Gentse Waterzooi (Watercookery From Gent)

A community recipe by kabouter

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

Introduction

This is a Belgian recipe that look's a bit like Nigella's recipe for praised chicken. The name is Dutch: "Gentse Waterzooi" and translated into English (in a very free way....) it means: Cooked in water ("zooien" means: coocking something in water). I know it doesn't sound very appetizing, but it is a very nice and homely dish! Really something for the coming (or is it already here?) fall season!

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Metric Cups

2 litres chicken stock
2 medium chicken
2 large leeks (cleaned and cut in rings)
2 large carrots (cleaned and sliced)
2 large onions (peeled and sliced)
6 sticks celery (cleaned and cut into pieces of 5cm)
5 tablespoons fresh flatleaf parsley (chopped)
5 tablespoons celery leaves (chopped)
2½ tablespoons cream
2 medium egg yolks
1 pinch of pepper
1 pinch of salt
40 grams butter

3½ pints chicken broth
2 medium chicken
2 large leeks (cleaned and cut in rings)
2 large carrots (cleaned and sliced)
2 large onions (peeled and sliced)
6 sticks celery (cleaned and cut into pieces of 5cm)
5 tablespoons fresh italian parsley (chopped)
5 tablespoons celery leaves (chopped)
2½ tablespoons cream
2 medium egg yolks
1 pinch of pepper
1 pinch of salt
1⅖ ounces butter

Method

Gentse Waterzooi (Watercookery From Gent) is a community recipe submitted by kabouter and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a deep soup pot. Add the chicken and let it cook ever so gently for about one hour. It really should only just cook (more like poaching something), the chicken stays very tender that way.
Then, in another large pot, you heat the butter until it becomes slightly light brown, and add the onion. Fry it until it's nice golden brown. Then you can add the rest of the vegetables except the celery leaves and parsley and also give them a short fry.
Meanwhile you take the chicken out of the stock and place it in a bowl with a few dl of the hot stock to keep it warm and moist. Drain the rest of the stock through a sieve and pour it in with the vegetables and bring to a soft boil. When the toughest vegetables (carrot and celery) seem to get softer you can add the chicken softly boil a bit longer until everything is as soft as you like to (probably about 30 minutes or so).
In a bowl, you mix the egg yolks with the cream, and spoon by spoon, you mix in (keep stirring of whipping) hot stock (about 2 dl). At that point the danger of cooking the egg yolks (you don't want scrambled eggs) with the hot stock is over and you can pour this mixture in with the still softly boiling stock. Stir it gently so you don't make a mash of the vegetables.
The way it gets to be served in Belgium is with some boiled potatoes.You place one or two nice pieces of chicken, for instance a piece of breast and a piece of leg, on to each soupdish, try to get some of the veggies on to each dish also and also some (separately) boiled potatoes. Then pour some of the hot and creamy stock into the dish as well. Not covering chicken and potatoes completely, just meant as a nice and hearty sauce!
This dish smells delicious and is a really homy, and hearty meal for the coming colder seasons.

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a deep soup pot. Add the chicken and let it cook ever so gently for about one hour. It really should only just cook (more like poaching something), the chicken stays very tender that way.
Then, in another large pot, you heat the butter until it becomes slightly light brown, and add the onion. Fry it until it's nice golden brown. Then you can add the rest of the vegetables except the celery leaves and parsley and also give them a short fry.
Meanwhile you take the chicken out of the stock and place it in a bowl with a few dl of the hot stock to keep it warm and moist. Drain the rest of the stock through a sieve and pour it in with the vegetables and bring to a soft boil. When the toughest vegetables (carrot and celery) seem to get softer you can add the chicken softly boil a bit longer until everything is as soft as you like to (probably about 30 minutes or so).
In a bowl, you mix the egg yolks with the cream, and spoon by spoon, you mix in (keep stirring of whipping) hot stock (about 2 dl). At that point the danger of cooking the egg yolks (you don't want scrambled eggs) with the hot stock is over and you can pour this mixture in with the still softly boiling stock. Stir it gently so you don't make a mash of the vegetables.
The way it gets to be served in Belgium is with some boiled potatoes.You place one or two nice pieces of chicken, for instance a piece of breast and a piece of leg, on to each soupdish, try to get some of the veggies on to each dish also and also some (separately) boiled potatoes. Then pour some of the hot and creamy stock into the dish as well. Not covering chicken and potatoes completely, just meant as a nice and hearty sauce!
This dish smells delicious and is a really homy, and hearty meal for the coming colder seasons.

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