Category: French food

Chicken with Artichokes, Shallots, and Tomatoes with whole grain mustard

Chicken with Artichokes Scallions and tomatoes and whole grain mustard

 

Chicken with Artichokes, Shallots, And Tomatoes with whole grain mustard

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Caribbean | Provençal
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Calories: 747 kcal

Chicken en cocotte with vegetables in a savory sauce

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Ingredients

  • 4 thighs Chicken whole, with skin and bones
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil EVOO
  • 1 tbsp Duck fat rendered, substitute butter if necessary
  • Sea salt as needed, fine, not coarse grind
  • Black pepper freshly ground as needed
  • 3 large Shallots peeled and split into cloves, cut each clove in two vertically
  • 8 oz Artichokes hearts, frozen defrosted, but not heated
  • 1.5 c Chicken stock home-made or unsalted/low sodium variety of boxed
  • 2 oz White wine or dry vermouth
  • 1 tbsp Wholegrain mustard preferably Dijon
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard strong
  • 6 oz Grape tomatoes cut in half, or substitute small slicing tomatoes, cored and cut into quarters or sixths depending on their size
  • 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar aged
  • 1 tsp Dried basil
  • 1 tsp Dried French thyme
  • 1/2 tsp Fish sauce

Instructions

Preparation of chicken

  1. Handle the chicken as little as possible, optionally wearing gloves, to prevent cross contamination. Dress the skin on each to cover the flesh. Leave any fat deposits except exceptionally large ones. Place the thighs on a thick layer of paper towels on a cutting board, skin side up. Cover the thighs with another thick layer of paper towels and press onto the surface of the skin. The chicken should be as dry as possible, for best searing without sticking.

  2. Uncover the chicken after no less than two or three minutes and discard the paper towel that was on top. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.

  3. Generously cover the skin first with the sea salt, and then with a generous grind of black pepper, to your preferred level of coarseness. I prefer a coarser grind.

  4. Allow the chicken to sit while you prepare the cooking pot.

Cooking

  1. Heat the pot over medium high, large enough to hold all the chicken comfortably in the bottom in a single layer.

  2. As the pot begins to heat up, add the duck fat and the olive oil to the bottom, and swirl occasionally to coat the bottom. When the fat is ready it will shimmer and will be on the verge of smoking.

  3. Carefully place each thigh in the hot fat, using tongs if you need them, salted and peppered skin side down. The chicken will begin to sputter immediately. Work quickly and when all the thighs are in the pot, adjust their positions to make sure they each have some room. You can partially cover the pot to help minimize the fat splatter while it cooks. Before covering, though, salt and pepper the exposed fleshy side of the thighs evenly.

  4. Check the thighs occasionally. They should eventually brown to a deep golden color. This will take from six to eight minutes. Halfway through the estimated time, turn each thigh 180° to ensure even browning. After the skin side is browned satisfactorily, turn each thigh over and repeat the process of browning, though the reverse side will take less time. Turn each thigh through 180° on this step also.

  5. When the thighs are thoroughly browned on both sides, remove them, setting them aside on a plate or platter in a single layer. And remove the pot from the heat. Extinguish the burner to prevent accidents.

  6. Carefully remove the hot liquid fat from the casserole, and reserve three tablespoons of it, which will be returned to the pot. Discard the remaining fat safely or reserve it for some other use (it is a combination of the original duck fat or butter, EVOO, and the rendered chicken fat, and is a particularly rich fat for browning foods for other dishes, where appropriate).

  7. Replace the pot on the burner and turn up to medium-high. Add the reserved 3 tablespoons of cooking fat. It should take only a minute or two to reach temperature. But watch it carefully and be sure not to let it begin to smoke. Add the split and halved shallots carefully distributed so they can all brown at once. Move the shallots around with tongs and as each section browns turn it to brown another side of it.

  8. Browning all the shallots slightly should take only a minute or two.

  9. Add the artichoke hearts, evenly distributed in the fat in the pot, and with the tongs make sure each is coated in fat. Keep the shallots and artichoke hearts moving in the pot. The artichoke hearts will begin to brown immediately. Give them only a minute to brown.

  10. Add the white wine and stir. Using a wooden spoon, as the wine boils, stir the ingredients, scraping the bottom of the pan. All browned bits should dissolve and come off easily. Stir until the wine is almost all boiled off and lower the heat to medium.

  11. Add the chicken stock and stir gently with the wooden spoon. As the liquid begins to simmer, add, in any order, the balsamic vinegar, the thyme, the basil, the two kinds of mustard, and keep stirring as they dissolve and distribute.

  12. When the mixture has reached a steady simmer, lower the heat to medium low.

  13. Now, carefully and gently place the four chicken thighs in the casserole evenly, skin side up. Be sure to add the liquid that has collected in the plate on which you reserved the chicken to the pot and stir it in. The chicken thighs should sit in the liquid comfortably without being submerged. The rest of the ingredients should rise no higher than half-way up their sides.

  14. Make sure the simmer continues gently, and cover the pot.

    After about half the remaining time has elapsed, add the tomatoes to the pot, distributing them around and between the chicken. Gently use the wooden spoon or tongs to coat the tomatoes with the liquid in the pot. Re-cover, and allow to continue to simmer.

Finishing

  1. When the chicken is completely cooked, which should take no more than a half-hour, remove the thighs to a heated platter or plate. Unless the thighs you used are unusually large, or you did not preserve the simmer on the covered casserole, the meat should be cooked through and tender. To be absolutely certain, use an instant read meat thermometer, with a probe, to test the temperature, being careful to test the thickest part of the thigh and not to touch the bone with the probe. Chicken is done at 165°F.

    Once removed from the pot, the chicken will continue to cook to even more tenderness and doneness and the juices will recede.

