Poule au Pot (Summer’s Last Stand)
September leaves little to smile about. The sunny days of summer have been replaced by the leaden skies of autum and as the chill draws in, the clammy air creeps up my skin. It is now just above the temperature where heating is justified. Outside, I can see the first leaves being shed in the breeze like dandruff being shaken from the trees. Very occasionaly the sun breaks through, revealing glistening spider webs the size of large dinner plates and the dancing dots of daddy longlegs which mean that I’ll keep the windows firmly shut. Even then the latter sometimes get inside. There are thousands of them—clinging to the last of the warm days—and they have a penchant to descend from nowhere and sweep across my face or get entangled in my hair. As if that wasn’t enough, my hair is now mottled with grey. It is truly the season of age and decay, or as the Americans named it so much more pertinenly: Fall.
Time for Summer’s last stand.
The BBC is currently showing Rick Stein pottering along the canals of Southern France, bringing a little sunshine into the evenings as the nights draw in. It reminded me of another programe which featured the recipe for Poule au Pot (Stein doesn’t disclose his on the web because he doesn’t want to give stuff away for free, which begs the question who is paying for his little jaunts in the first place). Loosely based on this, here’s my version, using the very last herbs from the garden:
Poule au PotThis dish can also be made with stuffed chicken or (as in my case) just with chicken thighs (reduce first simmer to 40 mins).
1 free-range chicken; 1 onion, halved; 1 carrot; 2 leeks, green parts only; 1 stick celery; small handful parsley (stems and old leaves); lightly crushed black pepper; ½ chicken stock cube; 1 bay leaf; a few chopped fennel fronds or tarragon
Just cover with water and simmer 1h. Lift out chicken, strain liquid and discard flavourings.
750g small potatoes; baby root vegetables; 1 stick celery; white parts of leeks; reserved stock
Return the chicken with the fresh, trimmed vegetables and simmer 20min until veg are tender. Adjust the seasoning and add a handfull of trimmed parsley and chives just after taking off the heat. Carve chicken into 4 portions (remove the skin) and serve in deep plates with the vegetables, some of the stock and a dollop of:
AïoliThe strength of this condiment varies by region. A lighter taste is achieved by using a lighter oil and whole egg, instead of yolk. The garlic makes this very pungent—but that is the French way.
1 free-range egg yolk; 100-125ml olive oil (or light vegetable oil; extra virgin is very strong!); 1tsp lemon juice; 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed with salt; pinch cayenne pepper (chopped herbs if desired).
Whisk the oil into the egg drop-by-drop. As it emulsifies, it can be added in a thin stream. If the mixture curdles, add a tsp of tepid tap water. Finally mix in the garlic, lemon juice and cayenne pepper.
I only cooked for 2, but you can increase the quantity of aïoli by using a whole egg (which also makes it lighter) and 225ml oil. Double the garlic. Some people also add a tsp of Dijon mustard. This tells you how it’s done properly, but you should be able to re-emulsify with 1 tsp tepid tap water, instead of another yolk. Or just be careful in the first place.
Tags: 'Round the World Recipes, Tag Index
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