Tuesday 18 January 2011

Fricassee of Left-Over Chicken with Grapes

Traditionally a fricassee is made from boiled chicken but I thought I'd give it a try with my left-over roast chicken. I was also curious to experiment with using grapes and the result was rather yummy. The recipe below should be enough for four people.

350 g left-over organic or free range chicken, deboned and skin removed
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
250 ml whipping cream
2 handfuls of mixed red and white seedless grapes, halved
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
fresh parseley or coriander for serving, if at hand

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy oven-proof saucepan (I used my Le Creuset) and sautee the onion and garlic until soft.
2. Add the chicken and grapes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour in the cream and season with nutmeg.
4. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally to prevent from sticking. Check the seasoning.
5. Then remove from the heat, cover with a lid and cook in the oven at gas mark 5/200° C for 20-30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the meat is piping hot.
6. Serve with rice.

Variation:
1. You could simply heat the fricassee on the stove. I decided to place it in the oven so it would be ready at the same time as the rice.

2. Try adding a teaspoon or two of capers, a tradional fricassee ingredient.

Parsnip Soup with Grated Apple

This is quite a thick and filling soup. You may have to add more stock or water to use it as a starter.


1 kg parsnips, peeled and diced
250 g potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground very finely
1 tsp cumin seeds, ground very finely
1.75 l vegetable stock
1 onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small red chilli, chopped
pinch of saffron, optional
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated apple

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sautee the onion, garlic and chilli over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the spices and sautee for another couple of minutes.
3. Add the parsnip and potato and mix until coated with the spices. Season with pepper
4. Add the stock and saffron, if used, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
5. Puree and serve each portion with a heaped tbsp of freshly grated apple.

Cream of Spinach Soup

This is a superfast, tasty and healthy soup. The spinach can be substituted with watercress or rocket.


1/2 l vegetable stock
1 red onion or shallotte, very finely chopped
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
200-250 g spinach, optionally coarsely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
sea salt to taste
extra virgin olive oil
crème fraîche or Greek-style yoghurt

1. Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil, add the onion and garlic and stir over a medium heat until soft.
2. Add the spinach and coat with the onion-garlic mix. Season with black pepper and nutmeg.
3. Add boiling stock and turn of the heat. When the spinach is wilted, puree, check the seasoning and serve with a little crème fraîche or Greek-style yoghurt.