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Archive for the ‘French’ Category

©2008 Harry Kenney

Before I publish my recipes I like to do research. Especially those recipes that feature ingredients that are considered more unusual or less-known to the American palette. And definitely those that require a different technique of preparation and/or cooking. Regular visitors here already know that I want to present you with more than just a recipe but also with some knowledge and background to go with it.

I look around not only to compare the different styles of various recipes but also to determine what are the variations folks have come with as well as what are the classical, traditional components of a dish. For instance, for this vegetable tian, every recipe but one talked about slicing the veggies such that you had 1/4-inch thick disks of roughly the same size (as much as possible) laid out on it’s side and forming a single layer atop of a bed of onions.

Where as dozens and dozens conformed to the manner I just described only one, Emeril’s recipe, differed. As such it was more confusing and it stood out from the crowd as being very different, and so it seemed that must be his special variation. Then, however, after I actually made this dish (and obviously before publishing it here) I discovered a second totally different version, different from both the “norm” as well as from Emeril’s, so a third variation. The “troubling” thing is I found this at Epicurious, and it was from Bon Appétit magazine, and it was by a three-star French chef known for his Provencal dishes, Roger Verge. And so yes, he makes it a third way. So that’s Emeril’s way, Verge’s way, and the most proliferated way which is the very one I did here as well.

So which is the original? I’m in doubt, thrown off balance from that last discovery. Ok, so does this even matter you might wonder? In a big sense: no, it’s the taste that matters in the end. But as said, I like to usually establish the norm, and then figure out the variants off it. Why? Just so that I have a centering, a balance. You see I am neither a “classist” nor a “fusionist”. I’m whatever I want to be at the time I make something. But I do like a “compass” when I’m cooking — to know if I’m heading in the right direction, going a totally different direction or just going around in circles. And now my compass needle is spinning around quite haphazardly.

So much for what I can’t say definitely. Let’s brush that past and now the question becomes: What can I definitely say about this dish? Well, it’s worth the trouble, that’s number one. It will taste rather different than you are used to — and I mean that in a very good way; that’s two. Vegetarians rejoice for even though, omnivore that I am, I treated this as a side dish at my home — I had it with ham and pineapple in case you were wondering — this tian can very very much be an entree for certain. I don’t think any real vegan is going to say this is dish is just another veggie side. It’s a meal.

What else can I say? That tian is not only the name of the dish, but it’s named for the shallow casserole of the same name — buy just try finding one either to buy or just to see what it looks like, and I couldn’t. Also, Epicurious’ Food Dictionary says “a tian can be any of various dishes, but originally referred to a Provençal dish of gratineed mixed vegetables.” Now it’s time to define what a gratin is. While most famously (in America) referring to au Gratin potatoes, a gratin is “any dish that is topped with cheese or bread crumbs (this one has cheese) mixed with bits of butter (nope, I used olive oil) then heated in the oven or under the broiler (oven for this dish) until brown and crispy.” However before all of that, a tian is braised (lid on) and then it is roasted (no lid).

You’ll find my “faithful” rendition here contains, because of the “need” to keep things all about the same diameter (back to the often-made disk version): zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes and potatoes. And since I now know there are other versions where the size doesn’t matter and others where one makes two or more layers, I’m already looking forward to sometime in the future trying out one of Verge’s tians which involves eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives and anchovies.

A final thought: Recall I mentioned I had this as a side with ham? If you are not having this as your main course and you are likewise having some kind of meat with it, I suggest that to get the most out of this dish you should serve it with a more neutral or understated protein. That is, while it might go fine with steak or beef or pork, I think they might be too overpowering. And so you will likely find that ham or chicken or fish would make a better pairing. But, paired or solo, you will find this a delicious and very different way to have the same old vegetables, and I think once you’ve had this you’ll have it again and again. Bon appetite!

Vegetable Tian Provencal
©2008 Harry Kenney

1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin (into strips)
1 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch disks
1 yellow squash (of similar diameter), sliced into 1/4 inch disks
2 tomatoes (of similar diameter), sliced into 1/4 inch disks
2-3 Red Bliss potatoes (of similar diameter), sliced into 1/4 inch disks
1 glove of garlic, smashed and thinly sliced
olive oil
1/4 cup grated Gruyere (or grated Parmesan)
thyme, fresh preferred, dried otherwise, lots of it
herbes de Provence, light sprinkling (optional)
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F. In small frying pan, medium heat olive oil, put in the garlic and add the onion. Do not brown, you want translucent medium-soft onions. When these are done place them into large area shallow-to-medium height casserole dish.

Now alternating, take a slice of yellow squash, tomato, potato, zucchini and place them in the dish in whatever four-set order you began with and make this a tight fit. If you have a circular dish you can try to make a circle and then an inner area. Or you can make rows. See photograph above for best visual of this. When completed, give a heavy drizzle of olive oil atop all the vegetables, salt and pepper, then a heavy dose of dried thyme or a medium (but still heavy for fresh) dose of fresh thyme on top, you can even leave the sprigs on at this stage if you wish. If you have herbs de Provence a light sprinkling of that too works out nicely.

