Aaaaaah ma poule !

Week Ending 4th September 2021

I’ve been on a bit of a foodie theme the past few weeks, and it appears to have gone over quite well, so let’s dive into the food realm once again.

Cook Books - it’s rumoured to be a $4 Billion - yes, with a B annual industry. Some are most definitely fads. Some are cashing in on the back of TV series. Some are celebrity endorsed. But how many do we regularly refer back to, after the initial excitement ?

In my case, I would say there are three staples in my kitchen, well thumbed, covered in grease spots, and spattered in cake batter - for it is baking which requires attention to detail whereas savoury dishes leave room for a little flair and improvisation.

Back in 1998, Nigella Lawson was still primarily known as being famous for being the daughter of British politician, Nigel Lawson, and on her mother’s side, a descendant of the Lyons family as well as being a food writer for the Sunday Times? and friend of fellow foodie hero, Nigel Slater. However following the publication of How To Eat, the highly photogenic Ms Lawson suddenly became every red blooded male’s kitchen fantasy. Whilst suggestive wooden spoon licking and running your fingers around the bowl of icing aren’t my thing, How To Eat remains one of the best cook books I own.

The aforementioned Nigel Slater really is one of my food icons. There’s so little faffing around, it’s excellent ingredients, careful and thoughtful preparation and tidy if homely presentation. In 1994, I purchased Real Fast Food, not really knowing what it was about. It is a book I go to time and again. It’s not about Fast Food per se, more about meals that can be put together quickly. Nigel Slater has been the columnist for the Observer for many years, his website is an absolute goldmine of information, and many of his subsequent books including the most recent vegetarian lead offerings are delightful to read, simply for the pleasure of it.

The third, and undoubtedly the most tattered ( as it was originally my grandmother’s ) is my copy of Bake With Stork. Stork is margarine - not a very ‘cool’ ingredient these days, but my goodness even me, with my ridiculously warm hands, could rustle up some decent short crust pastry...Recently given a revamp, and now called The Art of Home Baking, I would encourage anyone who fancies having a go at baking to buy this book. It is delightfully unfussy, full of common sense and practical ideas, and I adore it.

That said, you can find recipes for just about everything under the sun on the internet, but there is something very comforting about thumbing through a cookbook on a winter's afternoon.

So let’s take some classic chicken dishes and find out what the nuts and bolts of these recipes really are. Kicking us off - Coq au Vin -

Now Coq au Vin isn’t really what we make these days when we make it at home. We use plump, boneless chicken breasts or tasty thighs. Back in ‘the day’ when this recipe first started doing the rounds in about 1864 - although it’s entirely possible that it existed well before that - it was more likely to be the last call for the stringy old rooster, whose days of strutting his stuff had finally come to an end ! Much like other period classics such as beef bourguignon, a long slow braise in wine was a way to turn what was essentially a tough old bit of meat into something altogether more palatable. It didn’t even have to be red wine - although I imagine the tannins helped considerably ! Coq au Riesling ( one of my favourites !) or Coq au Violet ( using Beaujolais Nouveau) are amongst numerous regional variations. In essence, poultry, lardons, mushrooms, wine, garlic and a bouquet garni and you have the basics down.

Poule au Pot - we really have to include this in the mix, afterall Henry iv - Good King Henry, who decreed that this dish should be a staple of a french household, came from Pau - not quite just down the road, but close enough for me to legitimately poach (boom) the reference.

Originally designed to stretch a chicken into several meals with the inclusion of copious vegetables, and stuffed cabbage, it is sometimes served with fluffy white rice, a handy solution for mopping up the fragrant and utterly delicious poaching broth and bulking out the recipe even further. Us ‘foreigners’ sometimes yearn for food with a bit of ‘pep’, we long for a good spicy curry, or a tasty msg laden chinese. But let me tell you, a well made poule au pot has no need of adornment, there is a reason chicken soup is referred to as? Jewish penicillin ! The trick really is to use a whole bird, and ideally one that isn’t raised in the hatch/fatten/despatch manner, but rather one who has had the chance to live a little and develop some flavour. Traditionally savoy cabbage leaves served as ‘wrappers’ for savoury pork sausage meat or forcemeat.

So when does a Coq au Vin become Chicken Chasseur ? Both have the same basic ingredients, so what’s the difference ? Essentially tomato or more specifically tomato puree or paste (in Chasseur but not Coq au Vin ), and the optional inclusion of a slug of brandy ( in Coq of Vin but not Chasseur - odd given almost every hunter I’ve ever known has a hip flask ! ) Just to confuse matters even further, there are recipes floating about ( although I am not convinced of their authenticity of Chicken Chasseur using white wine - surely that makes it Coq au Riesling or at least a variation on a theme. )

Whilst we’re on the subject of things to do with a chicken… In Normandy they have three ingredients which are fit for a King (appropriately) Butter, Cream, and Apples - in both fruit, and liquid form. I know some people aren’t keen on meat and fruit together, and I can understand that. Roast Pork with crunchy crackling and apple sauce - YES. Beef and prunes, I’m less of a fan, but open minded. A Normandy Chicken Casserole ( Poulet Normande - not terribly inventive I’ll grant you ) takes full advantage of the fabulous dairy produce of the region, and a very healthy glug of Calvados, the wonderful apple brandy from the region, as well as pieces of apple braised together with the chicken.

Another classic with its roots firmly entrenched in Burgundy, is Poulet Moutarde - France really needs to up its game with this naming malarky… Dijon is of course located at the northern tip of Burgundy, and is famous for its mustard, but if you take a trip to the region, you’ll find numerous ‘Moutarderie’ where you can find mustards flavoured with everything from the ‘must’ of local Pinot Noir grapes to vanilla from the french TOM - Territoir d’Outre Mer - of Madagascar (which is wonderful with fish)

The basis of all these slow cooked (mijote) dishes is :

A good tablespoon of unsalted butter and a decent glug of oil.

Depending on how many you’re cooking for, a decent handful or two of Mirepoix

Onions - either whole pearl or medium dice

Garlic - at least 3 or 4 decent sized cloves

Button mushrooms - enough that every serving gets at least 3 or 4

Lardons - smoked if you like, just be careful about the amount of additional salt you use ! or unsmoked, there is no right or wrong as far as I’m concerned !

The rest is entirely up to you - these are just a few variations on a theme, but with the days growing shorter already, we look toward comfort food with renewed glee - well I do anyway !

In December, Q and S are holding a Horizontal Pinot Noir Tasting, similar to the Vertical Carignan Tasting we did earlier this year. This time it will be paired with a Burgundian meal. Whereas last time I was able to adapt the menu to suit vegans and vegetarians, I’m afraid this time it’s unavoidable.

The Three Course Meal will include

Bouchée de Cèpes aux truffes? - Pinot Noir from 3 different countries/regions will be poured

Boeuf Bourguignon - classique -? Pinot Noir from another 3 countries/regions will be poured

A Cheese Board which will include Epoisses, Chaource and Bleu de Bresses - The Cheese will be paired with a White Burgundy

We are taking reservations for this lunch, please email [email protected] to book your place.