    Meanwhile raise the temperature under the pot to medium or medium high, so that it simmers more forcibly and allow it to cook further, in order to reduce and thicken. Remove it from the heat after five minutes.

    You may replace the chicken into the pot, or serve this dish separately from the two containers: the chicken from the platter, and the stew from the pot.

Serving

  1. This dish is excellent served with broad egg noodles, or with whole grains (like barley, farro, or wheat berries), or with whole grain (i.e., brown) rice, either short of long grain.

    Serve each diner in a deep-bowled plate, first with a portion of the grain or pasta, place a chicken thigh on top of the grain, and then ladle or spoon a portion of the other ingredients over the chicken and grain.

Nutrition Facts
Chicken with Artichokes, Shallots, And Tomatoes with whole grain mustard
Amount Per Serving
Calories 747 Calories from Fat 432
% Daily Value*
Fat 48g74%
Saturated Fat 10g50%
Cholesterol 27mg9%
Sodium 1224mg51%
Potassium 1634mg47%
Carbohydrates 55g18%
Fiber 15g60%
Sugar 18g20%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 1766IU35%
Vitamin C 41mg50%
Calcium 140mg14%
Iron 6mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

“Accra” – Beignets de brandade de morue (saltcod fritters)

fritters made from salt cod
“Accra” or beignets de brandade de morue

"Accra"

Course: Appetizer, Starter
Cuisine: Caribbean | Provençal
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 368 kcal
Author: Howard Dinin

A meeting of two related recipes.: the "accra" or saltfish fritters of the Caribbean, (often identified with Trinidad and Jamaica, though variants from each are very different) and the beignets de brandade de morue, which are fritters from Niçoise cookery, made with the core recipe for the saltcod fish mousse that is one of the masterpieces of Provençal/Cote d'Azur cuisine

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Ingredients

  • 150 grams all-purpose flour scant cup
  • 270 grams boneless saltcod about 9 oz. by weight
  • 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes probably two, skinned and quartered
  • 30 mL olive oil about 2 Tbsp
  • 9 grams white peppercorns fresh ground; about 2 tsp
  • 9 grams smoked hot paprika about 2 tsp
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 250 cc water about a cup; to trickle into the batter
  • 9 grams baking powder about 2 tsp
  • 1 small onion peeled and minced
  • 3 cloves of garlic crushed in a press

For cooking

  • 250-375 cc cooking oil, high smoke point use sunflower, grapeseed, canola, or peanut oil, or any combination of these; approximately 1 – 1½ cups

Instructions

Prepare the boneless saltcod; store unused portion

  1. Most saltcod, especially of the boneless variety, seems to come from Canada. I used what turned out to be a fine product that was sold in one pound poly bags at the local super market in the refrigerator case.

  2. Follow the directions on the packaging. They will likely be along the same lines whoever the packer or supplier is.

  3. Essentially, soak a pound of saltcod, boneless, in 6 cups of cold water and store the bowl in the refrigerator between changes of the liquid. Change the water three times in the course of 24 hours. Drain well, and use as directed in the recipe. Any unused portion of fish can be stored in a clean poly storage bag in the fridge for two or three days.

  4. I don't know if the restored (desalinated and rehydrated) fish can be frozen, but I also know of no reason not. I'd suggest a sealable freezer grade poly storage bag, squeezed free of air and stored in the freezer for up to six months. Defrost in the refrigerator over 24 hours.

Prepare ingredients for the batter

  1. After de-salting the cod and draining it well, weigh out 270 grams. Shred roughly in a food processor by pulsing it. Set aside.

  2. Peel and quarter the potatoes. Bring a quart of water to a boil and add two teaspoons of coarse kosher salt. Drop in the potato quarters and boil until tender (only to the point where a carving fork tine enters with little resistance).

  3. Drain the potatoes immediately and set aside in a bowl large enough to mash. Using a tool designed to mash softened vegetables, or a large kitchen fork, mash the potatoes coarsely and set aside.

  4. Skin the onion. Slice it, and mince fine. Set aside.

  5. Peel the garlic cloves and trim of stem ends. Set aside, ready to be crushed in a press at the time you add the garlic to the batter (see instructions further along).

  6. Beat the egg well until white and yolk are uniformly combined.

  7. Complete your mise en place by preparing the peppercorns, flour, baking powder, olive oil, and water in proper containers, ready for adding, as you would with any recipe.

Preparing the Batter

  1. In 2 quart non-reactive bowl (stainless steel or glass), combine the dry ingredients.

  2. Add the wet ingredients in any order, mixing each in well with a cooking spoon or silicon rubber spatula. When they have all been added, make sure they are combined well.

  3. At this point, you may allow the batter, which will be fairly stiff, to sit for about a half hour, at which point you will add the fish and potatoes. Or you can add first the fish and then the mashed potatoes at once. If you add them after the batter has rested (and risen somewhat), they will be easier to combine prior to adding the water.

  4. After adding the fish and potatoes, combine as well as possible to a state of uniformity. The batter is now ready to add the water.

  5. Add the water in a trickle, or in small amounts (two or three tablespoons worth at a time) and keep mixing with the fork or spatula. Keep adding water until the batter is sufficiently liquid to hold its shape but to drop off a spoon easily.

    It should be more fluid than dough, and more viscous than batter. It will drop off a spoon, but will not pour.

Frying the beignets

  1. In a seasoned cast-iron skillet (or similar heavy-walled, heat-retaining material) nine or ten inches in diameter, add the cooking oil to a depth of at least an inch. Heat over medium-high burner until the oil reaches a temperature of 360°F on a candy thermometer or an IR-reading digital thermometer.

  2. While the oil reaches cooking temperature, prepare an absorbent landing pad for the beignets in a safe location near the range using paper towels folded two or three layers thick.

