3 lb roasting chicken
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1/4 pt brandy
1 garlic head
1 salt & pepper
Directions
Joint the chicken into the usual 7 pieces (or buy 2-3 lbs chicken
portions). Separate the head of garlic into cloves and peel them.
Don't be put off by the quantity of garlic, it doesn't taint the
breath at all. Above all, don't reduce the proportion.
In a large casserole, heat the oil with the butter until the froth
subsides **BEWARE** Don't let the butter burn. A few pieces at a
time, fry the carefully dried chicken joints on both sides, turning
once only. You don't want to cook them, just brown them lightly.
As soon as they are all cooked, pour off the excess fat, trying to
keep any crusty bits in the pan. (I put a knife blade on the edge
just to let through the fat.) Return the browned chicken to the hot
casserole, and still over moderate heat, pour over half the brandy,
which you have warmed gently in a ladle. Set light to it, shaking
until the flames subside. **WATCH OUT FOR YOUR HAIR**
Reduce heat, pour over the brandy, add the whole garlic cloves, season
generously with freshly ground pepper. Cook 20-40 mins depending on
how well cooked you like your chicken done, or until tender. For
modern broilers, 20 minutes is long enough for them to be tender. For
older free-range chicken, 40 minutes may not be long enough! You will
have a few tablespoonsful of sauce. Correct seasoning and serve very
hot. The garlic cloves will be deliciously edible.
per Ian Hoare
Fidonet COOKING echo
Servings: 6 servings
Chicken A La Poitevine Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chicken; Poultry
The History of Recipes
Recipes as a concept can be observed back into the distant past, certainly as far back into recorded history as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and maybe even further. Having said that, in the main part, these old cook books were just basic pictorial instructions for meal preparation.
Fascinatingly, the oldest recipe found, according to food historians are some stone tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making those who drank it feel wonderful. Progressing into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a number of scripts detailing recipes prepared by the Romans. In his scrolls, he tells us how the roman meals were split into appetizers, main meal and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Additionally, he tells us how the Roman cooks made use of a wide range of herbs and spices, including a few you will know like thyme, rue and parsley. In the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods and spices from the East, including spices such as coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new foods and spices led to an explosion in books on cooking, the majority of which are kept safe in private libraries. Over the following few centuries, the powerful families of Wesstern Europe competed to lay on the most extravagent banquests, and as a result chefs and their collection of recipes could command a high salary. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 19th century that fine cooking and cookery books became popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and writing down recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. The arrival of TV brought us TV cooks and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everyone to search through massive numbers of recipes just like those on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Chicken A La Poitevine recipe.
