Around My French Table (43 page)

Truly traditional couscous is a complex affair requiring a couscoussière, a large two-level pot that allows you to cook the stew in the bottom and let its moisture steam the grain above, and a special technique for hand-raking the semolina. It's a long process, and one that I find beautiful to watch, but it's not one that most people do at home. For homemade couscous, French cooks, like Americans, turn to instant couscous that can be cooked in broth in less than five minutes. You can make this delicious couscous in about an hour, not that you'll want to rush—the aroma of a couscous in progress is enticing.

Mix the ginger (fresh and ground, if you're using both), cumin, turmeric, saffron (if using), cinnamon, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.

Put a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat and add the butter. When it's melted, put the chicken pieces in the pot (working in batches, if necessary) and sprinkle over the spice/herb mix. Cook, turning the pieces so that they pick up the seasonings in the bottom of the pot, just until they lose their raw texture—you don't have to brown them.

Pour the broth into the pot, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to keep the broth at a gentle but steady simmer, add the leeks, onions, celery, carrots, and turnips, and cook until the vegetables can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes.
(You can make the couscous to this point up to a day ahead; refrigerate the broth separately from the chicken and vegetables, and reunite and reheat them before finishing the dish.)

Taste for salt and pepper and season as needed. Transfer 3 cups of the broth to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour in the couscous and let the broth simmer gently for a minute, then stir, turn off the heat, cover the pan, and allow the couscous to absorb the broth, about 5 minutes.

To finish the stew, drop in the zucchini and chickpeas and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.

Serve the stew while it's piping hot. Each person should have a plate of couscous with chicken, vegetables, and broth, with small bowls of broth, harissa, and raisins (if using) within easy reach.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

SERVING
You can put everything on the table and let guests serve themselves, or you can serve each guest couscous (the pasta), chicken, and vegetables in shallow soup plates. The couscous can be a base for the stew, or it can go alongside. Pour some broth over each serving. When it comes to the hot sauce, let guests decide for themselves. Put a small bowl of broth next to each serving and let guests add as much harissa as they'd like to the broth and then pour it over their couscous. Pass the raisins at the table.

STORING
If it's more convenient for you to work in stages, make the dish up to the point where you remove some broth to cook the couscous. Refrigerate the broth and the chicken with the vegetables separately, then finish the dish the next day. If you've made the whole dish and have leftovers, reheat them gently—the grain and vegetables will be a little soft, but they'll still be tasty.

D
IABLE
IS THE FRENCH WORD FOR DEVIL,
and when you see it on a menu, you can be sure that the dish includes mustard, usually
la moutarde forte de Dijon,
strong Dijon mustard, which is about as hot as condiments in the French kitchen get. You can pretty much count on the presence of bread crumbs too. In the most traditional reading of
poulet à la diable,
the on-the-bone chicken pieces are painted with smooth Dijon mustard, coated with bread crumbs, drizzled with melted butter, and roasted. In my quicker version, you sauté chicken cutlets, then make a pan sauce with shallots and garlic, white wine, cream, and mustard. With a small tweak, you can turn this dish into steak diable (see Bonne Idée).

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Pat the chicken breasts dry.

Put a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter and 1 tablespoon oil. When the butter is melted, slip the chicken pieces into the pan. (If your pan isn't large enough to hold all the pieces at one time, cook the chicken in batches or work in two skillets.) Adjust the heat so that the butter doesn't burn, and cook the chicken until it's well browned on the underside, about 4 minutes. Turn the pieces over and cook until the other side is also well browned and the chicken is cooked through—cut into a piece to check. If the pan dries out, drizzle in just a touch more oil. Transfer the breasts to a heatproof plate (one with a rim to catch the juices), season with salt and pepper, cover lightly with a foil tent, and keep warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce.