  3. For each beignet, load a tablespoon with a heaping scoop of batter, and drop into the oil near the surface. There should be room in a skillet of the indicated size to fit five beignets comfortably. Assuming the oil is sufficiently hot to begin with, the batter will not stick to the surfaces of the skillet. With a heat-proof cooking spoon, make sure the beignets are able to move freely in the hot oil.

  4. After two or three minutes of frying, turn over a couple of the beignets in turn to see how well browned they are. When a beignet has turned a rich golden brown, turn the beignet over to cook on the other side.

  5. When the beignets have cooked uniformly to the same doneness, remove them one by one and deposit on the absorbent paper towels.

  6. You may keep the beignets warm and crispy by placing in a single layer on an oven proof pan or sheet and keeping in a 200° oven until ready to serve.

  7. This recipe should make from 24 to 32 beignets depending on the portion you used to fry the batter. Sufficient as appetizers for six people.

Serving the beignets

  1. These are excellent with a dipping sauce, or perhaps a choice of sauces. Accra are traditionally served with what is called in the Caribbean a "sauce chien" (dog sauce) which is sweet and savory at once, with some spicy kick.

  2. I prefer these with an "aigre-doux" (sweet and sour) spicy sauce that is much simpler as served in my favorite restaurant in Nice, France, where I first learned about "accra." This recipe provides for a reasonable substitute for the dish that's served at Le Safari year-round. Though these are somewhat more moist, and with not quite as crunchy a crust. I infer they fry theirs in a fryolator, which keeps the oil hotter when the batter is added.

  3. I will post a recipe for a sweet-sour spicy dipping sauce in the next few days.

  4. It may not be to everyone's taste, but I also like these beignets dipped, potato latke style, in sour cream or crème fraîche, chilled in the refrigerator.

Storing leftovers

  1. These will keep, though they'll lose some crispness overnight in the refrigerator, if allowed to cool on the countertop and then stored in the fridge in a sealable poly storage bag with excess air expelled. A freezer bag will allow freezing for a longer storage period.

  2. You can refresh the refrigerated leftovers to a reasonable degree of restored crispness if you reheat them in a pre-heated oven or toaster oven at 350°F for six or seven minutes on a sheet of parchment paper in a baking sheet or tray.

    If you have frozen the beignets, I suggest reheating them in a pre-heated oven or toaster oven on parchment paper on a baking tray or sheet. Set the oven at 400°F and heat for 13-14 minutes.

    Do not allow the reheated beignets to brown any further in the oven

Nutrition Facts
"Accra"
Amount Per Serving
Calories 368 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Cholesterol 99mg33%
Sodium 3179mg132%
Potassium 903mg26%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 1g4%
Protein 32g64%
Vitamin A 845IU17%
Vitamin C 3.2mg4%
Calcium 158mg16%
Iron 3.1mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Desert Island Seafood Stew

Click here and jump to the recipe if you're in that much of a hurry

Not to overwork the usual tired conceit employed by all imagination-starved editors and writers doomed to fill that day’s quota of prose for an impending edition—I don’t, after all, have any real deadlines but the self-imposed kind—but this particular “assignment” has a particular pertinence. My favorite sort of food, the sort I would want to relinquish last in one of those reflexive, and frankly silly if you ask me, thought experiments when forced to admit it, is seafood. I would eschew all avian and mammalian flesh, but please, give me fish any day.

If ever in the unlikely event I were stranded on a desert island, with nought but a pot and decent four-burner range, not to mention a small vegetable plot to supply the ancillary ingredients, and finally some fortuitously provisioned selected alcoholic decoctions, I could go a long way dining on a dish that has a certain universalized ubiquity. I am not a sufficiently well-versed, never mind properly schooled, culinarian as to know the full extent of the global variants, but I’d daresay that nearly every culture advanced enough to have what can accurately be termed a cuisine in any venue that has an oceanic border could be relied upon, without too much scholarly effort, to reveal at least one signature dish, consisting of a soup or broth festooned chiefly with fish of either or both the finny and shelled species, and variously accompanied by a generous, if not only merely a token, array of vegetal tidbits.

One of my favorite parts of the world is in France, and more specifically the southern bit known univerally as Provence—likely among the top ten destinations for a sojourn of whatever length. Not the least among the reasons for my druthers in those climes is the native cuisine. It’s at the basis for the now famous, though by now more establishmentarian than trendy, Mediterranean diet.

This particular stew, which I have termed a “marmite de la mer” naming it, as are so many dishes that are eponymously designated after the cooking utensil in which they are prepared, like the gratin and the paella. These are among a slew of other favorites of mine, which slot easily into this highly digestible, incredibly healthy regimen named after that sea that constitutes the oceanic basin that sits at the heart of the intercontinental ring of enchanted lands (each with its own distinctive and delicious cuisine) ranging from Morocco, and along the northern coast of Africa, to the bits of Asia that reach eastward with a kind of longing for the sea. How many of us regularly stop to consider that Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey are as steeped in brine as any New England state (but Vermont, the land-locked one; don’t ever accept an offer for a “genuine” seafood stew while basking in the beauty of the Green Mountains)? And then following around the eastern rim of the Mediterranean sea to encompass the glory of possibly innumerable modifications of the humble fisherman’s meal at the heart of this recipe of mine, and so many others—and who, after all, would want to choose a “best,” that other imagination-starved conceit of failing editorial sensibilities. Not from Greece, or Italy, never mind France and Spain, and yes, I’ve skipped a host of countries with their own versions of seafood delights, because technically they are on the Adriatic.

This stew of mine is reminiscent, as it says in the notes that follow this recipe, of Italian, more specifically, Ligurian, and French riviera antecedents, with a touch of San Francisco, by virtue of being cousin to the Genoese and Calabrese, who make a stew that is the likely origin of cioppino (of which this marmite of mine is not an exemplum).

