We bought a chicken to eat for our tea,
Being France the chicken was full
Of heart and liver and, I think, kidney
And oddly she also had balls [shaky rhyming scheme but bear with me]
The penny dropped that this chick was a cock
So I boned it and browned it in oil
Then braised it in wine for two turns of the clock
‘Twas a handsome reward for my toil.
See – balls. There they are. By its foot:
We went to the market at Clermont L’Herault and, having discovered the restaurant food in the Languedoc to be largely inedible, decided to cook at home. Something simple – roast chicken, salad, new potatoes. Anything – anything – would be better than the bouillabaisse we couldn’t eat in Sete (more of that another time).
Anyway, as the poem and the photograph should show, this poulet was, in fact, a coq.
This is a fairly stripped down version of a coq au vin.
Serves 2-4
A cockerel. Or a chicken. Or a chicken with balls. Boned.
200g smoked lardons
A little butter
A handful of shallots, peeled and halved
Garlic, a few cloves, unpeeled but lightly crushed
Red wine – half a bottle
Water – a good slosh
200g girolles/chanterelles
Slices of stale baguette – two each
A good handful of parsley, finely chopped
A clove of garlic, crushed
Olive oil, salt, pepper
– Preheat the oven to 160C. Fry the lardons in a little oil until crisp and bung in a saucepan. Brown the chicken pieces in the oil and bacon fat, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go, and add to the pan. Toss in a little butter, lower the heat, and add the shallots and garlic, shaking now and then and gently frying until slightly softened and slightly browned. Into the pot with them.
– Add the wine and a glass of water to the frying pan to deglaze, then add this to the pan along with herbs if you have them – thyme, bay, parsley stalks, rosemary if you like. Worreva. Oh, and the mushrooms. Bring back to a boil, cover, and bung in oven for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
– When ready to serve heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the bread until toasted. Mix the parsley and crushed garlic with a little oil and spread over the toasts. Serve with the chicken and a generous spoonful of juices.
Surely this is a cock and ball story? ……sorry
That looks seriously tasty, loving the garlic toasts, would give that meal another layer of flavours.
Cheers
Marcus
Arf arf!
They look like slightly fleshy almonds.
That’s how they tasted…
Divine…. but don’t do poetry again… I feel violated!
I think I might always do poetry from now on…
I never knew you where such a wordsmith. I am imagining you writing this in a white robe like the poets in Blackadder.
How did you know?
Loving the poem (!) and the garlic toasts. Less keen on the teeny tiny balls. Chickens in italy always arrived stuffed with various lovely bits of offal – as a slightly squeamish former vegetarian I’m happy to stick with breast and thigh 🙂
Next time you’re feeling bold I’d recommend cooking the heart – delicious.
We had the same problem in Sete just the other week. It was picnics for dinner as a result.
Although there’s a clothing store that turns into an all right outdoor tapas place in the evenings on Quai Maxim Licciardi. You can see it in the background of one of these photos:
http://gordonwhite.posterous.com/sete-day-1
Other than that, there was a passable Macaronade further down the canal but that’s all. Pity. It’s an awesome little town.
It’s extraordinary how bad Languedoc food is, particularly with such wonderful ingredients.
Hi James – welcome back – had to say I have been trying stuff from your book (great book by the way) and the chilli with beer was Out Of This World…. chilli and tomato jelly was a Great Success but the onion marmalade/jam doesn’t look too good – I may have put in too much butter and I’m worried it may turn rancid – what do you reckon? Having said that, I haven’t tried it yet so it could turn out to be delicious. Coq au Vin looks great – another on my list… think I am cooking my way through your book!
How did it turn out? J
Chick with a dick, literally.
Ha!
first time at your blog and loving it. the poem’s hilarious! anyway the coq au vin looks gorgeous! i hope you didn’t throw the balls away, i’m sure they would have been yum..? (:
Yes I think I missed a trick there, J
A week today exactly I was in Clermont L’Herault market! We did a lot of eating in too but the village (Montpeyroux) caff did an outstanding entrecote n chips, sauce Roquefort miel, plus hello, walking distance away. *smug*
Smug bomb!