GALINHA MÔLHO BRANCO

1 chicken 2 lbs | 900g
¼ lb | 110g cooked ham
1 cup milk
2 tsp flour for the sauce
1-2 tsp butter
2 hard-boiled eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Steam or boil the whole chicken.

Boiling: Boil the chicken in a little water and salt till tender.

Steaming: If you steam, no water is required. Season the chicken with salt and pepper all over, put it in an uncovered bowl with the liver, heart and gizzard. Half fill a saucepan with boiling water and position a hollow tin at the bottom to support the bowl. Cover the saucepan and steam until the chicken is tender. (Be careful that the water does not over-boil and get into the bowl.)

When done, prepare the sauce. Mix the flour with a little water to make a smooth paste. Boil the milk and the juices from the bowl with a pinch of salt and butter and when they come to the boil add the flour paste gradually, stirring well until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not make it too thick as it will be lumpy and when cool it may be too thick for a gravy, nor too thin. Boil for about 2 minutes and put aside.

Chop the liver, gizzard, heart and ham very fine.

Separate the whites from the yolks of the hard-boiled eggs. Chop the whites very fine. Pass the yolks through a wire sieve so that they become light and floury.

Place the chicken on a dish and pour the white sauce over all its surface, covering every part of the meat. Decorate with alternate stripes of chopped egg whites, liver, ham, egg yolks and serve.