I’ve skimped on the vegetables (though carrots, potatoes, and fennel stalks parboiled to tender, for example, before being added, are easy accouterments), and it’s a fish stock, not a tomato. And I’ve used saffron and pastis in the flavoring to make this solidly and unmistakably Provençal, pointing slightly west, while the rest of the dish points east to the Riviera.

Marmite de la Mer (Seafood Stew), with toasts and rouille

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 630 kcal
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Ingredients

Seafood broth and fish

  • 1 cup carrots : chopped
  • 1 cup fennel : trimmed and decored, chopped : trim the stalks, and core the bulb
  • 1 cup yellow onion : chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic : skinned and chopped
  • 1 quart fish fumet (fish stock) : made from fish frames and heads, available from fish mongers, usually frozen
  • 1 quart filtered water
  • 1 bouquet seafood bouquet garni : rough chopped fresh parsley, tarragon, dill, and a large bay leaf, wrapped in cheesecloth and tied
  • sea salt : to taste
  • fresh ground black pepper : to taste
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste : use the double-concentrated sort, usually available in tubes
  • 1 pinch saffron threads : this could be anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon depending on how loose
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp pastis : 2+1 tablespoons for different stages of the broth preparation; use any national brand, e.g., Pernod or Ricard
  • 1/2 lb white fleshed fresh non-oily ocean fish, halibut : see fish note
  • 1/2 lb white fleshed fresh non-oily ocean fish, black cod : see fish note
  • 1/2 lb white fleshed fresh non-oily ocean fish, swordfish : see fish note
  • 1/2 lb fresh or previously frozen wild-caught shrimp, shell on : see fish note
  • 1/2 lb fresh or previously frozen, squid : with tentacles if available
  • 3 each plum tomatoes : very ripe, cored and roughly chopped : optionally skinned and seeded

Rouille

  • 3 cloves garlic : roughly chopped
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1/2-1 tbsp harissa seasoning : dry, ground spices
  • 1/2-1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 yolk large egg : separated, do this ahead of time and set aside in a glass or cup
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil : use a finer grade, as this will be ingested in its natural state as part of the sauce on the toasts

Toasts

  • 1 loaf fresh baked baguette

Instructions

Prepare the toasts

  1. As there are no carbohydrates added to the stew (which is a hint to give you some ideas about adding your favorite, say a pasta like orzo, or a grain, like barley or farro... but these are discussed under options and supplements) I like serving it with a borrowing from one of my favorite soups in the world. Soupe de poissons is a meal in itself (and requires about as much preparation) served in a bowl, and with some ritualistic accompaniments. For this more delicate stew, I suggest serving only the toasts made from fresh baguette, smeared with a generous helping of the rouille.

  2. The preparation is simple and should be done just prior to cooking the stew itself in earnest, between the prep work on the vegetables and beginning to make the mirepoix. Cut off the pointed or rounded end of the baguette (the shape will vary depending on the baker) and then cut at least two slices of about ¾" each for each diner. Cut these on an extreme bias (let's say about 30-40°) to maximize the surface area, creating long ovals.

    The most efficient way to toast these baguette slices is probably in a toaster-oven set to toast both sides at once to the lightest shade of brown. Once all the toasts are done, set them aside in the bowl or on the plate on which you serve them at table beside the stew.

    Also see the suggestions for further research for a brief discussion about serving bread and toast with some of the variants of this dish, as they are prepared and served in Italy and in San Francisco.

Prepare the Broth

  1. Begin with the mirepoix. This is prepared in the same marmite (covered casserole that can be used on the stovetop; one tradition is that it is made of enameled cast iron, which is what I use) in which you will prepare first the broth, and then the finished dish. Not being a fan of additional cleanup, and because the pans I use are quite handsome as well as functional, this can also serve as the serving dish on the table.

    One thing the experienced cook will notice about this mirepoix is that the mix of aromatics has been altered from the classic combination of onions, celery, carrots, and the proportions have been made equal, instead of 2:1:1 of onions to the other two vegetables. I've also added garlic. I've substituted (I prefer to think of it as elevated) fennel as the preferred member of the Apiacaea family (related to the carrot), and more deserving of the designation of aromatic, and most of all being a paradigm of the Mediterranean palette of vegetables, especially well utilized in the cuisine of Italy, just next door to the côte d'azur of France. The characteristic anise top notes of fennel are complemented and enhanced in this recipe with the addition of a shot or two of pastis, the French national drink, and the favorite aperitif in Nice and neighboring Provence.

  2. Start the marmite on medium heat, and add two tablespoons of EVOO. Heat gently until the oil starts to shimmer, and add the onions, fennel, and carrots in any order. Salt and pepper the vegetables and stir occasionally for about a minute. Add the chopped garlic, and stir further.

    Stir occasionally, and adjust the heat, usually downward, so the vegetables are cooking slowly, but not coloring in any way. When they begin to soften, lower the heat to low, and cover the marmite.

    Check the Marmite occasionally, and stir the mirepoix. The mixture should soften slowly, but progressively. Keep it covered while it cooks, in between checking and stirring. When bits of carrot have softened noticeably under pressure from your stirring utensil, raise the heat under the marmite slightly to low-medium. Add the tablespoon of tomato paste and stir thoroughly. Cook an additional minute or two to blend and begin to cook the tomato paste.

  3. Raise the heat to medium high, and after a half-minute or so, add the two tablespoons of pastis, and stir to mix and loosen any bits of fond that may have formed on the bottom of the marmite. Cook for a minute and no more than two, to burn off the alcohol. Add the 1/4 cup of chicken stock, and again, stir to mix and loosen the fond, and keep mixing until the liquid has evaporated so the mixture is thickened, but is not sticking to the pan.

    Add the two pints of fish stock, followed by the two pints of water, and mix thoroughly. Adjust the heat slightly and watch carefully until the liquid just starts to simmer, and lower the heat. Drop the bouquet garni in the heated liquid, and submerge with the stirring utensil until thoroughly soaked and the bouquet floats beneath the surface.

