Two for one deal! Chicken broth and poule au pot

If I were a sporting fan, I may have known about the gem of a cooking show embedded in the Australian telecast of le Tour de France since 2005. As the cyclists pass through various photogenic regions of France, host Gabriel Gate delivers a cooking segment showcasing the culinary specialities of each region. I bought the cookbook because it's cover is so purty and because I love the idea of simple, homestyle French cuisine. The book's title, Taste Le Tour, had me a little puzzled but fortunately the bookseller unintentionally enlightened me. Yeah it was great watching it on the telly. I said.

Poule au pot hails from the Pyrenees region. It's a comforting winter dish despite the fact that butter, oil, cream and starch are largely absent from the ingredient list. In fact, the chicken and vegetables are gently poached in nothing more sinful than herb-infused water. Even the piquant mustard sauce can't diminish its lightness. But trust me, poule au pot is comfort food.

What's really beautiful about this recipe though, is that it produces its own first course. An important fact that Gate leaves out until the final sentence of the recipe. In my books, this makes it an excellent dinner party choice.

You see, the liquid that has been poaching the chicken and the assorted winter vegetables transforms into a tasty chicken broth. Ask for the giblets when you buy the chicken. They are usually discarded before the chicken is sold nowadays but they will add more flavour to your stock. While you keep the chicken and veggies warm on a plate covered with foil, strain the stock into another saucepan, preferably using muslin or a very clean tea towel. Check for seasoning and cook a little pasta in it before serving. Tortellini would work well. I found some scallop dumplings at the market and so they led me down the path of an Asian-inspired broth. I added a star anise and some whole allspice pimentos to infuse the broth. It was very subtle so maybe next time I will try adding some soy sauce and a cinnamon stick.

I also added some strips of stripy red rainbow chard which gave the broth a delightful pink tinge. Not quite sure that was what I was going for, but no matter. Sometimes you have to improvise when it comes to cooking.

Poule au Pot (from Taste Le Tour: Regional French Cuisine, Gabriel Gate)
Serves 4

1 x 1.8kg free-range chicken (plus giblets)
a few sprigs of thyme and parsley
1 bay leaf
1 medium brown onion, peeled
3 cloves
8 black peppercorns
salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 medium carrots, peeled
4 medium turnips, peeled
2 leeks, washed and cut into 10cm lengths
2 sticks celery, cut into 10cm lengths
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 gherkins, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Put the chicken (and its giblets) in a large pot, cover with water and place it on a medium heat. (I hit my first obstacle right here - no large pot! So I spatchcocked the chicken which means I used kitchen shears to cut out the backbone and spread the chicken out flat.)

Use kitchen string to tie the thyme, parsley and bay leaf together to make a bouquet garni. Stud the onion with the cloves and add to the pot with the bouquet garni and peppercorns. Season (well) with salt and pepper.

Add the vegetables to the pot (I cut the carrots into 10cm lengths as well, and the turnips into large quarters). Bring to the simmer and cook for 50 minutes. Remove surface foam from time to time. (Poaching is a very delicate procedure. Make sure it never goes higher than a simmer.)

In a small bowl, mix the mustard with a little salt and pepper. Whisk in the vinegar, then add the oil, whisking continuously. Stir in the gherkins and parsley. Set aside.

(If using the broth for a starter, remove the chicken and vegetables and strain the broth into another saucepan as described above. While that simmers, remove the skin from the chicken, if you wish, and cut into portions. It is surprisingly easy to debone a chicken once it's been cooked, provided you have a bowl of cold water for your burning fingertips handy. Keep the vegetables and chicken under foil. If you need to reheat, reserve some of the original broth and just before serving, plunge them all in the simmering water again.)

Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter and serve with the dressing either poured over the top or in a separate jug.