Food From Provence - Chicken , Potatoes, Tomatoes, Garlic - Perfect for a Family Dinner

When we get together for Family Dinner its a great opportunity to find something different to cook.
I took my inspiration this time from the NY Times Cook Column, which is emailed to me almost everyday.

The aromas coming out of my kitchen, while the food was cooking. Divine. Garlic, onions, Herbes de Provence, Roast Chicken. Close your eyes and imagine this
Such a lucky Family, I reckon

Quite a lot of prep is required, but the up side is once it's all prepared just some last minute heating, plenty of time to sit and drink some wine with you guests

So The Menu read
Cauliflower and Cashew Soup
French Provencal Chicken
French Provencal Potatoes ( courtesy Julia Child) 
Accompanied by
Charred Broccoli and Rocket Salad
and to Follow The Best Ever Coconut and Chocolate Chip Cake 

For this post I will just address the Main Course.
First Course and "Pudding" later

The chicken dish required Skin on, Bone in, Chicken Thighs, but when you are cooling for a crowd
That takes up a lot of space in the oven.
So I decided to bone the thighs myself. Much neater
Took a while but I am very pleased with my labour,
Tidy little thighs with a bag of bones for roasting, to make stock

So the bonus, some rendered chicken fat and some very tasty stock, for a later date

French Provencal Chicken
This amount will feed four people
I was feeding 11, so hence the quantities you see in the photos
Adapt as you see fit
The recipe called for Vermouth but I don't normally have that on hand so I used a dry white wine

INGREDIENTS
    •    8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
    •    2 teaspoons kosher salt
    •    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    •    ½ to ¾ cup all-purpose flour
    •    3 tablespoons olive oil
    •    2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
    •    1 lemon, quartered
    •    8 to 10 cloves garlic, peeled
    •    4 to 6 medium-size shallots, peeled and halved
    •    ⅓ cup dry white wine
    •    4 sprigs of thyme, for serving

PREPARATION
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Put the flour in a shallow pan, and lightly dredge the
chicken in it, shaking the pieces to remove excess flour.
Swirl the oil in a hot large roasting pan, and place the
floured chicken in it.
Turn the chicken over to oil all sides

Season the chicken with the Herbes de Provence.
Arrange the lemon, garlic cloves and shallots around
the chicken, then add the vermouth to the pan.
Put the pan in the oven, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes,
then baste it with the pan juices.
Continue roasting for another 25 to 30 minutes,
or until the chicken is very crisp and the meat
cooked through.
Transfer to a warm Platter and serve

Now for the French Provencal Potatoes, 
just like Potato Gratin, but using soft fragrant onions and tomatoes sauteed in olive oil for the liquid instead of milk and cream
I didn't use the  anchovies, as our grandson is allergic to fish
So I just smashed the garlic with the Herbes de Provence and olive oil
Add this paste to the onion and tomato
I have left the anchovies in the recipe as Next time, I will add them

    •    2 to 3 onions, thinly sliced (2 heaping cups)
    •    ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
    •     Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
    •    1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into strips about 3/8-inch wide
    •    1 2-ounce can anchovies packed in olive oil, drained (reserve anchovies and oil separately)
    •    2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
    •    2 teaspoons dried herbes de Provence
    •     About 2 pounds thin-skinned, waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold, sliced 1/8-inch thick 
          (6 to 7 cups)
    •    ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Gruyère

Heat oven to 400 degrees and place a rack at the middle level.
In a large saucepan, combine onions and 2 tablespoons olive oil
and stir to coat over low heat.
Sprinkle lightly with salt.
At a gentle simmer, cook uncovered until onions
are softened and lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes,
stirring often. Do not brown; lower the heat if necessary.

When done, fold in tomatoes just until heated through.
Set aside.

In a small food processor or a mortar, add the anchovies
anywhere from 6 to 12 fillets, depending on their
size and your taste.
Add garlic, herbs and a dozen grinds of pepper.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil (or use the oil from the
anchovy can, if you like).
Crush or pulse together into a chunky paste,
thinning with oil as needed to make a loose, fluid mixture.
Add to the onion tomato mixture

In a medium-size baking dish, spread a quarter of the
onion-tomato mixture.
On top, arrange half the potato slices,
Add half the remaining onion-tomato mixture.

