Kitchen Inspirations

Prairie Berry chefs Maija and Heidi find inspiration for their cooking everywhere from West Coast wine bars to family kitchens to the Food Network.  Though they may borrow ideas, one thing’s for sure in the Prairie Berry Kitchen…they always change up the ingredients and put their own unique twist on a recipe. 

One famous chef we like here at PBW is Ina Garten. The Barefoot Contessa’s recipes are sometimes used as a springboard for featuring local ingredients before adapting it to our own style of heritage cooking. The following recipe is from The Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics cookbook (Clarkson Potter, 2008) and although it’s not one we’ve done a riff on here at PB, it is reminiscent of the type of dish you’re likely to encounter at one of our winter bistros or private events.

The recipe is for chicken, but you could easily use pheasant, grouse, or wild turkey instead.  Serve it in bowls  with  some crusty bread and a bottle of PB’s Phat Hogg Red. Don't skip the Rouille....it is a truly delicious addition.

Chicken Bouillabaisse with Rouille

 Serves 4

1  4-5 lb chicken

salt and pepper

1 T minced rosemary

Good olive oil

1 large head garlic

1 tsp saffron threads

1 tsp whole fennel seeds

1  15oz can tomato puree

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup dry white wine (such as Phat Hogg Chardonnay)

3 T Pernod

1 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes

Rouille for serving (recipe follows)

Season chicken with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Heat 2 T oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.Brown chicken in batches, 5-7 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate, set aside.

Lower heat to medium low and add garlic, saffron, fennel, puree, stock, wine, Pernod, salt and pepper.  Stir and scrape up browned bits on bottom and simmer 30-40 minutes, until garlic is tender. Stir occasionally.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Puree contents of Dutch oven until smooth. Return sauce to pan, add potatoes and chicken with juices. Stir carefully. Cover and bake 45-55 minutes until potatoes are tender and chicken is done. Check seasonings and serve hot in shallow bowls with a big dollops of Rouille and bread

Rouille (makes 1 cup)

4 large garlic cloves, chopped and mixed with 1 1/2 tsp salt

1 extra large egg yolk, room temperature

1 1/2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp saffron threads

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup good quality olive oil

Using a food processor, process all but oil until smooth. With machine running, pour oil in a smooth, steady stream to make a thick emulsion. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.