The Essential James Beard Cookbook (30 page)

BRAISED LEMON CHICKEN

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Editor: This dish is inspired by the cuisine of the Middle East and should be served on fragrant basmati rice.

One 4-pound chicken

2½ lemons

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 cups
Chicken Stock
or water

Two 15- to 19-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

4 garlic cloves, crushed under a knife and peeled

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rub the chicken inside and out with a lemon half. Heat the oil in a deep Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the oil until soft and golden, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the turmeric and mix well. Rub the chicken with the remaining teaspoon of turmeric.

Move the onion to one side of the Dutch oven. Add the whole chicken and cook, turning to sear and color it to deep yellow on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, chickpeas, the juice of the 2 remaining lemons, and the garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 1 hour or longer, or just until the chicken shows no sign of pink when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife at the thighbone. Remove the chicken from the sauce, cut into serving pieces, and serve with the chickpeas and the sauce.

CHICKEN IN THE POT

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

This is a version of the French dish known to the world as
poule au pot
. Carrots and onions may be added to the broth while it is cooking and then may be served with the soup. You may also flavor the broth with parsley, thyme, and rosemary. Serve the broth first, then follow with the carved chicken and stuffing, accompanied by
Mustard Mayonnaise
and a green salad.

For the Chicken

One 5-pound chicken, gizzard and liver reserved for the stuffing

Half of 1 lemon

1 pound veal shoulder, preferably on the bone, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 pound beef shin, cut into 2 or 3 rounds

4 ounces salt pork or slab bacon, rind removed, in one piece

For the Stuffing

8 ounces sausage meat

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1½ cups fresh bread crumbs (made in a food processor from day-old bread)

Reserved chicken liver and gizzard

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Pinch of dried thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 large egg yolks, beaten

1 slice of day-old bread (preferably the end slice or “heel” of the loaf)

Rub the interior of the chicken with the lemon half. Trim the gizzard of the tough membrane and remove any green spots from the liver. Finely chop the gizzard and liver. Refrigerate the chicken and chopped giblets.

Put the veal shoulder and beef shank in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 1½ hours.

To make the stuffing: Fry the sausage meat in a large skillet until it is browned and rendered of its fat, about 10 minutes. Pour off most of the fat. Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and cook for a few minutes, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs, chopped liver and gizzard, parsley, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Add the egg yolks and mix thoroughly.

Stuff the body cavity of the chicken with the stuffing, but not too tightly. Place the crusty bread slice over the stuffing and sew up the opening securely with kitchen twine. Pin the neck skin to the back skin with a skewer or a wooden toothpick. Truss the bird with kitchen twine.

After the veal and beef have simmered for 1½ hours, add the chicken and salt pork to the pot. Add hot water, if needed, to cover the chicken. Simmer until the chicken shows no sign of pink when pierced at the thighbone with the tip of a small sharp knife, about 1¼ hours. Transfer the chicken, veal, beef, and salt pork to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, skim any fat from the surface of the broth. Increase the heat to high and reduce by one-third until you have a rich, strong broth, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Slice the meat into serving pieces and moisten with a ladleful of the broth. Cover again with aluminum foil to keep warm.

First, serve the hot broth in bowls. When ready to serve the main course, remove the twine from the chicken. Carve the chicken and serve with the stuffing and meats.

CHICKEN SAUTÉ WITH TOMATO

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Editor: Substitute fresh basil for the parsley, if you wish.

One 3½-pound chicken, quartered

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

½ cup dry white wine

3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Melt the butter in a very large heavy skillet (not uncoated cast-iron) over medium-high heat. Working in batches, if necessary, add the chicken to the skillet, skin side down, and brown quickly, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the chicken over and add the onion and garlic. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, cover, and cook for 10 minutes more. Add the tomatoes, cover, and cook, turning the chicken occasionally, until the chicken shows no sign of pink when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife at the thighbone, about 25 minutes more. Arrange on a hot platter. Add the parsley to the tomato mixture, increase the heat to high, and cook until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Pour over the chicken and serve hot.

COQ AU VIN

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Editor: Coq au vin is a perfect dish for entertaining, as it can be made well ahead and warmed up just before serving. Beard’s recipe calls for salt pork, but pancetta, which was not readily available in the U.S. when he wrote this, would also be a better substitute for the cured pork that a French cook would use. Serve it on egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

One 3½-pound chicken, quartered

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup Cognac

One 750-ml hearty red wine, as needed

Bouquet garni (1 sprig fresh thyme, 1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley, 6 whole peppercorns, and 1 bay leaf, tied in rinsed cheesecloth)

12 small white onions, peeled (see
here
)

Three ½-inch-thick slices salt pork, rind trimmed, or unrolled pancetta, cut in sticks about 2 inches long

12 mushroom caps, quartered

For the Beurre Manié

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy skillet (not uncoated cast iron) over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a platter. Pour the butter out of the skillet. Return the chicken to the skillet and pour in the Cognac. Let burn for 30 seconds; if the Cognac doesn’t extinguish by itself, cover with the skillet lid. Add enough wine to just cover the chicken, then add the bouquet garni. Cover the pan and simmer until the meat shows no sign of pink when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes. The white meat will be done first, so transfer to a warm platter while the dark meat continues to cook.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in another skillet over medium heat. Add the white onions and salt pork and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the onions are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the mushrooms, cover, and cook until they are softened, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover the skillet to keep warm.

When the chicken is cooked, and removed from the skillet, discard the bouquet garni, and skim off any fat from the surface of the red wine cooking liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat.

To make the beurre manié: Mash together the flour and softened butter in a small bowl with a rubber spatula until smooth. Gradually whisk bits of the beurre manié into the cooking liquid and cook until the sauce is smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon the onion and mushroom mixture over the chicken on the platter, then pour the sauce over all.

JEANNE OWEN’S SAUTÉ WITH TARRAGON

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Editor: Jeanne Owen was unusual for the early 1940s—a true gourmand who was also a woman. She was one of James’s early mentors as he navigated the food professional world in New York after newly arriving from Oregon. Also, the original recipe called for two broiler chickens, weighing 2 pounds each, so this recipe has been adjusted to use a single, large bird.

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

One 3½-pound chicken, quartered

½ cup dry Alsatian Riesling

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon

Melt the butter in a very large heavy skillet (not uncoated cast iron) over medium-high heat. Working in batches, if necessary, add the chicken to the skillet, skin side down, and brown quickly, about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken skin side up, add the Riesling, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook, turning the chicken occasionally, for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the tarragon. Continue cooking, turning the chicken occasionally, until the chicken shows no sign of pink when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife at the thighbone, about 5 minutes more. Arrange on a hot platter. Bring the pan juices to a boil over high heat, scraping up the browned bits in the skillet, and cook until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Pour over the chicken and serve hot.

OLD-FASHIONED CHICKEN FRICASSEE WITH WAGON WHEELS

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

A wonderfully soothing dish, a great old favorite. If your family likes only the white or only the dark meat, you can buy your chicken in parts instead of whole and no one will feel disappointed. Wide noodles are traditional, but I served a fricassee with wagon wheels recently, and it made an amusing change.

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

One 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces

¾ cup sliced celery

½ cup finely chopped yellow onion

2 tablespoons minced shallots

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ cups
Chicken Stock

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper