Fricasse'e de Poulet/Old Fashioned Chicken Fricasse'e

In the past fifteen years due to the presence of the internet and the fact that I've moved twice, I've pared my cookbook collection from over one hundred volumes to about fifteen.  Of those fifteen volumes, I actually ever use two.  One is a 1969 copy of The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook with its stained up quaint looking red gingham cover and collection of comfort foods whose ingredients call for modern day No No ingredients such as real butter and whole milk and sour cream and the criminal of all, heavy cream.  The other cookbook is The Cook's Encyclopedia of French Cooking by Carole Clements and Elizabeth Wolfe - Cohen.  In spite of it's hefty title, it's a slim volume of everyday French recipes using everyday fresh ingredients.  It's my cooking Bible.  From it, I've learned to understand the conceptual framework of what makes superior food...fresh ingredients, quality meats, quality herbs and spices, a process that becomes a lifelong blueprint. And, the simple premise that if one does that, the taste of those things sings to the palate.  One is satisfied and sated with smaller quantity of food, smaller portions suffice and the French eat everything yet stay thin.  Truly this works, this simple concept of less is more.  This recipe is from my French Bible.

 

 

Fricasse'e de Poulet/Old Fashioned Chicken Fricassee

 

Serves 4 - 6

2.5 - 3 lbs. chicken pieces

4 T butter (1/2 stick)

2 T vegetable oil

4T flour

1.5 C dry white wine

3 C chicken stock

bouquet garni or herbes de provence or use a mixture of fresh or dried tarragon, basil, oregano, bay leaf and marjoram

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 tsp lemon juice

1 pkg button m

Mushrooms either white or my favorite Baby Bellas

1 large onion cut into wedges

1/2 C water

2 tsp sugar

1/2 C heavy cream

salt and pepper

Wash and dry chicken.  Melt half the butter with the oil in a large heavy flameproof casserole or cast iron pot over medium heat.  Add half the chicken pieces cook, turning once, 10 minutes until golden.  Transfer to plate.  Cook the rest of pieces.

Return chicken to pan.  Sprinkle with flour, turning pieces to coat.  Cook over low heat for about four minutes, turning occasionally.

Pour in the wine; add the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil.  Push chicken pieces to one side and scrape bottom of pan, stirring until well blended.

Bring the liquid to a boil, add herbs/spices and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer over medium heat for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is tender and juices run clear when thickest part of chicken is pierced with a knife. 

Meanwhile, in frying pan melt remaining butter over medium heat, add mushrooms and lemon juice and cook 3-4 minutes until mushrooms are golden. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl, add onions. water and sugar to pan, swirling to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes until just tender.  Pour the onions and any cooking juices into the bowl with the mushrooms.

After chicken is cooked, remove it to a deep serving dish and cover with foil.  Add onions, mushrooms to chicken. Add any cooking juice from cooking the vegetables to the pan used to cook chicken.   Bring to a boil. and boil, stirring constantly until the sauce is reduced by half. 

Whisk cream into sauce and cook for two minutes   Add mushrooms and onions, cook 2 minutes more. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Leek, Asparagus and Mushroom Lasagna

A few days ago my April issue of Bon Appetit Magazine arrived here at the travel trailer. It featured recipes highlighting Spring vegetables. One of the recipes that caught my attention was for a vegetable lasagna. I still had a package of fresh pasta egg roll wrappers sitting in the refrigerator. I still had my fresh pasta lasagna mojo going. The magazine recipe called for making four individual lasagnas in small round pans. It also called for ridiculously expensive difficult -to -find here -in- ruralish- west -coast- Florida Morel mushrooms. I used on sale Baby Bella mushrooms and made a large one pan lasagna. This is a very easy to make vegetable lasagna using the bounty of Springtime goodness. We both really loved it.

 Leek, Asparagus and Mushroom Egg Roll Wrapper Lasagna

 Ingredients:

1 package fresh pasta egg roll sheets (usually found in produce section of grocery store)

2 large leeks

1 lb fresh asparagus spears

8 oz (small box) fresh mushrooms (I used pre-cleaned and sliced Baby Bellas)

1 ½ cups heavy cream

3 cups chicken broth

3 Tablespoons Flour

2 Tsp nutmeg

2 bay leaves

 ½ stick butter, divided

 Salt & Pepper to taste

12 oz shredded fresh mozzarella cheese

12 oz shredded romano or parmesan cheese

How To Make This Recipe

Clean Leeks by cutting off dark green tops and root end. Slice in half lengthwise. Run under cold water to remove any dirt lurking in layers. Slice thinly.

Sautee’ Leeks in 2 T butter slowly until translucent in large pan

Clean asparagus and slice diagonally into 1 inch pieces

Clean and slice mushrooms

Remove Leeks from pan to large bowl.

Add more butter to pan and sautee’ asparagus and mushrooms until asparagus is tender crisp.

 Add all to bowl with Leeks and gently stir to evenly combine.

Add 3 ½ cups chicken broth to pan

Add 1 ½ cup heavy cream

Add 2 small Bay Leaves

Add salt and pepper to taste

Cook stirring over medium heat until mixture slightly thickens.

Sprinkle with 3T blending flour and cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.

Stir in 2 tsp Nutmeg.

Remove from heat.

Assemble Lasagna

Lightly spray 9x13” pan. Spoon in a very thin layer of white sauce (Bechamel). Cover with layer of egg roll pasta sheets. Add dollops of vegetable mix. Hand sprinkle with mozzarella and romano cheeses. Dollop on Bechamel. Continue layers, ending with layer of Bechamel topped with cheese. Bake Cover pan tightly with foil. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until hot and bubbly. Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes until top is lightly browned and bubbled. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before cutting and serving.