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"

Smoked Trout Salad with Horseradish Cream

A light but filling salad that I made for lunch today. You can find pre-packaged smoked trout in specialty grocery stores or Trader Joe, but my local market had fresh smoked "candied" steelhead so I thought I'd give it a go. I wasn't sure how the sweet flavor would go with the horseradish and other ingredients in this recipe, but it was a hit! Serve with a tasty pinot rose wine. Recipe below makes two good-size portions.

Recipe

8 oz. smoked Steelhead (or other trout)
1 hard boiled egg, peeled
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 to 2/3 c. pitted mixed olives (Kalamata, black, and green), cut in half or quartered for larger olives
1/4 to 1/3 c. chopped sweet onion
3 T. loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, or roughly chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 T. olive oil
2 Boston lettuce leaves

HORSERADISH CREAM
1/4 c. whipped cream cheese
1 T. bottled horseradish (I used horseradish cream)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Crunchy French bread for serving

Using an egg slicer, cut the egg into vertical slices, then pivot the slices at 90-degrees in the slicer and cut them again, or chop into squares. Put the egg, tomato, olives, onion, cilantro (or parsley), salt, pepper and oil in a bowl and toss gently.

For the horseradish cream, mix the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Divide the tomato mixture among two plates, creating a mound in the middle of the plate. Make a well in the center of each mound; using a spoon spread it out slightly to accommodate the lettuce leaf. Place the lettuce in the middle and put half the horseradish cream on the lettuce leaf. Arrange the pieces of trout on top of the horseradish cream and sprinkle with any remaining chopped cilantro.

Serve with slices of French bread and butter.

– Jacques Pépin, "Fast Food My Way"

Apple, Dried Apricot and Pecan Crumble

A great recipe for Fall apple season - sweet, crunchy and comforting.

Recipe

2 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1" pieces (about 3 large apples)
3/4 c. dried apricots, cut into 3/4" pieces
1/2 c. pecans, broken into pieces
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. orange juice
1/3 c. sugar

CRUMBLE TOPPING
3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c. sugar
1 stick butter, at room temperature so it's soft

1/2 c. Crème Fraîche for serving

Mix the apples, apricots, pecans, cinnamon, orange juice, and sugar in a large bowl.

For the topping combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix with your fingers until crumbly and well mixed.

Heat the oven to 400-degrees. Put the apple mixture in a 6-cup baking dish (or gratin dish) and sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top, spreading evenly. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes until the topping is brown and crusty and the apples are soft and cooked. Serve with Crème Fraîche or sour cream.

– Jacques Pépin, "Fast Food My Way"

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

Quiche is great for any meal − breakfast with sliced fruit, lunch with a light salad, or dinner with a glass of white wine. Make it even easier by using a store-bought crust. Remove the crust from the freezer and thaw for about 10 minutes, prick all over with a fork, and bake at 400-degrees for about 10-15 minutes, remove from oven and set aside. Turn down the oven heat to 325-degrees while you prepare the filling.

Today I used broccoli and cheddar, but use any combination of vegetable and/or meat and cheese that you have on hand for the filling. The method is the same − pre-bake the crust; sauté the filling ingredients in a tablespoon or two of butter until soft, then set aside; grate the cheese; and whisk the custard ingredients in a separate bowl. Place your cooked filling on the bottom of the pie crust, sprinkle with the cheese, pour the custard on top, and bake!

Recipe

FILLING IDEAS
★ 1/2 c. thinly sliced shallots or onion, 1 cup chopped broccoli, 1 c. grated cheddar cheese (pictured above)
★ 1/2 c. thinly sliced shallots, (1) 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, defrost and squeeze out all the water, 1 c. grated gruyere cheese. For this quiche I sautéed the shallots separately and put on the bottom of the pie crust, sprinkled the cheese, spread the spinach on top of the cheese and pour the custard on top.
★ 6-8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled, 2 chopped green onions, 1 c. grated gruyere or swiss cheese
★ 1-1/2 lbs. asparagus cut into 1" pieces and cooked, toss with 1 c. freshly grated parmesan
★ Onion Quiche: Peel and slice 4-5 medium onions, saute in 1/4 c. butter until soft and brown and all the moisture has cooked away, and season highly with salt, pepper and paprika. I don't usually add cheese to this one. Makes a good appetizer if you bake in a square pan and cut into bite-size square pieces.

CUSTARD
1 c. heavy cream
4 eggs
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Beat the ingredients with a whisk for about 15-20 seconds. Pour over filling ingredients.

Put the quiche on a baking sheet and bake at 325-degrees for about 50 minutes.

Beef Tenderloin Stew with Mushroom & Raisin Chutney

Comfort food made in the blink of an eye! Jacques Pépin's "Instant Beef Tenderloin Stew" was a cinch to make and didn't require hours of cooking. From start to finish it took about 30 minutes. The beef tenderloin was a bit of a splurge but well worth it. Prepare and serve this stew in a high sided, large skillet with a lid. Make sure your pan is on medium-high heat to sear the vegetables. I didn't get the pan quite hot enough so I had to cook a bit longer and didn't get that nice sear, but it still tasted wonderful! The cold chutney adds another depth of flavor and really enhances the stew.

Recipe

STEW
2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1-1/2 c. potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes (keep in a bowl of water until ready to use to prevent discoloration)
8-10 small carrots, peeled
8 oz. small button mushrooms
1/3 c. chopped onion
1 T. chopped garlic
1 c. peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-1/2" pieces
2-4 oz. dry white or red wine (for deglazing the pan)
Chopped chives or parsley for garnish

Heat 1 T. of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the potatoes, carrots and whole mushrooms; cook partially covered for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and lightly browned. Add the onion and cook for a minute longer. Add the garlic, peas and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook for another minute or two. Set aside, covered, while you prepare the meat.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in another skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper on the steak and add it to the skillet in one layer so the meat sears. Saute for 2-3 minutes until browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to the vegetable mixture in the other skillet. Add the wine to the skillet you cooked the meat in and boil for about 10-15 seconds, then pour over the meat and vegetables. Sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve with mushroom and raisin chutney.

MUSHROOM & RAISIN CHUTNEY
Put all of the following ingredients in a stainless steel saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and boil gently for about 10-15 minutes. Cool. Serve cold. Will keep refrigerated for about two weeks.
1 lb. button mushrooms, quartered
1/3 c. dark raisins
2 T. olive oil
2 T. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
1/3 c. dry white wine
1 T. chopped garlic
2 tsp. chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 c. coarsely chopped onion
2 T. red wine vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt

– 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"