Receta Chicken Fricassee with Shiitake Mushroms
Jane, Jason and John About a month ago, my
friends, Jane Maguire and John Quigley of Long Island Mushroom Inc., invited me
to attend a special event. It was a
dinner held at the EECO Farm in Easthampton.
It was hosted by a group called “Outstanding in the Field”, a quirky
roving restaurant that travels all over North America staging dinners that
bring together local farmers and foodies in outdoor pop-up settings. Local food purveyors supply the raw
ingredients. Jane and John were, of
course, responsible for the presence of their glorious mushrooms. And Jason Weiner, who is the Chef and
Co-Owner of Almond Restaurants—one in Bridgehampton and one in New York—did all
the cooking.
Photo by Kelli Delaney Kot Outstanding in the Field
arrives in a big, old red bus stocked with practically everything needed to
create these farm feasts—with the exception of the food and the plates. The diners bring the latter which makes for a
wonderfully eclectic table setting.
Their crew sets up enormous long tables right next to the source: in
this case at the East End Community Organic Farm. The town of Easthampton owns the 42 acre site
and then leases space to local organic farmers who share equipment and
land. Photo by Kelli Delaney Kot The Outstanding in the Field crew
are as earnest and enthusiastic as our farmers and they put on a wonderful
party. There were fully 6 courses which
Chef Weiner and his restaurant crew were somehow able to serve to 115
participants. I had never heard of
this particular event but I sat next to two Pennsylvania couples who had
planned a week’s vacation just to be there. They were 'camp followers' who had been
to other OITF dinners, one on a ranch, another on a mountaintop and one right
on a beach. To see where OITF will set
up tables next, go to http://outstandinginthefield.com/events/north-american-tour/
The whole idea is to have
people connect to the land and the people who grow the food. There’s a farm tour, which was conducted by
one of the EECO farmers. The fisherman
who provided the line-caught the tuna, black back flounder and red hake told us
about his work and took questions. After
passed hors d’oevres, everyone sat down to dinner with generous pourings of
wine from two local vineyards: Channing Daughters in Bridgehampton and the
North Fork's Paumanok Vineyard.
Photo by Kelli Delaney Kot Chef
Weiner’s menu was heavy on our local catches paired with our beautiful
produce. But the grand finale was a terrific
Chicken Fricassee which featured Jane and John’s fresh mushrooms,
hydroponically grown and picked that morning at their mushroom farm. As I sat there in the setting sun, I couldn’t
think of a nicer way to spend an evening.
It was the sixth time OITF had worked with Jason and I could hardly wait
for next year. While this isn’t his
recipe, it’s the one I made to salute him.
It’s no 30 minute meal. But it’s
a wonderful dinner party dish. The browned and braised chicken thighs sit atop
the shiitake and onion mixture. A
flavorful broth accompanies them and the coup de grace is a lovely nutmeg
scented light cream sauce. Just as Chef Weiner did, I paired it with some fresh local green beans. And I used rice to sop up all the goodness of the sauce. I served it at my final dinner party of the season, just
before leaving for the city. And I had
enough left over to share with Andrew when I got home. Here’s the recipe.
- Recipe for Chicken Fricassee with Shiitake Mushrooms:
- 3 pounds Chicken Thighs (bone-in; skin on)
- 2 Carrots (finely diced)
- 3 Garlic cloves (sliced thinly)
- 2 Celery Ribs (finely diced)
- 1 Lemon (zest and juice)
- For the Onions and Mushrooms:
- 5 White Onions (sliced thinly)
- 1 pound Cremini (or Button or Shiitake) Mushrooms (sliced 1/4-inch
- thick)
- 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg
- 1/4 cup Parsley (chopped)
- For the Chicken:
- In
- a large heavy bottomed pan placed over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive
- oil. Tie the herbs and peppercorns in cheesecloth. Pat the chicken
- dry with paper towels and then season with salt and pepper on both
- sides. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, sear the chicken
- until golden brown, about 8 minutes for each batch.
- Remove the chicken and add the butter. Once melted, add the carrots,
- onions, garlic and celery. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5
- minutes, or until slightly softened. Sprinkle the vegetables with the
- flour and stir to combine with the butter. Cook for a minute before adding the
- wine.
- Cook the wine down by half and then add the chicken stock. Drop in the
- herb bundle and add the chicken back to the pot. Cover and simmer gently
- for about 35 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Add the egg sauce
- mixture to the chicken pot and then bring the chicken back up to a simmer. This
- will thicken the sauce into something creamy and rich. Stir in the lemon zest
and juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Remove the herb
bundle and discard.
For the Onions and Mushrooms: Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the
butter is melted and foamy, toss in the onions and mushrooms and season with
salt and pepper. Let cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, or until they have
achieved a golden color. Deglaze with the wine and reduce by half, about 2
to 3 minutes.
For the Sauce: Whisk
together the egg yolks and cream. Add some freshly grated nutmeg. Ladle
slowly some liquid from the braised chicken into the egg mixture, tempering the
eggs so they don't scramble. Whisk in one more large ladle full, stirring
constantly.
Add the egg mixture back to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for 2 to 3
more minutes at a gentle simmer.
Plate a spoonful of the onion and mushrooms in the center of each
individual bowl. Ladle in the chicken fricassee, top with sauce, and
garnish with the parsley and serve.