    Cover, and watch carefully to make sure the broth doesn't boil. Stir occasionally. While the broth is simmering and extracting optimal flavor from the mirepoix and bouquet garni, place a large pinch (holding the spice gently between the fingers) of saffron threads in the bowl of a mortar. Crush the threads gently into a coarse powder with the pestle, and set this aside.

  4. After at least 10 minutes, and preferably for no more than 20 minutes, remove the pan from the heat. With a fine sieve placed over a large clean glass or stainless steel bowl, strain the broth into the bowl. Scrape the pan well so all contents are in the sieve. With a large silicone rubber spatula, gently press the mirepoix (having removed and discarded the drenched bouquet garni) to extract more liquid. Be careful not to press the cooked vegetable dregs through the sieve. You want to extract as much liquid as possible, but no solids. Discard the vegetables. Pour the strained broth back into the marmite, and replace on the burner.

  5. Reheat the broth gently. With a large cooking spoon or a small ladle, spoon a small amount of broth into the bowl of the mortar with the crushed saffron and swirl gently so the saffron powder is suspended in the liquid. Pour this mixture carefully back into the marmite of broth as it warms up. Repeat this last step, and you may also use a small silicone rubber spatula to ensure you have scraped all fo the saffron residue into the broth. The mortar and pestle may be set aside to be cleaned for making the rouille while the broth reheats.

  6. When the broth reaches a simmer, add the remaining tablespoon of pastis and another ounce of rosé or white wine. Simmer for three or four minutes to boil off the alcohol. Reduce the heat under the marmite to a very low simmer and cover.

Prepare the rouille

  1. While the broth is simmering one last time, just prior to adding the fish and tomatoes, as described in the next section, prepare the rouille. There is a fresh uncooked egg yolk in this emulsion, and it should not stand for too long before being served. If you prefer preparing the rouille ahead of time, be sure immediately to refrigerate it in the bowl in which you will serve it, covered.

    In a clean dry mortar add the chopped garlic cloves and sprinkle with a pinch or two of sea salt. Crush into a smooth paste with the pestle. Add the yolk you set aside, and mix the paste and yolk together with the pestle until they form a uniform emulsion. Add the EVOO about a ½ teaspoonful at a time and mix thoroughly between dollops. As you mix the mixture should thicken more and more into a smooth unctuous sauce that approaches mayonnaise in consistency. Pause and add the harissa and paprika and mix thoroughly and uniformly into the sauce. It should take on a ruddy hue. Depending on the brand and mix of harissa spices, there may be darker individual specks; this is normal. Rouille is the French for "rust" and the hearty sauce is called this for the color. Keep adding oil in small dollops until it reaches a spreadable consistency, short of stiffness.

  2. Scoop the finished sauce into a small serving bowl, scraping up the mortar with a silicone spatula. Set aside the rouille, to be served alongside the stew for diners to spread on individual slices of toast.

Finish the stew – Adding the fish

  1. Take the cover off the simmering broth, if you have not already done so, and turn up the heat slightly to bring it to a more vigorous simmer. Adding the fish, which is done more or less in very short order, will lower the overall temperature significantly and it will take a few minutes once again to reach the simmer.

    First, before the fish, add the chopped tomato, stir, and then allow the broth to return to the simmer.

  2. Add the shrimp to the broth before the other fish. Then add the finny fish chunks in small lots (rather than trying to add all the fish at once). The squid bodies are added last.

  3. Watch the stew from this point fairly carefully. It will taste best if served when the fish are just done. Aside from not allowing the fish to cook in broth that is simmering too vigorously (it should absolutely not be allowed to boil), the other caution is not to allow the fish to cook for too long a period, even if the temperature is kept low. Cooked too long and the fish will at once fall apart, and the shrimp and squid, as well as certain species of fish, will toughen.

    Once the stew has once again achieved the simmer, you can let the fish cook for another three or four minutes. Then remove the pot from the stove and place, covered, on the dining table on a trivet or hot pad. Have a small ladle ready to serve the guests in turn from the bowl.

Recipe Notes

Fish Notes – Fish Fumet / Stock

As far as the high value protein portion of this dish is concerned, your best friend will be either the local fish monger, or the regular counter folks at a larger urban supermarket fish department. Most local sellers will prepare things like fish stock in their own kitchens and pack it and freeze it for sale in standard units, usually pints. You should expect to spend about $7 a pint for this ambrosia.

I used to make my own fumet, when fish mongers and larger fish markets and supermarket fish departments still butchered their own whole fish and could offer trimmings, mainly the heads, tails and whole fish frames to the first person to ask, or for some very nominal amount. But those days are gone, and the only way to get these invaluable fixings is buy several whole fish from these sources, and ask them to pack the trimmings—all the trimmings—separately. It's only fair, as you're paying for them by weight anyway. Making fish fumet is a wholly separate subject, and likely the topic of at least another stand-alone blog essay.

In the meantime, find a retailer that sells fish stock, and stock up. Most likely it's already frozen, and if you love seafood, it isn't a bad idea to keep two or three units in your freezer, ready for defrosting.

In a pinch, there are packaged fish stocks and broths available from a few different brands. The one that I've used with some reliability is Kitchen Basics brand "Seafood Cooking Stock," and it will do in a pinch, especially in this recipe, which calls for diluting the stock at the intermediary cooking stage. The problem with all commercial preparations, pre-packaged for retail shelves, is they are laden with far too much salt, so the sodium level is too high (Kitchen Basics is not too bad, in that 1 cup has 600 mg of sodium, which is about 1/3 the absolutely sane maximum any adult can afford to eat daily. Choices dwindle rapidly however, when you consider that most other fish stock commercial products appear on the shelves as bouillon cubes, and the less said, the better.

