Chicken Bouillabaisse with Rouille

A quick, hearty, satisfying meal for those chilly, windy almost-Winter days. You really don't need to serve this with anything else – it's a meal in itself. I didn't have chicken thighs so I substituted three chicken breasts and marinated in the fridge for about 3 hours (can be marinated up to 8 hours). Serves 4.

Recipe

4 large skinless chicken thighs (about 1-3/4 lbs.)
1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. coarsely chopped onion
1 rib of chopped celery
1 coarsely chopped carrot
1 T. coarsely chopped garlic
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp. saffron
1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
1/4 tsp. herbes de Provence
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
(1) 14-oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. dry white wine
3/4 c. chicken broth (or water)
5 red or yellow Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3/4 lb. total), peeled and cut into 4 pieces each
1 kielbasa sausage (about 10 oz.), cut into 2" pieces
2 T. chopped tarragon (or parsley or chives)
Splash (2 tsp.) of Pernod (an anise flavored liqueur) *optional

ROUILLE
1/4 c. liquid from the soup
1/2 of one of the cooked potatoes in the stew
2 large garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 egg yolk
1/2 c. olive oil
Dash of salt, if needed

FOR THE BOUILLABAISSE:
In a large bowl combine the olive oil with the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, lemon zest, saffron, fennel seeds and herbes de Provence. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken, toss to coat and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Or marinate in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.

When ready to cook, put the chicken and marinade ingredients in a Dutch oven or stainless steel pot and add the tomatoes, wine, chicken broth (or water) and potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently until the potatoes are half cooked, about 25 minutes. Add the kielbasa and tarragon (and the Pernod if using) and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes longer.

FOR THE ROUILLE:
Transfer half of a cooked potato half to a food processor along with 1/4 c. of the cooking liquid from the stew. Add the garlic, paprika and cayenne and process for 10 seconds. Add the egg yolk. Then, with the machine running, add the olive oil in a thin stream and process until smooth and creamy. Taste and season with salt if needed.

Serve the bouillabaisse in shallow bowls with a few spoonfuls of the rouille drizzled on top.

– Jacques Pépin, "Fast Food My Way"

Mushroom Velouté

The nights are longer, the weather is crisp and rainy − time for soup. This creamy mushroom soup is quick and easy, a perfect first course to a hearty beef stew. It's worth finding dried wood ear mushrooms (also known as tree ear or cloud ear) for a garnish. I found a 3-oz. package of dried cloud ear mushrooms at a Mediterranean market. Use 1 or 2 of the larger pieces as they really expand when simmered in the soup.

Recipe

2 T. butter
1 c. sliced shallots
1 T. very thinly sliced garlic (or use a vegetable peeler)
1-1/2 T. flour
4 c. chicken stock, heated
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 pound button mushrooms, washed and coarsely chopped
1-2 pieces dried cloud ear mushroom
1/3 c. sliced almonds, toasted for a few minutes on top of the stove or in the oven until lightly browned
1 c. half 'n half

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the shallots and garlic. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes or until softened. Add the flour and stir well for about a minute, then stir in the hot stock, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.

Add the mushrooms to the stock with a few pieces of the dried cloud ear mushroom. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. After about ten minutes, remove the cloud ear mushroom, let it cool, then slice in strips to use as a garnish when the soup is done.

When the soup is done, use an immersion blender to puree the soup to a creamy consistency. You can make the soup ahead at this point. When ready to serve, heat the soup, add the half 'n half, stir, and bring back to a boil. Take off the heat and ladle into bowls. Garnish with some of the cloud ear mushroom strips and sliced almonds on top.

– Jacques Pépin, "Fast Food My Way"

Ragout of Broccolini, Beans, Sausage and Clams

Fall has arrived just in time for a ragout of broccolini, beans, sausage and clams. The clams lend a bit of Spanish flair to this dish. I used a mild Portuguese linguica sausage but feel free to substitute a hot or mild italian sausage. Don't forget some rustic bread to dip into the delicious sauce!

Recipe

2 T. olive oil
6 oz. hot Italian sausage (remove casing), chopped
1/2 c. chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 small bunch broccolini (about 15 stems), chopped into 2" pieces
1 15.5-oz. can cannellini beans (I used mixed beans)
1 10-oz. can clams (or two 6.5 oz. cans)
Grated parmesan for garnish

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the sausage and brown for a few minutes. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper flake, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the broccolini, salt, and the juice from both the can of beans and clams. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove cover and stir in the beans and clams. Bring to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes, uncovered.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some grated parmesan, with a crusty bread.

– adapted from Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"

Gazpacho

A perfectly cool soup for a hot day. I put all the ingredients in a Vitamix, turned it on, and a minute later had a fresh first course to my Spanish inspired dinner of Chicken and Shellfish Paella and Pineapple in Dark Rum Sauce.

Recipe

1 green bell pepper, peeled with vegetable peeler and chopped
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
3 cucumbers, peeled, seeds removed
4 large ripe tomatoes, quartered
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1-1/2 c. Bloody Mary Mix (I used Zing Zang)
1 tsp. salt
Sprigs of parsley for garnish
Croutons

Save 1/2 c. each of the green pepper, onion, cucumber and tomato for garnish. Put all the ingredients, except for the parsley and croutons, in the blender. Turn on and blend until smooth. You can't beat a Vitamix for this step!

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with spoonfuls of the reserved veg. Add 2 or 3 croutons and sprigs of parsley, if desired.

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"

Cold Black Bean Soup with Banana

An easy, last minute, no cook black bean soup! Perfect for a 90-degree day when you just don't feel like lifting a finger.

In a food processor puree a can of black bean soup with a little olive oil, Tabasco, a few tablespoons of chopped onion, a crushed clove of garlic, and about 1/4 to 1/2 c. chicken stock to make the mixture creamy. Serve in small soup bowls, topped with a ribbon of sour cream diluted with a bit of water; garnish with a few slices of banana and a couple of cilantro leaves. Makes about three small first course servings.

From Jacques Pépin's "Fast Food My Way"

Ratatouille

A wonderful vegan dish using freshly picked vegetables and simmered for 30 minutes. It's delicious hot or cold. Using a mixture of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onion, garlic and canned fire roasted tomatoes makes this easy to prepare. This recipe by Jacques Pépin ("More Fast Food My Way") is the real deal! His recipe calls for adding 3/4 lbs. of penne pasta, but I leave it out. For a more robust dish (and not vegetarian), add sauteed/browned Linguica sausage at the beginning with the onions.

2019 UPDATE: Lately, I’ve added 1 T. dried basil with the rest of the ingredients, and at the end of cooking time adding 1 T. balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, then cooking an additional 5 minutes. Also adding a cooked gluten free pasta stirred in (such as Trader Joe’s corn pasta fusilli). Delicious!

To watch Jacques prepare his Ratatouille with Penne click here (starts at the 1:58 mark).

Recipe

1/4 c. olive oil
1 eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 green pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 c. onions, chopped (3/4-inch pieces)
2 T. garlic, coarsely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes in sauce (I use fire roasted)
2 tsp. salt

GARNISH:
1/2 c. olives (kalamata and black oil cured, pitted)
2 T. fresh basil or parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. grated Parmesan (optional)

Heat a large pot (or Dutch oven) to medium-high with the olive oil. Add the the onion and green pepper and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook gently for 30 minutes. If the mixture has too much liquid, reduce it by boiling, uncovered, for another 3-4 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

To serve, drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle with the olives, parmesan and fresh basil or parsley.

– Jacques Pépin, "More Fast Food My Way"