About once a year, Pollo Real has some stewing hens for sale. These are almost impossible to find in standard markets and for the past several years I have eagerly bought one so that I can prepare this particular dish. The first time I made this with no problems at all. This time my efforts to recreate this dish were comical. I shall provide the recipe and then recount the problems that I faced.
POULE AU POT
(serves 6 to 8)
- 1 6 to 8 pound stewing hen
- salt and pepper
Stuffing
- 1 thick slice salt-cured, air-dried ham--jambon de Bayonne or prosciutto
- 3/4-inch slice ventreche, pancetta or salt port
- chicken gizzard,heart and liver
- 1 loaf stale French bread, crust removed
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 2 shallots, chopped finely
- some chicken fat from under the skin, minced very finely
- 4 eggs
- bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, and parsley)
- 1 pound leeks
- 1 pound carrots
- 1 pound onions
- 1 bunch celery
- 2 to 3 turnips
- 2 to 3 zucchini
- 3 to four tomatoes
- 1 handful short vermicelli or other small pasta
1. Wash and dry the hen, then salt and pepper its cavity. Next, prepare the stuffing, as follows.
2. Chop the meats into small pieces. After soaking the bread in the milk and nutmeg, squeeze out the excess liquid and drain. Season the bread with pepper (salt isn't necessary because of the ham) and parsley. Add the onion, garlic, and shallots. Add the chopped meat and minced fat. Beat the eggs and ad to the mixture. Work the stuffing well with your hands (like kneading dough) until all has been carefully mixed.
3. Stuff the chicken's cavity. After loosening the skin from the breast meat, stuff under the skin as well.
4. Sew the cavity openings together with a large needle and heavy thread. The hen should be carefully closed with no stuffing escaping. Take small stitches, pulling the skin over the openings carefully as you sew.
5. Put the stuffed and sewn hen in a very large stockpot half-filled with hot water. Add enough water to cover the bird. Add a generous bouquet garni. Bring to a boil then simmer gently over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add the leeks and carrots.
6. Cook slowly for an hour, then add the onions, celery,turnips and zucchini. When the bird is nearly done (2 1/2 to 3 hours total time), add a few tomatoes to give the broth a rich golden color.
7. Pour some of the bouillon, enough for a soup, into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add a handful of pasta or tapioca. When the pasta is cooked, serve the soup as the first course.
8. After removing the chicken from the remaining broth, let drain, carve, and serve on a platter with some of the vegetables and with the stuffing cut into slices. Accompany the chicken with Sauce au Capres.
TOMATO-CAPER SAUCE
- 3 to 4 shallots, minced
- 1 tablespoon duck fat or oil
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 small jar caper (approximately 4 fluid ounces)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- poule au pot broth
1. Place the shallots in a saucepan with the duck fat. Cook over medium heat until the shallots start to soften and become transparent. Sprinkle with flour and stir.
2. Add the jar of capers and their liquid to the pan.
3. Stir in the tomato paste with a little water and enough broth (about 2 cups) to make it the consistency you like. You should have ample sauce to pass around two or three times as seconds are served. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes at a simmer and serve with the chicken.
[from
Kate Hill.
A Culinary Journey in Gascony.(Berkley: Ten Speed Press,2004)]
This chicken must have been a great-grandmother. I have never encountered a bird with such tough skin. Even with a pair of pliers to assist me, I couldn't get the needle through the skin. Gave me an idea of what it must be like to be a veterinary surgeon for an elephant. I resorted to various metal skewers and basting pins and kitchen twine to try to close the bird's cavities. But when the bird started to cook, the stuffing began floating to the top. In response to my wailing, Kay suggested wrapping the chicken in cheesecloth and tying it tightly. That worked, but the chicken looked something from The English Patient. I was so frustrated that I forgot to take any pictures for the blog.
The second problem, which I should have foreseen, was that the vegetables had given up all their flavor the broth. If I were to try this again, I would cook some vegetables separately so that they would retain their flavor.
On the plus side, the soup was absolutely delicious--light and delicate with a gorgeous color.
The Tomato-Caper Sauce was also a big hit and would be fantastic on any number of simply roasted meats. That recipe is a keeper.
Kate has another version of this recipe made with a much younger chicken. Some day I will try that and let you know the results.
