ANN/THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN – When hosting gatherings with friends and family, French cuisine expert Shinsuke Ishii suggests crafting his chicken and clam stew using a skillet.
This dish exudes heartwarming flavours, blending the rich umami of both meat and seafood. Additionally, cream stew with roux is a popular choice for special holidays and occasions.
“However, if you make it in a pot, you end up making a lot of it. There tends to be plenty leftover with a small family,” Ishii said. “But with a frying pan, it’s easy to make even a small amount.”
The recipe was inspired by a traditional French dish, a stew of chicken and crayfish, he said.
To maximise tenderness, flour should be sprinkled all over the meat and pressed down with the fingers so that it clings to and thickens the meat.
The seafood he used for this demonstration was clams.
“If you use clams, you can make the dish look more gorgeous and like a feast,” he said.
After stir-frying the vegetables and the chicken, add the clams and bouillon.
When the shells open, the extract from the clams will dissolve and combine with the chicken and vegetables to create a deep flavour. Once the shells open, remove the clams from the pan, as they will become tough if heated too much.
After adding the milk, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. When it begins to thicken, add the clams back in, and the cream stew is ready to serve.
A single spoonful of the hot broth filled my mouth with a strong umami flavour from the clams and mild sweetness from the chicken and the vegetables. It gave me a warm, nostalgic feeling.
The chicken was soft and fluffy, and the clams had a nice plump texture. It is a dish that you can confidently make for your loved ones.
CHOWDER WITH LEFTOVER CLAMS
The leftover cream stew can be used to make “clam chowder.”
Cut the stewed chicken into bite-sized pieces and remove the clams from their shells.
Add the desired amount of milk to the cream stew and spread it out while heating the pan.
Add cream to taste. A pinch of sugar will give the dish a gentle taste. It has a flavour that children love too.
CREAM STEW WITH CHICKEN AND CLAMS
Ingredients (serves two):
• 250 grammes chicken thigh
• 100 grammes clams (rinsed, in their shells)
• 30 grammes thick-cut meat
• 60 grammes each of carrots, onions and potatoes
• 10 grammes butter
• 2 cups bouillon (or hot water and soup stock)
• 150 millilitres milk
• Broccoli, to taste
Directions:
1. Cut the meat into one centimetre strips. Peel the carrots, onions and potatoes and cut them into one centimetre cubes. Heat the potatoes in a microwave oven at 600 watts for about one minute.
2. Cut the chicken into four pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour as needed over the chicken.
3. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and add the chicken, skin side down. Add the carrots, onion and meat and cook with the chicken.
4. When the chicken is browned, add the butter. When the onion becomes translucent, add the potatoes and cook.
5. Add the clams and bouillon and bring to a simmer. When the shells of the clams open, remove them. Cover and simmer for about eight minutes.
6. When the vegetables and chicken are cooked, add the milk and increase the heat to medium high. Add the clams back in and simmer for about three minutes to blend.
7. Plate the stew and garnish with salted boiled broccoli. – Tomoyo Yamada