In another pinch you can engineer a pretty good substitute playing with bottled (not canned) clam juice, which is what the vernacular styles as the liquid produced by steaming whole clams (and other bivalves) and capturing the brine and steaming liquid. Unfortunately, the steaming liquid is highly salted fresh water, and you're stuck with how to reduce the sodium, without so diluting the flavor that it adds nothing.

The best alternative to retrieving fish trimmings, heads and frames is to save all the shells you remove from your steamed shrimp and lobster dinners, and packing these in freezer bags, freezing them, and breaking out the lot and making a stock from scratch—the flavor is different, but it is genuine and it is seafood. But, as I indicated, this is the subject for a whole dedicated piece on preparing your own fish/shellfish stock.

Find some fish stock at the fish monger's and then proceed with the recipe.

The Fish

The recipe here specifies the fish I used the last time I made it. I don't mean to suggest you go hunting up these particular species of fish. At least one of them, if not all of them, is seasonal and hard to come by.

The chief recommendation I make is that you use mainly non-oily fish. If you use three (or more) varieties, it's possible one of them can be, for example, tuna or salmon. The problem with the non-white, ocean fish that tend to have a higher fat content is that they are very distinctively (and more importantly) strongly flavored. They are certrainly hardy enough, that is, firm-fleshed, not to fall apart even with the minimal cooking time the recipe calls for.

I recommend, if you can find them, fresh (or, at worst, previously frozen) wild-caught ocean species of fish. There are not, as yet, a large number of essentially ocean-based species, but there are some, that are being farmed. Issues of genetic modification aside, I find the fish that are now being exploited for their qualities that make them more easily suitable for farming – species like tilapia – is that they are too bland (and I do make a distinction between delicate and bland) and many of them too chewy, both of these being qualities making them suitable for cuisines that call for fish in highly spiced native dishes, or for battering and deep-fat frying, techniques that call for fish that will withstand the stresses of these kinds of methods of preparation.

Unfortunately, the best fish for this stew are also the most expensive species, being in increasingly short supply, and also harder to fish in open water. Game fish, like halibut and swordfish are always a good choice. But there are other sports fishing targets that are excellent eating and will work nicely, being firm-fleshed. A fish like striped bass is a perfect example.

Certain species, not only dwindling in supply while remaining highly popular, because of their mild flavor and their high adaptability to several methods of cooking – I'm thinking particularly of cod and haddock - are not wholly suitable, at least for esthetic reasons. They cook quickly and then, in a word, disintegrate. One feature of this stew is that the fish bits are cut bite-size and remain whole in the stew, providing a sophisticated quality of toothsomeness to the dish.

Some of the native variants of this stew, the dishes on which, in part, this recipe is based (at least in spirit) like the Ligurian ciuppin traditionally were made from the spiny species of fish that abound in the Mediterranean, and which are less popular because of the innate difficulty of getting at the flesh of the fish. In a manner similar to the Provençal soupe de poissons or, as I've seen it called, soupe de pêcheurs, a lot of otherwise less marketable fish, either for their size or their physiognomy (they are bony and/or spiny), the fish are cooked to tenderness along with the vegetables used to flavor the stew or soup and then the whole mess is forced through a food mill and the bones and spines and other inedibles are discarded. For this more robust kind of dish, less desirable species, usually also cheaper (though in France, the species used for soupe de poissons have also become immoderately costly) and with a coarser texture when the flesh is whole.

Options & Supplements

I made mention of adding some of your favorite pasta or a grain to this stew. It's certainly permissible, and entirely a matter of personal taste.

I do tend to give myself more work than many other people in similar circumstances feel is absolutely necessary. So, with that proviso, I would recommend cooking the pasta (maybe spaghetti, or linguine – probably the thinner types – broken into bits about ½ or ¾ of an inch long), separately, draining and rinsing the pasta (presumably al dente) and then adding it to the finished stew with a stir, just before serving.

I certainly do recommend cooking any grains, and by grains I mean the whole grain varieties that are more and more available these days, like farro or barley or wheatberries ahead of time. I would cook them to chewy doneness, rather than very soft, as this helps retain a nutty flavor and is a nice counterpoint to the more yielding flesh of the fish.

Cooking the grains ahead of time is a logistical necessity, as they generally take longer to cook to a finished state (and even the type that has been "pearlized," that is, parboiled to diminish the cooking time) that make the time to add the grains to the broth particularly tricky given the workflow of the rest of this recipe. Cooking the pasta ahead of time, for me, is an esthetic decision, as the cooking pasta, no matter what, will release starch into the liquid in which it is cooking. This will make the broth cloudy and will change the consistency of it.

Finally, be advised that as there is saffron in this broth, which gives a wonderful distinct flavor note to the broth and renders the fish in this recipe a wonderful golden hue, any starchy additions, like paste or grains, will also be highly colored by the spice. Not a bad thing, but some people might consider this not a good thing, necessarily.

Nutrition Facts
Marmite de la Mer (Seafood Stew), with toasts and rouille
Amount Per Serving
Calories 630 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Cholesterol 369mg123%
Sodium 1972mg82%
Potassium 1383mg40%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 4g16%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 62g124%
Vitamin A 5715IU114%
Vitamin C 15mg18%
Calcium 282mg28%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
some references for further research:

Certainly all of the countries that have a coast on or near the Mediterranean offer many variants of their own versions of seafood stew. These suggestions for further reading online are just a start.

