So Many Dishes

There were no posts last week because we were away on vacation. It was a typical beach vacation for us, where we rented a condo and ate most of our meals there. I have a standard repertoire of recipes that I make in those circumstances, although I made a substitution this time. Because of the change, I forgot an ingredient: we pack along all but the fresh/refrigerated foods we need, and try to buy as little as possible at the island’s sole (and expensive) grocery. I ended up getting what I needed on the island, but I had a work-around in mind if necessary.

The experience reminded me of when I needed to adapt and substitute on a regular basis. That was the five months that we lived in Prague in 1993. It was an interesting time in the Czech Republic. It was less than four years after the Velvet Revolution, and there were so many vestiges of Eastern Bloc life that remained. Ties with Western Europe were still being established. Grocery shopping ranged from the little potraviny, where you told the person behind a counter what you wanted, to open air markets, to the then-new “supermarket.” I use the term loosely. It was maybe the size of an Aldi’s, although it did have a deli counter and a wonderful bakery. But you couldn’t count on anything being on the shelf two trips in a row. (I started to type “two weeks in a row,” but I made multiple trips each week. Since we had no car, I was limited to whatever I could carry home on the subway in two canvas bags, while marshalling a 5-year old. ) So improvisation was essential.

One constant through our stay was that I never used the oven. Our apartment had a gas stove with no pilot light. It was the only time in my life that I’ve owned a lighter, because I needed one to light a burner each time I turned one on. I would have had to do the same with the oven, plus there were no temperature markings on the control dial. I know that gas ovens in Europe often just use a numerical system, so I’ve seen recipes that will say “Gas Mark 4” or similar. This dial was blank! Every dish I cooked was done completely on the stovetop, because the oven was just more of a challenge than I was willing to take on.

This recipe is one that I adapted to the stovetop in Prague, and have cooked that way ever since. I’ve made a few changes along the way. Instead of a whole chicken, I use chicken pieces, and it doesn’t matter if they’re bone-in or boneless. The chickens we purchased in Prague were always whole, so I got pretty good at cutting them up myself. In the process, I would inevitably bone the breast halves, and I still usually do for this dish, and skin them as well. The original recipe calls for prosciutto, which I definitely never saw in Prague. But there was always delicious deli ham, and I still prefer to use slices of a smoky ham, such as Black Forest- or tavern-style. This dish takes a bit of time at the beginning, but once it’s all together, you can set it and forget it. We always serve this over cooked white rice, because the broth is the best part. The original recipe is from La Cuisine de Madame Saint-Ange, reprinted in The Good Cook: Chicken from Time-Life Books.

Chicken Braised in a Casserole, Farmer’s Style

• 2 to 3 lbs. chicken pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper (see above)
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 4 carrots, thinly sliced
• 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 4 slices deli ham (see above)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 lb. fresh green beans, broken in half
• 1/2 cup (or more) chicken stock

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch oven over medium low heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, and continue to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. They should be softened but not at all browned. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter in the Dutch oven, still over medium low heat. Add the chicken pieces and brown lightly, turning to brown all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan. Line the pan with the ham slices. Return the chicken to the pan, and surround it with the cooked vegetables, peas, and green beans mixed together. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low to medium-low heat for one hour, turning the chicken pieces at least once during that time. Add extra stock if the vegetables begin to look dry (usually not a problem). Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as desired. Serve with rice or crusty bread. Serves 4 to 6.

Happy eating, everyone!