My favourite Le Creuset Casserole

This past week, I have had the opportunity to christen a fabulous new Le Creuset 30cm casserole and to test pilot a fabulous new range of products from that dynamic Duo from NoMU, Paul and Tracy.  Tracy is a former BBCFood star and has gone on the great things with the company she and Paul own.  NoMU – www.nomu.co.za – has a brilliant range of products which we use regularly in our kitchen.

Here are the two recipes:

Two Chickens in a pot

In the style of a farmhouse French chicken casserole, I have used fresh cepes [boletus edulis] and French shallots that we are able to get occasionally.  If you cant find them, use pickling onions, or  3 medium onions cut into quarters keeping the root joined to the onion.  If you are not able to get fresh cepes, use Portobello mushrooms and up the amount of dried cepes in the dish.

You’ll need: 20g dried cepes, boiling water, 2 whole fresh free range chickens, sunflower oil, 60g butter, 12 shallots – peeled and keeping them whole and the roots intact, 60g butter, 4 fat cloves garlic – sliced, 200g cepes – sliced, 500ml NoMU Fond chicken stock, 125ml white wine, 125ml dry white vermouth, 6 sprigs thyme, 4 bay leaves, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

You’ll need: Place the dried cepes in a small bowl and pour sufficient boiling water to cover.  Preheat the oven to 200C.  Truss the chickens with string tying the legs together and the wings under the breasts.  Into a large ovenproof casserole [I use a beautiful red 30cm Le Creuset casserole] pour sufficient sunflower oil to cover the base and heat to medium heat.  Swirl in the butter and brown the chickens one by one on all sides being careful not to burn the butter.  Keep to one side on a plate.  Add the shallots to the butter and brown gently on all sides.  Remove and set aside.  Throw off the excess oil in the casserole and swirl in the second bit of butter, add the garlic and cook for a short while.  Add the cepes immediately, stir-fry for a while and then add the dried cepes and their soaking water, the NoMU chicken stock, wine, vermouth, thyme and bay leaves and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Place in the oven for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 150C and cook for a further hour.  Remove the chickens, carve and serve them up with the sauce.  You can add a dash of cream to the sauce and reduce it down a bit if you wish.

Serve with steamed basmati rice and a green vegetable like long stemmed broccoli.

Two chickens in a pot

Navarin de Mouton [lamb with white beans, potatoes & carrots]

This recipe uses a style of French cooking as pioneered by Julia Child in the 1960s.

You’ll need: 150g dried white beans, boiling water, 1.5kg lamb cut into pieces half the size of a ping-pong ball, plain flour, Vesuvio Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 onion – finely chopped, 2 carrots – cut into small dice, 2 sticks celery cut crosswise into thin strips, 4 ft cloves garlic – finely chopped, 6 sprigs thyme, 4 bay leaves, 1 litre NoMU Fond Lamb stock, 1 X 410g tin while peeled tomatoes – liquidized, 4 carrots – cut into wine cork shapes, 8 new potatoes – peeled, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Method: Starting the night before, pick over the beans to remove any that are not good and place them in a bowl.  Pour over boiling water to cover them by twice the volume.  Allow to cool and put in the fridge overnight.  Next day have ready an ovenproof casserole, I use a 30cm Le Creuset Casserole and preheat the oven to 200C.  Season the lamb pieces well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Sprinkle with flour and rub it in shaking off any excess.  Heat the casserole over medium heat and pour in sufficient olive oil to cover the base.  Raise the temperature – not too hot – and brown the lamb pieces about half of them at a time until nice and brown all over.  Remove the browned pieces to a plate as you proceed.  When done, add the onion and stir-fry till transparent and taking on some colour.  Add the carrot and celery and stir-fry for a short while, then add the garlic and stir till it takes on a bit of colour.  Put the lamb on top and any juices which may have gathered on the plate, add the thyme, bay leaves, NoMU Fond lamb stock and the tomatoes.  Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Place the casserole in the middle of the oven and leave it there for 30 minutes.  Drop the heat to 150C and cook for a further hour.  Meantime cook the beans in fresh water for about 20 minutes at a simmer only adding the salt a couple of minutes before the end.  Now add the beans and the potatoes and carrots and cook for a further 30 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are cooked.  Check for seasoning and reseason if necessary.  Serve with steamed Basmati rice and a green vegetable like wilted Swiss chard.

A note from Tracy about the NoMU Fonds

Fonds come in four flavours Chicken, Beef, Lamb & Vegetable

For those of you who have never heard of FONDS, never fear; the concept is completely new to South Africa. These products are guaranteed to reinvent the way in which you cook. NoMU FONDS are concentrated liquid stocks. They are ridiculously easy to use and good enough to drink. As a concentrate, they are supplied in 200ml fully recyclable PET bottles but will dilute to make up to 6 litres of stock!   NoMU’s FONDS are concentrated and can dilute to 6 litres.  On top of this (and in keeping with NoMU tradition!) our FONDS contain no artificial flavour enhancers, colouring agents or preservatives. Our highest quality ingredients and recyclable PET bottles make our FONDS not just the healthier option but also the leaner, greener and cleaner choice for your audience as well!  The FONDS are supplied in four seriously yummy flavours; Beef, Vegetable, Lamb and Chicken and you now have one of each to try out for yourself and test the results.   Fonds are available exclusively from Pick n Pay for a while.