About ciuppin the Ligurian fish soup, which sort of combines features of the soupe de poissons discussed in the recipe and the San Francisco seafood stew, invented at the start of the 20th century, with its name derived from the humbler native dish and called cioppino: https://berthamag.us/ciuppin

And while you’re at it, you should check out cioppino, just mentioned, as it’s a cousin to this recipe that I’ve concocted. One major difference is that cioppino is a tomato-based broth (and there’s a nod to this origin in my recipe), whereas this marmite is, obviously, fish based, hence lighter and more delicate. Cioppino also traditionally has a far greater number of shellfish, especially bivalves. These can of course be added optionally, as additions, to the marmite recipe. See here: https://berthamag.us/2gf0pxI

For even deeper research into the whole subject of stews, soups, and other large pot melange main dishes made from seafood, you should check out cacciucco, from Tuscany, which is related to ciuppin (above), combining its milled component to create a thicker base for whole chunks of fish and other ingredients: https://berthamag.us/2gf0pxI

The Italian versions of these seafood stews are served over bread or toast, which is placed in the bowl first, and the soup added. Cioppino, the San Francisco adoption of these dishes, is served with the bread alongside. There is, I understand, a Calabrese version, served over toast which is garnished with fresh garlic (in France, garlic cloves are served with the toasts, and the diner is expected to rub the clove on the sharp edge of the crust to their liking).

Real French Roast Chicken

Real French roast chicken
Roast chicken, prepared as described. Serving suggestion; results may vary [photo by M.Goldthwaite]

[Important message: This post is taken from the archives by the same author and blog meister, and appears in virtually the same form as posted on the date noted in 2014 on a different blog he maintains on subjects far more catholic in their variety and focus. Since posting this recipe, meant to be canonical in its own way, repeatedly tested and vetted, I have made one change in kitchen protocols—as applied to all practices for any recipe, anywhere, whatever the provenance of the ingredients, and especially as applied to poultry.

In short, contrary to the directions below about washing the chicken and drying it, prior to preparing it for final insertion in a roasting pan and into the oven, please carefully not the following:

Because of the extreme risk of cross-contamination, even in a home kitchen, from poultry to other foods, cooking surfaces, and cooking utensils and prep areas—thereby significantly increasing the risk of infecting your guests and loved ones with serious illness, but in particular those caused by salmonella and campylobacter, DO NOT WASH the chicken, or any other poultry. Aside from the general rule of handling it carefully, washing all cooking tools, utensils and surfaces touched by the poultry, including your hands, you should make it a habit to wash your hands frequently when handling poultry. I will post a list of more comprehensive tips, plus a list of official and quasi-official links to government Web pages devoted to the subject, from the governments of the U.S.A., the U.K. and New Zealand in the very near future.

I have also added a note into this recipe, below, with alternative directions on handling and preparing the chicken for the oven.]

There are two things said about roast chicken with regard to the French. One, this is one of those quintessential dishes of French cuisine. No one in France, least of all a professional cook, can call him or herself that without being able to make a perfect roast chicken, and in less than 90 minutes. I said, “perfect” and I said, 90 minutes.

Second, there is sometimes only one test of the chops of a cook, in France, or anywhere else (unless it’s certain parts of China, where I believe they have their own magic ways with chicken), and that is, to roast a perfect chicken.

Here’s how it’s done. At least here’s how I do it. Works every time. I’ve done it dozens and dozens of times. The stove is immaterial, as long as it works, and it can reach at least 450 degrees fahrenheit. Forget convection. Forget broilers. Forget any prep, except a sink big enough to rinse the chicken with clean cold water.

You need:

1 3-4 pound chicken, preferably free-range, with no additives (no hormones, no drugs), but fresh air, sunshine, and whatever chickens naturally eat, which includes insects, grubs, and their larvae. Don’t use a smaller chicken or a larger one.

I currently get my chickens from Lancaster County farmers, who raise them entirely naturally and slaughter them humanely and get them to market very quickly after they’ve been knackered.

2-3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil. You can use EVOO, but what a waste. Use canola, or even better grape seed, oil, either of which add no flavors of their own to adulterate the natural fats of the chicken that will render out as it cooks.

Semi-coarse sea salt (Celtic salt from France is best; really, no kidding). Get the unadulterated kind, with no additives.

A good adjustable pepper grinder, set to semi-coarse, and filled with a good kind of peppercorn. You can never go wrong with Tellicherry. And it’s food, for God’s sake, and you don’t use much, so spend a little money on it.

2 Cups of chicken or vegetable broth. Use any of the really healthy brands from, say, Whole Foods Market (their own brand is cheapest). Best to use low-sodium or no sodium versions, but no really big deal if you don’t. If you buy a brand that says it’s “organic,” you’ll be safe. Rachel Ray also markets broths that are amazingly good, and as far as I can tell, not hazardous to your health. Who knew? I can’t attest to the rest of the celebrity/tv chefs with their own brands. Avoid Swanson, Campbell, or any of those huge conglomerate vendors. They’re packaging chemicals in a can. In fact, don’t use it if it comes from a can. Look for those hermetically sealed boxes that hold about a liter of broth. Incidentally, “broth” or “stock” on the label makes no difference for our purposes.

A bulb baster

[optional] instant reading mini roasting thermometer (analog or digital… doesn’t matter); “roasting” means it has a probe that you can stick into roasting meat or fish

That’s it for ingredients.

Set a rack in the middle of the oven, with no racks above it. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Even if you’re not certain it gets to that temperature, use that setting. You’ll be cooking by looking (and touching), plus, if you’re really a very careful person, using a small instant reading thermometer, so too much precision is not called for. If your oven can’t reach 450 degrees, no crime either, it will just take longer and won’t turn out quite the same way, in which case you can tell your guests or family it’s “nearly perfect” chicken. If your oven can’t reach 350 degrees (and you’re unaware of this obvious deficiency) you shouldn’t be cooking.

Put the two cups of chicken broth or stock in a saucepan on the stovetop and bring to a simmer, and then set to very low heat. You’re just keeping it hot, but not too hot. Don’t boil it.

Rinse the chicken inside and out under constantly running cold water in the sink. Remove all objects, including those the chickens was born with, but separated from by the butcher, from the inside of the chicken. Set aside all these residual objects. You don’t need them to roast the chicken. Pat the chicken dry all over with paper towels, and set on a bed of paper towels on the counter.

