Provençal Chicken in the Pot

The French would call this dish "Le Plat Unique," because it is a
whole meal in one pot. Although its execution is realistic for a
twelve-year-old, the results are impressive enough for even your most
discriminating guests. And, to top it off, it's incredibly low in fat
because the chicken steams atop the garlic, herbs and liquid.

Makes 4 to 6+ servings -- depends on what else you're serving and how
hungry your guests are.

Ingredients:

1 4-pound frying chicken
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
bouquet garni (include thyme, parsley stems, rosemary, marjoram, bay
leaf)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
40 unpeeled cloves of garlic
bed of fresh herbs for the pot (should include: 1 bay leaf, the leafy
top of a whole bunch of celery, a whole bunch of flat-leaf parsley,
several sprigs each of marjoram, rosemary, sage and thyme -- and
summer savory and lavender greens, if you can find them)
1 cup dry white wine
12 small all-purpose potatoes (about the size of a silver dollar)
12 to 16 small white onions
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 pound fresh peas, shelled (or 1 10-ounce package frozen)
2 tablespoons flour and 1 tablespoon water paste to seal the lid
crôutes (below) for serving

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make a mixture of salt and pepper in a
small bowl. Use this to generously season the interior and exterior of
a 4-pound fryer. Tie a bouquet garni together with string and put it
inside.

Pour 1 cup of olive oil into a large (about 9 quarts) Dutch oven with
a lid. Add the bed of herbs and all of the garlic. Set the prepared
chicken on this bed and turn it over and over in the already perfumed
oil. Add the dry white wine.

Scatter the vegetables around on top of the bed of herbs. Then with
all the oil, wine and aromatics below and the chicken and vegetables
on top, put the lid on and seal it “hermetically” with a band of flour
and water paste.

Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove from oven and allow the Dutch oven to sit undisturbed for 15 to
20 minutes. Do not lift the lid!

In preparation for serving, put a small serving bowl (for the garlic)
and a slotted spoon on the table.

A pair of poultry shears is the easiest tool to use for cutting the
hot chicken into serving pieces.

A sturdy wooden spoon will help you hold the chicken still for cutting
without burning your fingers.

Carry the Dutch oven to the table and lift off the lid at the moment
of serving and take a deep breath. The aroma is incredible!

Serve with toasted slices of bread, which each diner will spread by
squeezing out the incomparable garlic purée. Don't be surprised. The
chicken will not be browned.

Wine Tip: A Provençal white wine tastes best with this dish…
especially a white Chteauneuf-du-Pape. A floral Viognier would also
be delicious.

Teacher’s Tip: When you have eaten all the chicken, vegetables and
garlic, you will find yourself with a large pot of herbs and a
chickeny, garlicky wine-flavored stock.

You can make a wonderful soup the next day (or several days hence)
using this as a base. See next recipe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Provençal Herbed Bean and Pasta Soup (See above recipe)

Remove the herbs and discard them. Pour the wine/olive oil stock into
a storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to make the soup, remove most of the oil that has
risen to the top. Also overnight, soak 1 pound of small white beans in
enough cold water to cover by 2 inches.

The next day, drain the beans and put them back in the pot with enough
water to cover by 2 inches, 6 black peppercorns and 1 bay leaf.

Bring the beans to a boil and simmer for about 1 hour, until the beans
are not quite tender. Drain the beans and reserve the water.

Return the beans to the pot and now add the reserved wine/olive oil
stock from the chicken to the beans.

Also add several fresh sprigs of the same herbs you used in last
night's pot, and at least five of the following:

Additional Ingredients:

1/2 pound lima beans or fava beans, shelled and peeled
6 potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
5 red onions, peeled and thickly sliced
5 zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
3 white turnips, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 leeks, well washed, dried and sliced

Preparation:

Teacher’s Tip: The more of the above ingredients you add to your soup,
the more delicious it will be.

Add 1 teaspoon sea salt and stir the mixture. Bring the soup to a boil
and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes more.

Some tubular pasta added during the last 15 minutes of cooking will
add substance to this second one-dish meal.

Serve the soup in large bowls with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on
top and crusty bread on the side.






http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=duckiewoman