Fine English Cookery/Michael Smith 1998

Green Fricassee of Chicken
Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Calories Saturated Fat Fat Sodium Carbohydrates Protein Cholesterol
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INGREDIENTS:
a jointed roasting chicken weighing 1-1/2 kg/3 lb seasoned flour 100g/3 oz butter or more
3/4 bottle dry Rhine wine 3 egg-yolks 125 ml/1/4 pint double cream
2 tbsps freshly picked and finely chopped parsley 1 kg/2 lb leaf spinach (before cooking) salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg or powdered mace buttered green pasta to serve



1 Thoroughly pick and wash the spinach in an abundance of water, allowing time for the grit to fall to the bottom of the sink.
2 Put a little water in a pan and press in all the spinach, salt it lightly, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain well and run plenty of cold water through it. Leave the spinach in a sieve with a plate over it and a weight on top to press out any surplus liquid.
3 When the spinach has completely drained, arrange it in a mounded bed at the bottom of a serving dish large enough to take the chicken pieces. Dot with 1 ounce of the butter, cover with foil and put into the refrigerator until needed. (This operation can be done a day in advance.)
4 Put the serving-sized chicken pieces into a large plastic bag with the seasoned flour and shake well until each piece is completely coated.
5 Melt at least 2 ounces of butter in a heavy-bottomed frying pan until it forms and carefully fry the chicken joints until they are golden brown on all sides. Cover the pices with the wine, put a lid on the pan and gently simmer the chicken until it is tender.
6 The breasts will obviously be ready before the thighs, so remove these and keep them warm, covering them so that they do not dry up. When the thighs are tender, take them out and arrange all the pieces on top of the spinach.
7 Re-cover the dish with foil and put it to warm through for 20 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 170C/325F/gas mark 3.
8 Strain the wine stock, which will be slightly thickened from the flour on the chicken pieces, into another smaller pan and bring to the boil just before you are ready to serve the dish.
9 Beat the egg-yolk and add the cream. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in this liaison of cream and yolks. If the sauce does not thicken immediately, return the pan to a very low heat and whisk gently until it is the consistency of a real custard sauce. Add the parsley and check the seasoning.
10 Sprinkle a little more mace of nutmeg over the waiting chicken pieces and the coat with the bright green-yellow sauce.
11 Serve with buttered green pasta.

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