[Substitute the following directions for the above paragraph, stricken out. It is important not to wash the chicken, as splashes and water droplets can travel as much as three or four feet and cause cross contamination of the kitchen in places you may not at first be aware of. Also, be careful to be mindful whenever you handle the chicken with your bare hands (I keep a box of latex gloves, usually used by health and food prep professionals, in the kitchen, which makes it a little easier to prevent contamination; nevertheless, wash your hands with soap and water after every time you handle the poultry and before touching any other surface, utensil, tool, or object, with or without gloves. If you’re allergic to latex, use one of the many latext substitutes readily available; it’s a common sensitivity).

Place the chicken breast side up, on a rack or not as you prefer, directly in the pan. Reach into the chicken and remove any packet of parts or loose parts: internal organs, including the liver, gizzard, heart, and often the neck, left there by the butcher and safely set aside, either for disposal or for use in other dishes or preparations (like a stock or sauce). Between the prececding step and after each of the following steps, wash your hands with soap and water, and dry them on a clean towel or paper towel. It’s a pain in the ass, but having no one get sick—and no one for whom I’ve cooked has, fortunately, ever been sick that I know of, in nearly 50 years of working in the kitchen—makes it worth it. Nothing ruins a great meal like having a guest in the bathroom retching.]

First salt and pepper the inside of the chicken through the cavity in the rear end. While you’re doing this you can pull away from the carcass all extraneous gobbets of chicken fat, and set them aside with the goodies the butcher stuffed inside.

Turn the chicken over, breast side down, and drizzle about a tablespoon of oil on the chicken and then rub it all over the bottom. All surfaces. Turn the chicken over, and set it down on the paper towels and repeat with the breast side up. You should end up with a fully oiled chicken, including all crevices.

Salt and pepper all readily accessible surfaces of the chicken, top and bottom.

In a low-sided metal roasting pan, large enough to accommodate the chicken with at least an inch or two around it, but no more, on all sides, put the remaining oil and spread it on the inside of the pan. Place the chicken breast-side up in the pan, more or less in the center.

Place the chicken in its pan in the oven, in the center of the rack.

From this point on, unless preparing other dishes for your meal that may present a risk of contamination, you may relax your vigilance about keeping things, especially your own hands and apron, towels, etc. from getting contaminated. This is also a good place to say, perhaps redundantly, to start being mindful of how important it is that chicken, or any other poultry, is completely cooked through before serving it: which means maybe that thermometer would be a good necessity, rather than an option. Wash your hands with soap and water one last time and wipe them dry on a clean towel.

Ideally, in about five minutes you should begin to hear sputtering sounds emit from the oven.

Fifteen minutes after you started the chicken, remove the pan to the stove top, and then pour in enough of the stock (careful it will spatter a little at first) to surround the chicken in about an inch, or a little more, of the liquid. With the bulb baster, quickly baste the bird all over the top with the liquid. Replace the pan in the oven, and once you’ve closed the door, lower the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees.

Every 12-15 minutes, without fail, open the oven, and if you can do it with the pan in the oven, baste the bird all over. If not, take the pan out, close the oven, and baste it on the stove top. If the liquid goes below the one-inch level, add some more from the saucepan.

The chicken will brown very quickly and evenly (unless your oven is a total disaster), and will have started visibly to do so the first time you take the bird out to pour in the broth. After about an hour (you should have basted it by this point four to five times), grab hold of the leg and move it using the thigh joint as a fulcrum. If the bird is done (which is possible, but unlikely) the joint will feel kind of loose. If it’s not moving at all, the bird is not done. Go ahead with the basting that’s due at that point, and put the bird back to cook some more.

After another fifteen minutes, the joint should feel loose, especially compared to the first time you tried. If so, or even if not, this is when you should use your thermometer. Carefully insert the probe into the fleshiest part of the thigh, and try to avoid touching a bone. Inserting it about an inch is sufficient. The bird is ready to remove from the oven if the temperature is at least 160 degrees (for you sticklers, I’m aware that USDA safe minimum recommended temperature is 165°, it will reach that temperature). In all events, the bird should not cook for more than another five minutes.

Remove the pan to the stove top and place a tent of aluminum foil over the top of it.

After five minutes, remove the bird and its tent to a serving platter or cutting board. In the process of removing the bird from the pan, you will discover that there are cooking liquids that have accumulated in the cavity. Upend the bird as you move it and allow these to pour into the pan with the rest of the juices.

Using the bulb baster, one of those special fat skimming cooking spoon, or even, if you want to get fancy, a fat separating graduate [this is a good one, also available from other online retailers, and most kitchenware stores: http://www.cooking.com/2-c-good-grips-fat-separator-strainer-with-lid-by-oxo_411711_11/]. remove all but about 1-2 tablespoons of fat from the liquid left in the pan. Put the ban on a burner and turn it to high, and the liquid should be boiling turbulently in about a minute. Add a bit more of whatever stock or broth is left, and add, maybe, an ounce or two of dry white wine. Let the added liquids boil off and allow the sauce to reduce until it coats a spoon, all the while scraping with a heat-proof (wood or silicone) spatula or flat whisk. You should end up with ½ to ¾ of a cup of sauce.

And you’re good to go.

If you’re really good, I’ll tell you how to prepare some pan roasted potatoes at the same time the chicken is cooking, potatoes that you might just consider perfect, of their kind, as well.

I can’t swear that an American chicken, even as good as those in Lancaster County, will measure up to a Poulet de Bresse, but as far as my taste memory serves, it will be as good as any other chicken I’ve roasted in France.

Eat it while it’s warm. And as the wait staff at a local restaurant back in Philadelphia, kids with not an apparent ironic molecule in their bodies, insists on saying, “bone appeteet!”