The Traveling Cocotte — The Basque Country: Poulet Basquaise

In my ongoing quest for better health lately, I have come to the conclusion that food has an important place. Or rather, that food plays a much bigger role than I wanted to accept. First of all, it feels like a stupid statement coming from a doctor, because it is something so obvious that any ten-year-old should know it, and yet we adults choose to ignore these simple lessons until we are forced to learn them all over again.

For the last two weeks, I haven't been to Penny, Lidl, Aldi or any of the other local supermarket chains where we usually bought our food. We have chosen to buy only from specialised shops selling organic and Demeter products. I don't know if you have ever tried them, but personally, I find the quality of the organic products from Lidl inferior to those carrying the Demeter label. Maybe it's just psychosomatic, maybe it's only my imagination, but I feel the difference is too big to ignore.

Another revelation I had was that the price difference isn't actually as big as I thought. Instead of buying one kilogram of poor-quality meat, throwing half of it away or struggling to eat all of it, you might as well buy just 300 grams of very good-quality meat. Mathematically, your body doesn't need much more anyway. Even though a few pieces of chicken can cost more than €20 instead of €4–5, overall, over the course of a week, we end up spending roughly the same amount of money. The reality is that we eat less and feel fuller than ever.

I have decided that from time to time I will post different recipes that I find interesting from a diabetic point of view, and not only that. Maybe they will help some of you find inspiration for what you want to eat. Some time ago, I bought a few Dutch ovens from Le Creuset. Apart from being very expensive, they haven't done much. They have been sitting in a corner collecting dust. Isn't that the best investment? I have baked bread in one of them maybe ten times, and that's about it. Now, while looking for different ways to cook, I suddenly realise how beautiful they actually are. Shiny there in the corner, they almost seem to be waving at me. Or perhaps judging me for having ignored them until now. And I, to make up for the lack of attention I have given them, have decided to focus on recipes that can be made in these pots. Imagine a Dutch oven travelling around the world and cooking different dishes from different corners of it. In French, a Dutch oven is called une cocotte. So this little recipe series will logically be called La Cocotte qui voyage or The Traveling Cocotte.

Today, La Cocotte has stopped in the French Basque Country, around Bayonne. In this region, many dishes are based on bell peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes, with spices such as piment d'Espelette. Peppers originally arrived in Europe from the Americas and, over time, became deeply integrated into Basque cuisine. Eventually, chicken joined the picture as well, and this is how we arrive at Poulet Basquaise.

As a variation in the version I cook, I also add crispy roasted potatoes. I think it creates a second nice contrast. While Poulet Basquaise is cooked slowly over low heat for a long time, the crispy potatoes are cooked at a higher temperature for a shorter time. To me, once again, it seems like the perfect combination. And overall, it is a dish that doesn't load us up too heavily with carbohydrates.

Let's see what we need: 500 g potatoes, 1 onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 4 large bell peppers, 4 whole chicken legs, 250g tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, sweet paprika, piment d'Espelette, rosemary and bay leaf.

Let's dive into preparing the dish.

We start by cutting the onion, garlic, tomatoes and peppers into small pieces. Put the cocotte on the stove over medium heat and brown the chicken on all sides, seasoned with salt, pepper and sweet paprika. Once the chicken has developed a nice crust and colour, take it out and add the chopped vegetables. The water released by the tomatoes will immediately start forming a sauce that helps loosen everything from the bottom of the pot and collect all the flavours left behind by the chicken. The Maillard reaction is responsible for much of the browning and flavour development, and those little brown traces left on the bottom of the pot are exactly where a lot of that flavour is hiding. After stirring everything for a little while, season again with salt, pepper, thyme, sweet paprika, and piment d'Espelette, and add two bay leaves. Put the chicken back into the pot on top of the vegetables, cover it with the lid, and let it cook gently over low heat until the chicken is tender and completely cooked through. It should take around 1.5 to 2 hours.

Peel the potatoes and put them into boiling water for 10 minutes, then take them out and leave them on some kitchen paper to drain and cool. Once the potatoes have cooled, rub them with olive oil and season them well with salt and rosemary. Put them into the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, until they develop a crispy crust. It is important to leave enough space between the potatoes so that the hot air can circulate around them. If they are crowded together, the moisture gets trapped and they will steam rather than roast. Give them space. They need room to breathe if you want that beautiful crispy crust. While they are roasting, turn them regularly.

When it's done, everything comes together on your plate: chicken, some vegetables, and a few potatoes. Bon appétit! Just don't forget to get some exercise after you've eaten. See you in the next post.