Lower the heat to medium, toss the shallot and garlic into the pan, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, just until they soften, about 2 minutes. Pour in the wine, and when it starts to bubble, stir it around so that you can pick up whatever little bits might have stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Let the wine boil for a few seconds, then pour in the heavy cream. As soon as it reaches a boil, stir in the mustard and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Taste and decide if you want more mustard, Worcestershire, or pepper (you probably won't need more salt, since the mustard is salty).

Remove the chicken from the oven, pour any juices on the plate into the skillet, and stir the sauce again. Serve the chicken with the sauce.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

SERVING
Arrange the chicken on a warm serving platter or on individual plates and spoon an equal amount of sauce over each piece. I like to serve the devilish chicken with Garlicky Crumb-Coated Broccoli (
[>]
) or simply steamed carrots, tossed with a little butter and minced fresh parsley or thyme.

STORING
Chicken diable is not a dish to hold on to—enjoy it as soon as it's made.

BONNE IDÉE
Filet Mignon Diable
. Bring the filets mignons to room temperature, then pat each piece dry between paper towels, and sear on both sides in the butter and oil. Beef needs less skillet time than chicken, so start checking after 2 minutes on a side. When the beef is cooked to your liking, transfer it to a plate, season with salt and pepper, cover it loosely, and put it in the 200-degree-F oven. Cook the shallot and garlic in the fat that remains in the skillet, then pour in ¼ cup dry white wine and 2 tablespoons Cognac, Armagnac, or other brandy. Let boil for 1 minute as you scrape up whatever bits are stuck to the skillet, then add the heavy cream, followed by the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the juices around the beef into the skillet, give the sauce one last stir, and serve, spooning the sauce over the beef.

W
HEN YOU FIND A DISH
with apples and cream, it's likely to be
à la Normande,
a tribute to Normandy. Running from the western edges of Paris to the English Channel, the region is famed for apples, cider, brandy-like Calvados (which is made from apples), cream (including thick, spoonable crème fraîche), Camembert, and butter. Not bad for a little corner of the country. In this instance, it's chicken breasts that get the Norman treatment (although it could be pork; see Bonne Idée), and in addition to the apples and cream, there's Calvados and mushrooms, which are also local to the area. The dish is a slightly sweet, decidedly rich mix that's more luxurious, far fancier, and much prettier than either its ingredient list or the brief time it takes you to pull it together would lead you to believe.

Put some flour on a plate and season it with salt and pepper. Pat the chicken pieces dry and run them through the flour, coating both sides lightly and tapping off the excess.

Put a large deep skillet over medium-high heat (I like nonstick) and add 1 tablespoon each butter and oil. When the butter is melted, slip the chicken into the pan (if your pan isn't large enough to accommodate all 4 pieces, do this in 2 batches, or use two skillets). Cook for 3 minutes, to brown the undersides, then turn over and cook for 3 minutes more. (Return all the chicken to the pan if you cooked it in batches.)

If you're low on butter and oil, add a little more now, then toss in the apple, onion, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and turn the new additions around so that they're well mixed and glossy with butter and oil. Cook for 1 minute, then pour in the broth. When the broth bubbles, reduce the heat—you want to keep it at a slow simmer—and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is almost cooked through. (Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your chicken pieces; start checking at the 6-minute mark.)

Turn the heat up again, pour in the Calvados, and boil until it's almost evaporated, about I minute. Add the cream and, keeping the heat on high, cook until the cream reduces by about one quarter, a matter of a few minutes. (If you're concerned that your chicken will overcook, transfer it to a serving platter and keep it warm, covered lightly.) Taste the sauce for salt and pepper. If you removed the chicken, pour the sauce over it; if the dish is still intact, arrange it on a platter.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

SERVING
Sometimes I put the chicken with its wonderful cream sauce over Lemon-Steamed Spinach (
[>]
)—I like the plain, mineral flavor of the spinach against the sweetness of the apple and onion. Sometimes I pair it with steamed broccoli tossed with olive oil or with Pancetta Green Beans (
[>]
), and sometimes I just let it play by itself—it's got enough flavor, texture, and nuance to stand alone.