Build one more layer with remaining potato slices,

then onion-tomato mixture.
Sprinkle cheese on top and drizzle with olive oil.

If the dish is very full, place on a baking sheet.
Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered, until the potatoes
are tender and have absorbed all of the juices in the
bottom of the dish, 40 to 50 minutes.
Test by tasting a bit of potato; it should be soft all the
way through, with no raw taste.
If the top is browning too fast, cover very loosely with
a sheet of foil.
If the top is not brown enough when the potatoes
are cooked, broil briefly until deliciously glazed.
Serve gratin hot or warm.

Can be cooled and reheated later the same day,
but do not refrigerate.
 So you do need something green with this meal 
How about this Charred Broccoli and Rocket Salad 

Just a slightly different touch to the Broccoli
A quick char on a grill for that extra flavour

Ingredients
Serve 6
 
2 heads of broccoli, florets separated, stems peeled and reserved
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil


Dressing
1 oil-packed anchovy fillet
1 garlic clove
⅔ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup buttermilk
1 cup tarragon leaves
¼ cup chopped chives
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard


Finishing touches
3 cups mature arugula, tough stems removed, leaves torn

Make the Dressing first  
Purée anchovy, garlic, mayonnaise, buttermilk, chervil, tarragon, chives, lemon juice, and mustard in a blender until smooth; season dressing with salt.
This can be made ahead and will keep for up to 2 days
Cover and chill

Cook broccoli in a large pot of boiling salted water until bright green and crisp-tender, 
about 2 minutes. Drain; transfer to a bowl of ice water. Let cool, then drain. Pat broccoli dry; place in a large bowl.

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Drizzle broccoli with oil and toss to coat; season with salt. Grill broccoli, turning occasionally, until charred in spots, 5–7 minutes.

Return to bowl and let cool, tossing occasionally.
Add Rocket to Broccoli and toss to combine.
Drizzle salad with ¾ cup dressing and toss to coat; season with more salt if needed.
Arrange salad on a platter

The actual recipe, suggested sprinkling smoked cheddar over the top
That didn't work with my Provencal flavours, but I knew it could work another time
So keep this in mind for another occasion


On the Waste Not, Want Not part of this post
First the bits of potato, which didn't look attractive enough for the Gratin
Don't waste please
I cooked them in some boiling salted water, drained and mashed with some olive oil
into the fridge
There was some also leftover chicken
 So last night, I made a  roux with some of the chicken fat and used the stock underneath to make a very chickeny sauce

 Added the chicken cut into chunks and some frozen corn and more Herbes de Provence

Add 2-3 tablespoons of the leftover Salad dressing, that tarragon flavour... perfect to add to the chicken

Here you go
I used some of this chicken mixture
Topped with the mashed potato

Voila, Dinner for one

And the good news is there is a whole pile of chicken mixture to go into the freezer to be used at a later date.
Delicious

Brown Sugar Mixed Berry Cobbler

 I found this recipe off the Epicurious Website. It is from an issue of Gourmet 2010 by Andrea Albin

Thought this would a perfect dessert for the Grandchildren
AND I was right… they loved it
As it is winter here, I used frozen berries, in fact I love Frozen berries
especially for baking

When I was young, I really loved it when my Mother made a hot dessert
Steamed puddings, Fruit pies, Lemon Delicious Pudding
Cobbler is not really a New Zealand Tradition, but I'm always trying something new
After all it is just scones /dumplings on top of cooked fruit! 
Easy Peasy
This recipe feeds 6-8, I halved it for the 4 of us. It was enough

Ingredients
Berries
        3/4 cup packed brown sugar
        2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
        1 kg of frozen mixed berries
Cobbler
        2 cups all-purpose flour
        2 teaspoons baking powder
        Rounded 1/2 teaspoon salt
        1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
        3/4 cup whole milk
Topping
        1 teaspoon granulated sugar
plus 1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 200C with rack in middle.
Stir together brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl.
Add berries and toss to coat. 

Transfer mixture to a shallow 3-quart baking dish and bake until mixture is hot, about 12 minutes        Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Add butter and blend with your fingertips or a pastry blender
until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. 

Add milk and stir until dough just comes together.

Remove baking dish from oven and drop mounds of dough onto hot berries.

