I was feeling sort of French on Sunday. I think it was due to the fact that we finally made it to Pied-A-Terre, a beautiful restaurant down the street, the night before. So lovely….a sophisticated room with a menu to match. Definitely left me wanting more.
So there I was, Sunday, leafing through my cookbooks when I came across a recipe for Chicken Bouillabaisse. Chicken? Really? I had always associated this dish with fish. However Ina Gartner (aka the Barefoot Contessa) had a different take on it. Now, totally confused, I decided to do some research. According to Wikipedia, bouillabaisse is derived from the Provencal Occitan (a dialect spoken in south of France/Spain) words “Bolhir” (to boil) and “Abaissar” (to simmer). So, it seems as though the term references the cooking method, as opposed to the ingredients. Mystery solved – although in hindsight, I don’t think I had ever bothered to translate bouillabaisse any further than “yummy fish soup”….tres french, non?
Chicken Bouillabaisse
Adapted from Ina Garnter
Adapted from Ina Garnter
- 3 lbs chicken (I used thighs but you can mix it up with whatever parts you like)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped rosemary
- coarse salt and pepper
- 1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
- 1 Tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 Tsp saffron threads
- 1/8 c. pernod (I didn’t have any so I used cognac – equally as lovely, or you can skip it entirely)
- 1 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 lb yellow fleshed potatoes (I like Yukon Gold, but that’s just me)
Chez Wittmann 