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Heat the oil in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. Brown the drumsticks on all sides, about 3 minutes a side, until the skin is golden. Lift them out and set aside; they will finish cooking in the sauce.
Do not move the drumsticks around while they brown — leave them alone and the skin will release when it is ready.
Done when: Golden-brown drumsticks, skin crisped, centres still pink.
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3
Build the Red Sauce
15 Mins
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
In the same pot, soften the onion, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes, then stir in the ají panca paste and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes until dark and fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes, oregano and water, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom.
Frying the pastes before the tomatoes go in is what gives the sauce its deep colour and smoky depth.
Done when: A thick, dark-red sauce base, smelling of smoky chilli and tomato.
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4
Simmer the Chicken in the Sauce
30 Mins
A gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Return the drumsticks to the pot, nestling them into the sauce. Cover, lower the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes, turning the chicken once, until the sauce is thick and the chicken is cooked through to 74°C (165°F) at the thickest part. Stir in the vinegar and sugar and taste for salt.
A gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, keeps the chicken tender and the sauce from catching.
Done when: Thick red sauce and drumsticks cooked through to 74°C (165°F).
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5
Cook the Spaghetti
10 Mins
A rolling boil, about 100°C (212°F)
While the sauce simmers, cook the spaghetti in the large pot of salted boiling water until just al dente, about 1 minute less than the packet says. Drain, saving a cup of the pasta water.
Slightly undercook the pasta: it finishes cooking in the hot sauce and soaks up the flavour.
Done when: Spaghetti al dente, still firm in the middle, with a cup of starchy pasta water saved.
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6
Toss and Serve
5 Mins
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Lift the drumsticks out of the sauce. Toss the drained spaghetti into the sauce over medium heat for 2 minutes, adding splashes of pasta water until every strand is glossy and coated. Serve in warm bowls with a drumstick on each portion and cilantro scattered over.
Tossing the pasta in the sauce, instead of pouring sauce over plain pasta, is what makes it taste like one dish.
Done when: Glossy red-coated spaghetti with a drumstick on top and cilantro scattered over.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Pile the red-coated spaghetti onto warm plates, set a drumstick on each portion, spoon over extra sauce and scatter with cilantro.
Peru
35m