Place in oven for 40 minutes either with a lid or covered in aluminium foil. Take out after this amount of time. If you used fresh thyme remove any sprigs (if you did dried, nothing to do here.) Sprinkle again liberally with the oil. Now cover with the cheese on top. Back in the oven, now uncovered for 30 minutes until cheese melts and gets a brown on it.

Take out. Leave cool for five minutes or so and serve. Depending on if this is your entree or a side and how much you portion out, this can serve anywhere from 2-3 (as an entree) to 4-6 (as a side).

This is somewhat like a ratatouille, sorta like a cacciatore, in a sense like a stew, and apparently is a ragout (though it seems a million things could be a ragout). It appears from spending a great deal of time researching on the Web trying to find what was the most appropriate way to label this recipe, that in the end, it’s very much my own concoction. That should make me happy. And yes, it does — but, it’s one of those rare times when thinking of the name of dish was a ton more difficult then actually coming up with or even cooking the dish!

Ok, let’s explore what it’s similar to and yet not: Cacciatore which is usually definied as a hunter-style preparation with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, herbs, and bell peppers. Now while all of those elements are indeed main ingredients, the real deal almost always contains red wine and capers, whereas mine doesn’t. Moreover, yes, cacciatore is most often found with chicken seems like it’s a shoe-in, but no, for it is not made with bonesless chicken breast but legs and theighs and the bones intact, the idea being to made a flavorful “stew” of darker meats “hunter” (as in just caught) style. This is close though.

Ratatouille is known for it’s main ingredient of eggplant, yet in the early days this “poor farmer’s dish” from Provence, France didn’t contain it. It did have all the other ingredients though including: zucchini, tomatoes, green and red peppers (bell peppers), onion, and garlic. This comes closest to mine. Though substituting chicken for eggplant turns an otherwise pure veggie dish into something altogether different.

This dish could also be called a kind of stew (in the broad sense that gumbo and bouillabaisse are both stews, albeit not the kind that comes readily to mind), yet my dish here contains no potatoes, no normally-associated starches and doesn’t take a long time to cook and that fails the main criteria of the action of actually “stewing”. In many ways the closest “thing” this might come to be is a ragout, but this is solely because the definition is so wildly broad in scope: “well-seasoned meat and vegetables cooked in a thick sauce”.

In the end — as you have already seen by the title — I’m naming this my Chicken Ratatouille, for if you know the ingreidents of the regular one, then I think the name here pretty much gives you the best idea of what you’ll be making and eating.

Either way, this is a long-time favorite dish of mine I’ve made for well-over a decade now. In fact, this could probably be another one that I’d say well deserves being a “signature dish” of mine. The flavors just seemed to go so well together. You could serve this over something starchy, very easily. I’ve found that fettucine makes a nice base because the thickness of the pasta seems to go well with this full-bodied, rich dish. But this is so savory and hearty and deep with flavor, most of the time I just serve this in a big bowl, by itself, atop of absolutely nothing. Maybe a nice buttered roll on the side to catch up the delicious, highly-seasoned juices.

With that said, one last bit of advice: This is a robust meal. Season to taste, as always. However, consider going “overboard” or very liberal with your seasonings. Why? Because this dish can take it. More than that, it makes it shine.

Harry’s Chicken Ratatouille
©2007 Harry Kenney

ingredients:

three chicken breasts, total 2-2.5 pounds, diced into chunks
mushrooms, button, 1.5 cups, sliced
two regular-sized yellow squash), sliced on the diagonal, long ovals
two regular-sided zucchinis (green squash), same as above
one large yellow onion, or two medium, diced
one green pepper, medium, cut into strips
one red pepper, medium, cut into strips
four cloves, garlic, sliced
28 oz can, diced tomatoes (or stewed tomatoes pureed in blender)
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1/3 cup grated parmagena cheese

liberally season with:

olive oil
salt
pepper
basil
oregano

Olive oil in the hot pan. Add two cloves sliced garlic. Toss in the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook thoroughly and brown. Continue to add oil as it gets low, sprinking atop chicken. Near end, add more seasoning and, if you want, white wine to deglaze pan (while chicken still in it).

In another large pan, medium-high heat, add olive oil, rest of garlic, then bell peppers. Season with salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Agan, add olive oil as needed and more seasonings every time another ingredient is added. After a couple minutes, add squashes and get them a bit brown and start to soften (but not too soft). A few more minutes and in with with onions and mushromms. Stir, more oil as needed, more seasoning as needed, let everything blend well.

While the whole veggie mix still has crispness, yet cooked well, toss in the chicken from the other pan. Two minutes later, add the tomato. More seasonings as needed. Mix everything together well, stirring often. After Bout four minutes, add the parmagena, stir a minute, then ladel out into large bowls. Makes about 8 servings.