Stir together the topping... the brown sugar and the granulated sugar and sprinkle over dough.
Bake cobbler until topping is golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool to warm, about 30 minutes.
Some cream or ice ream
and an excellent dessert is on the table

New Zealand School of Food and Wine - A W & F Celebration

This weekend The NZ  School of Food and Wine, in Auckland,  which is run by Celia Hay,
held an event in their premises, in Customs Street. My friend Lana enrolled us

This Tapas and Spanish Wine Experience appealed to us
So Off we trotted
Girls On Tour

These events are an experience for the Students, to cater for a large crowd.
We were part of a group of volunteers, who were on hand to help prepare the Mis en Place
for the 6 course dinner that evening.
So hair up, Aprons on... we were ready
It was  6 course dinner.
In charge were visiting  Spanish Chef David Puig Zaragoza and the
Head Chef at the School Chef Stefan Lötscher pictured below

We were ushered into the Demonstration Kitchen where the students, were divided into groups   
for each course

Here is Chef David sorting out the groups

 

We, the Volunteers, attached ourselves to a group, then knives out, we chopped and peeled

They were prepping for the 6 course dinner, plus delicious little Iberico Ham Croquettes
to have with drinks 
Lana was involved in this course. After this mixture had cooled it was rolled into little balls

Just the Classic Breading. Flour, Egg and Breadcrumbs
Deep fried and served with drinks
Yum
Here is the Menu

 Meanwhile, I joined the Group, who were in charge of the Salmon Ceviche with Salmon roe, Crispy Quinoa dressed with a Citrus Sesame Sauce Course
Our two students, both at Stage Three
Canada here on cucumber dicing

and Craigen, who was in charge of painstakingly cutting Nori into strips

I got the "chop up the Chilies" job
100 gms of "beautifully chopped" chilies

When Lana was finished with the appetiser, she joined and was on Cubing the Salmon

We became very friendly with Paul and Tina Ivory, seen below

Paul completed a 16 week course at the School, a couple of years ago. He was responsible for making the dressing, He brought his wife Tina for the School experience
Tina was on the Churros, she snipped, while the Student piped.

These were served in the Traditional way, with Warm Chocolate Sauce. Yum

 

 Meanwhile Moi on dish washing duty. Looking very professional methinks

Around the kitchen everyone was very busy

Some beautiful dough being kneaded for the fresh ciabatta bread,

I just loved the look of the dough it was so full of bubbles. Of course they had a sour dough starter, which obviously helps the rise
This accompanied The Slow Cooked Duck Egg With Chorizo and Potato Foam
Divine. Plates scraped clean

 Chef David in action frying Croutons

These Crouton became crunchy Breadcrumbs, topping the Slow Cooked Duck Egg

There was a Gazpacho Course, the secret ingredient Cherry Puree

Might have to do that this summer

The Gazpacho was served with a Oyster au Naturel topped with tiny chopped vegetables
It was divine.

 Some lucky people got to "French" the Lamb Racks. Long painstaking job
Then they went onto the grill and were served

Medium Rare Lamb, with Romesco Sauce, a Classic Spanish Sauce
and Braised Baby Leeks
Taste anyone?

Of course you cant have a Spanish Meal without Paella

Actually it presented more like a Risotto, seasoned with finely chopped Octopus and Squid
Then, dressed with beautiful slices of Octopus, cooked in red wine...plus Roasted Garlic Allioli

So once we had finished the Prep, we, The Volunteers, were whisked away for a tasting of Spanish Wines. Supplied by Sophie Cotter, from St Vincent's Cave
Love her Business Card

This was a fabulous Presentation By Sophie with her sidekick, whose name unfortunately, I didn't record
He had set a little map in front of us all.
Each wine came from a different region and sitting on top of each region, sat a small vial, reflecting the main character of the wine

For instance Peach, Lime, Rosemary, Date, Cocoa, Dark Berries and for the Dessert Wine Golden Raisins
So Sophie set the mood.
We closed our eyes and she described the region, pictures flashed into my mind, of tropical beautiful Spanish villages,, Vineyards, Towns...she then suggested we remove the cork and inhale the aroma, then tasted the wine
Fabulous

We then were ushered into the restaurant where we had a cocktail and the Croquettes
Then we sat down for the delicious dinner
I would to thank Celia and all of her staff, for a wonderful experience 

Plus a big shout out to Maximal Concepts. Their DNA Director, Shiz Scott came down for the weekend event bringing Chef David Puig Zaragoza, who wrote and supervised the wonderful menu

