Yesterday, we had a special Sunday lunch. Special, because we are in France, shared our lunch with good friends, Angie and Eric, and remembered Jeanne and Paul Strang by eating le poulet les Cazes / roast chicken à Lascazes. This is their own recipe which I am sure was enjoyed many times at their home, Lascazes, in the Aveyron. I bought a lovely farm chicken (poulet jaune) from the market in Cahors and started by making a bit of stock from the giblets and wing tips. I stuffed the chicken with chopped onion, garlic, and tarragon, adding butter and salt and pepper. I coated the chicken with more butter mixed with piment d’Espelette and roasted in a hot oven for just over an hour, adding stock to the pan and basting the bird every so often. I placed the chicken on a warm plate and covered with foil to rest, while I deglazed the pan with verjus to make the gravy. This was the perfect dish to raise a glass to Jeanne and Paul and to remember them fondly.

You can’t go wrong with le poulet rôti aux pommes de terre et aux légumes / roast chicken with potatoes and vegetables. I put some duck fat in the bottom of a roasting pan, then added potatoes (small), an onion (sliced into rings), carrots / celery (sliced), and peeled garlic cloves. I poured in some water and mixed well. On top of this bed of vegetables, I placed my lovely farm chicken, stuffed with cèpes (dried and reconstituted in a little water) and more garlic cloves. I coated the bird with duck fat and seasoned well with salt and pepper. I roasted for 90 minutes. I carved the chicken into portions and served the pan juices as gravy.

To make les cuisses de poulet au bouillon / chicken legs in a vegetable stock, I put the chicken pieces into a casserole and covered with chopped vegetables: carrots, onions, and garlic. I covered with chicken stock (from a cube) and added salt and pepper. I brought to the the boil and simmered gently for half an hour. I removed the chicken, placed on a baking tray, and brushed the skins with melted butter and sprinkled over a bit more seasoning. I placed under a hot grill until crisp and golden. Meanwhile, I reduced the bouillon, then strained, and served this as a sauce. The chicken was moist and tender, with a crunchy appetising skin, and the simple sauce was delicious.

To make les quarts de poulet braisés / braised chicken thighs and drumsticks, I gently fried chopped onions and lardons in duck fat, then added chopped mushrooms for another 15 minutes. I placed chicken pieces (two thighs with drumsticks attached) in the pan, and poured in some white wine and water. I sprinkled over some salt and pepper, a teaspoon of piment d’Espelette, and a pinch of dried thyme. I covered with a lid and continued cooking over low heat for three-quarters of an hour, turning the chicken pieces occasionally. The result was very appetising: soft chicken falling off the bones in a tasty broth.

Over Christmas, I cooked le vieux coq de la Ramaye / cockerel as cooked at the Domaine de Ramaye. On day 1, I browned the cockerel pieces in goose fat on all sides. In another pan, I browned some vegetables (leeks, carrots, onions), added chopped pork belly and bacon, and flamed with a little brandy. In a third pan, I heated a bottle each of white and red wine and flamed this for a few seconds. I assembled the dish in a large casserole by placing the cockerel on a bed of vegetables and pork, then sprinkled over some strong coffee, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper corns. I brought it back to the boil before pouring in the wine and adding some mushrooms, then cooking, covered, in a low oven for an hour and a half. I left the dish to cool in the garage overnight. On day 2, I put the casserole back into a low oven for another hour and a half, before leaving it in the garage overnight again. On day 3, I put the casserole into a low oven for the final cooking of two more hours. My perseverance and patience paid off, as the slow cooking produced tender meat in a rich, complex, savoury sauce.

Note: I used a real cockerel sourced from my local butcher – much bigger than a regular chicken. I was surprised at the addition of coffee, but I have read that, traditionally, a cup of the cockerel’s blood would have been added to the stew for its rich flavour and to thicken it. Coffee (or unsweetened cocoa powder) mimics this.

Les cuisses de poulet, crême et champignons / chicken drumsticks in mushroom sauce makes an easy supper dish. I started by making the cream sauce, not in the usual way: I stirred milk and crême fraîche together, added grated parmesan, heated gently, and put to one side. I fried sliced shallots in goose fat, then added my floured chicken pieces (just thighs) to brown on both sides. I added white wine, stirring up all the tasty sticky bits, and reduced the liquid by half. I transferred everything to a gratin dish, added chopped mushrooms, salt, pepper and nutmeg. I covered with foil and cooked in a medium oven for 20 minutes. I added the juices to the cream sauce, mixed well and poured this new sauce over the chicken. I dotted with butter and placed under the grill to finish.

The food of South-West France is not traditionally spicy, but the recipe for le poulet aux épices / chicken in a spice sauce illustrates how the cuisine has evolved. I sautéed chicken drumsticks and thighs in olive oil until lightly browned, and set aside. I added chopped onion and garlic and continued cooking until soft. Then I stirred in turmeric, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, and tomato concentrate. I poured in chicken broth, and mixed well. I put back the chicken pieces, covered, and simmered gently till cooked.

The recipe for le poulet à la crême et aux champignons / chicken legs in mushroom sauce epitomises classic cookery. I sautéed chopped shallots and mushrooms in butter. In another pan, I gently browned chicken drumsticks and thighs. I sprinkled with flour and continued cooking, stirring while it browned. I deglazed the pan with some white wine and water, making sure that all the sticky bits dissolved into the sauce. I added salt, pepper, thyme, a bay leaf and the mushroom / shallot mixture. I continued cooking gently, turning the chicken pieces from time to time. Before serving, I stirred in some crême fraîche. Simple ingredients + traditional techniques = delicious food!

I like a recipe that says “make the dish the day before serving”. So I chose le lapin au saffron / rabbit with saffron for Sunday lunch to which we invited friends, Yvonne and Philippe. I asked the butcher to cut the rabbit into pieces. I fried these in duck fat till browned on all sides. I removed the pieces and set aside. In the same pan I fried a chopped onion till golden, added flour and poured in white wine and chicken stock. I simmered and then liquidised with a hand held blender. I added a pinch of saffron, put the rabbit back and cooked gently for 20 minutes, adding seasoning to taste at the end. Once cool, the casserole went into the fridge, just requiring reheating the following day. This made the meal very easy and gave me more time to concentrate on speaking French!

With the recent wintery weather, I have been cooking warming stews and this recipe – le lapin aux pruneaux d’Agen / rabbit with prunes – was a variation on that theme. I soaked prunes in red wine overnight, and marinated a rabbit, jointed by my butcher, also in red wine, with oil, vinegar, carrots, onions and black pepper. The next day I browned chopped streaky bacon (my substitution for pork belly) in goose fat in a casserole and set aside. Then I browned the rabbit pieces, followed by shallot onions. Once the latter had coloured, I sprinkled in flour and blended in the drained wine / marinade, adding stock, garlic, carrots, bouquet garni and seasoning. I stirred till smooth, put the meat back and simmered gently for an hour and a half, adding the prunes for the final 30 minutes. The resulting dish was tender and delicious – just the thing for a cold evening!