Vermillion Coast Chicken

Ingredients (Serves 6)

1 large chicken cut into serving pieces or 9 chicken portions (a mix of thigh and breast)
4 tbsp olive oil
150 ml dry white Vermouth
200 ml chicken stock
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 strips orange peel
3 skinned red peppers from a jar
Pinch chilli flakes
¼ tsp coriander seeds, ¼ tsp fennel seeds, roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar
100 g pitted green olives; soaked in water while you prepare the recipe.
250 g tomato Passata
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp flour
Salt and pepper, continental parsley

Method:

Salt and pepper the chicken and in a large frying pan, brown it on all sides in hot olive oil.  Remove to a plate.

Add the chopped garlic, chilli, crushed coriander and fennel seeds to the hot pan and cook until the garlic tinges here and there with brown.  Add the flour and stir in for a moment, then add the Passata, chicken stock and the Vermouth, thyme and orange peel.  Return the chicken pieces to the pan.  Cook for 15 minutes and then add the red peppers and the drained green olives.  Cook for a further 5 minutes, the chicken should now be done.  Test by pricking it with a sharp knife in the thickest part, the juices should run clear.

Daube de Boeuf a la Languedoc

Choose a cut of topside for this dish; the firm texture will slice well when cooked.

Marinade (enough for 2kgs of beef)

Cook 3 sliced onions, 2 carrots and 2 sticks celery in 3 tbsp olive oil until soft (about 10 minutes).  Add 1 litre red wine, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 4 cloves, 6 juniper berries,  1/2 tsp black pepper corns, a good grating of nutmeg, a bouquet garni with a lot of thyme (preferably from Provence/Languedoc), a big strip or orange peel (no white pith), 2 tsp salt  and 6 garlic cloves (chopped roughly).  Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Let the mixture cool overnight.

 Put a 2kg tied beef roll of topside into a large freezer bag (big enough to hold it) and pour in all the marinade.  Close tightly squeezing out as much air as possible.  Put it in the fridge and turn twice a day for 3 days (you can leave for up to 5).

 Cooking

 After 3-5 days, open the bag and drain out the marinade, scrape all the bits of vegetable and spices etc. off the meat and reserve the marinade and bits.  Dry the beef on paper towels.  Heat a large cocotte (large enough to take the beef comfortably) and add a little oil.  Brown the meat on all sides.  Pour in the reserved marinade.  If necessary add enough water so that the liquid comes up half way up the sides of the meat.  Bring to the boil on top of the stove and transfer to an oven at 160 degrees for 1/2 an hour.  after that regulate the heat then so that the liquid simmers gently around the meat.

 Depending on the cut of meat etc. it will take up to 6 hours to cook.  It is done when a sharp knife easily pierces it but before it is falling apart. 

It is much better to make this the day before and reheat it on the day of serving.  The flavours will improve and it gives you time to complete the very long cooking at your leisure. I have done it before on the day and as you can never quite tell how long it will take it is very stressful...not a good idea.

 So, leave the beef in the pot to cool and transfer to the fridge.  Next day scrape off the fat from the sauce.  Bring the sauce to the boil, lift out the meat and strain out all the bits from the sauce, then put the beef back in and then transfer the whole thing to an oven at 160 degree for 30 minutes.  Take out the beef carefully (it will be very tender) and cover with foil.  It will keep warm in the oven turned low for 45 mins without drying out.  While the beef stays in the oven, reduce the sauce to about 1/2 to concentrate flavours.  If it is still thin, thicken with a little potato flour.  Adjust salt if necessary.

 Carve the beef in slices and coat with the sauce.

 It is often served with buttered pasta, sprinkled with parsley.