An Excellent Occasion

White Chocolate, Craisin and Lemon Muffins - Perfect for The Lunch Box

I had some Buttermilk in the fridge.
I had bought it for another recipe, 
It was part of the delicious dressing for The Indonesian Chicken Salad
A wonderful  dish click here
I only used a small amount and there it was sitting in the fridge, doing nothing
There has to be something interesting
I subscribe to the Good to Know Website and I found this recipe
It called for blueberries, I replaced them with Craisins
This proved to be very popular with the kids and the whole dozen went in one sitting

150g caster sugar    
250g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
100g butter, melted
1 medium egg, beaten
284 ml buttermilk
1tsp vanilla
 Zest and juice 1 lemon
 200g white chocolate, chopped
 180g Craisins

Heat the oven to 180C fan
Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Mix together the caster sugar, flour and baking powder, 
then pour in the butter, egg, buttermilk, vanilla and lemon zest and juice. 
Mix well, then fold in the chocolate and the Craisins

Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin

Bake for around 20-25 mins,
until golden and springy.

Chicken Asian Style - Indonesian Flavours Delicious

I was having some friends around for dinner. I was looking for a delicious not too heavy first course. I came across this idea for an Indonesian Style Chicken Salad.
Well that was a huge success so I must share it. It is based on a recipe from Martha Schulman
It would make a wonderful lunch as well

I decided to use a mixture of chicken legs and breasts. My favourite way to poach chicken is the way taught by Jacques Pepin
Basically you develop a lovely full of flavour stock
Add the chicken to the boiling stock, bring back to the boil, simmer for a few minutes, then turn it off and left the chicken sit in the beautiful stock, till it has totally cooled
The chicken is so moist and tasty.
It is the only way, in my opinion.
As the dish was Asian, I decided to poach it in an Asian Flavoured Stock 
So simple. In  this case I used a chicken stock powder as a base.
This worked well, but if you have homemade chicken stock or maybe some stock from the supermarket please use that

Take
Rice bran oil  - 1 tablespoon
Shallot  -1 chopped
Coriander stalks handful
Kaffir lime - 2 leaves
Kaffir lime zest  - 2 tablespoons, Use ordinary limes if Kaffir not available
Chili flakes  - 1/2 tsp
Fish sauce - 1 - 2 tablespoons
Chicken stock powder - 2 tablespoons dissolved in water or chicken stock
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Grated ginger 1 tablespoon
In a stockpot, over medium heat place the rice bran oil
Add the shallot, sauté till soft, don't brown
Add coriander stalks, kaffir lime leaves, zest
Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes
Strain
You now, have a wonderful, flavourful stock to poach the chicken

Bring the stock back to the boil
Add  4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts simmer for 5 minutes
Turn heat off
Cover and leave to sit in the stock, till cooled to room temperature
Shred about, should get about 4 cups shredded chicken, to the left of the bowl is the Peanut dressing

These quantities serve 4 for dinner, 6 for Lunch or as a first course

For the Salad
Shredded Chicken from 4 chicken breast as above 
Sea Salt
Freshly ground pepper (optional)
1 bunch spring onions, white part and green, thinly sliced
1 carrot grated
¼ cup slivered fresh mint leaves
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 small red bell pepper, cut in thin strips
1 serrano pepper, finely chopped seeded if desired
2 cups mung bean sprouts or sunflower sprouts
1 Cos lettuce heart, leaves separated, washed and dried¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
For the Dressing
    ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
    2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
    1 garlic clove, minced or shallots
    1 tablespoon Southeast Asian fish sauce
    Pinch of cayenne
    2 tablespoons crunchy or smooth natural peanut butter (more to taste)
    ⅓ cup buttermilk
   
Preparation
Place the chicken in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. 
Add the white part of the scallions, the mint, cilantro,
red pepper, minced chile pepper and sprouts.
Toss together.

The Dressing
Combine the lime juice, ginger, garlic, fish sauce and
cayenne. 
Stir together.
Add the peanut butter, and combine well. 
Whisk in the buttermilk. 
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Line a platter with the lettuce leaves. 
Toss the chicken mixture with the dressing, and arrange over the lettuce.

Sprinkle the peanuts and the spring onion greens over the top,
and serve.

Table set ready to go