I'm a great believer in economy. Especially of time and labour. There are a number of Persian dishes that I make quite often that require poached chicken. Whenever I cook the chicken I add a few little extras like a stick of celery and some carrots, season well and once the chicken is tender I remove it and I'm left with chicken stock to freeze ready for the next time I make risotto or soup.
One of the dishes I make regularly at this time of year is a kind of chicken, gherkin, egg and lemon, potato salad called Salad Olivier. It's great to keep in the fridge for packed lunches.
Yesterday I made this chicken Tachine by covering two chicken breasts with water, poaching with a whole finely sliced white onion before draining and placing all day in a marinade of yoghurt, two beaten eggs, salt and liquid saffron. It's best left overnight but I didn't have time. I then cooked two and a half cups of Basmati rice in boiling water for a few minutes, until al dente, drained it and then placed in an oven proof dish. I then mixed all the ingredients together with the rice and a little oil , covered and then baked in a hot oven for two hours, with a few knobs of butter added in the last few minutes.
The rice is golden and crunchy on the outside and soft inside and the chicken moist and tasty.
Hi Deb! These dishes sound great - I am especially intrigued by the Salad Olivier! Such interesting flavour combinations. You have inspired me to have a go at chicken stock too! Rel
ReplyDeleteHi Rel.
ReplyDeleteI think my husband would happily eat Salad Olivier every day of the week...It's actually of Russian origin. I've noticed that like most foods each family seem to have their own recipe for this salad. Some like to add garlic sausage and garden peas, whilst others add olives. I always make it the way my mother-in-law used to with lots of fresh lemon juice...it cuts down some of the richness of the mayonnaise, and although the combination does sound unusual it works really well.
If you ever want to try making it you can find her recipe
at http://cookingupastorminateacup.blogspot.com/2010/02/blog-post_5529.html
It seems such a waste to throw the poaching liquid away and I'm obsessed with making risotto at the moment with all the great vegetables and legumes that are available and so it's great to have a little supply of stock on hand.
Thanks for your nice comments,
Deb