Friday, October 05, 2007

Provençal Chicken

Monday October 1

Elizabeth had just arrived home from Maine, and she was thoroughly jet-lagged. So we volunteered to cook her dinner, and also invited her daughter Emma.
A little champagne started the evening, with more of those famous French sausages and sliced salami di Milano to add a touch of salt. And we kept up our Southwestern theme as well, with a salsa of chopped avocado, tomatoes, red onion, and coriander.

As Sainsbury's had no chicken breasts that weren't boneless and skinless (there'll be some tough talk at Prime Minister's Question Time), we got another Great British Chicken and hacked it into serving pieces, which we marinated with fresh rosemary, a pinch of herbes de Provence, a little cognac, and olive oil. Then we browned the chicken in a casserole with chopped bacon and a bit of butter (can't have too much fat!), added chopped onions, and flambéed it with cognac (a procedure we suspect may be more thrilling than actually necessary). Finally, we added chopped fresh tomatoes, and later some black olives, and let the whole thing stew for about an hour. It was tender and flavorful.

Dessert was more fresh strawberries, dipped in double cream. You can't go wrong with that.

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