It's the book I frequently turn to whether I want to roast a leg of lamb with a honey and mustard marinade or if I feel like making Vietnamese rice paper rolls. The idea of Modern Classics 1 is that every basic dish is covered no matter how self evident or simple the recipe may appear. There is even a whole page detailing the best way to cook rice. The book only covers, savoury dishes, the follow-up book Modern Classics 2 uses the equivalent approach to desserts and is equally as good.
This recipe for chicken, pancetta and mushroom stew is typical of the recipes in Modern Classics 1. It is a basic recipe but one that packs a punch flavour wise and you could easily see it becoming a staple. The whole stew has a lovely creamy flavour permeated by the subtle flavour of the leeks and tarragon. I adapted the recipe slightly to use sliced pancetta rather than cubed to make the dish lighter.
Ingredients
1.6 kg chicken cut into large pieces with skin removed
Plain flour for coating
1tbsp olive oil
150g pancetta cut into small pieces
2 leeks sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
200g button mushrooms sliced
2.5 cups chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1 cup cream
1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped tarragon
Salt and pepper to season
1. Toss the chicken pieces in flour.
2. Place half of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until browned. Remove and set aside.
3. Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the leeks, garlic and mushrooms until golden. Add the pancetta as well for a brief period when almost done. Remove and set aside.
4. Combine the stock and wine in the pan. Bring to a simmer and return the chicken to the pan and cook, covered for 25 minutes. Add the pancetta, leek, garlic and mushroom mixture, the cream, parsley, tarragon, salt and pepper to the pan and simmer uncovered for a further 10 mins or until reduced and thickened.
5. Serve with potatoes.
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