Hearty, comforting, Belgian-style dish is wealthy with rooster and a mixture of greens. Serve it with boiled potatoes and crusty bread.

Should you take pleasure in soup/stew that’s hearty, comforting and never that tough to organize, make rooster waterzooi.

Waterzooi, pronounced VAH-ter-zoy, is a Belgian dish that was first cooked centuries in the past in that nation’s Flemish area, additionally referred to as Flanders. Waterzooi is derived from the Center Dutch “zooien,” which implies “to boil,” a reference to the way it’s cooked.

Waterzooi was initially — and nonetheless is — made with fish, however over time, as rooster turned a extra out there supply of protein, it turned a well-liked ingredient to make use of within the dish.

When reviewing quite a few recipes for rooster waterzooi, none appeared precisely the identical, with each prepare dinner presenting a barely totally different option to put together it. However most recipes noticed bone-in or boneless items of rooster simmered, and mixed with a mixture of greens, resembling leeks, carrots and celery, in a soup-stew-like combination thickened and enriched with egg yolks and cream.

My model of the dish makes use of boneless, skinless rooster thighs. The outcome was a lovely winter meal that I served with boiled potatoes and crusty bread.

Hen Waterzooi

This hearty, comforting, Belgian-style stew is wealthy with rooster and a mixture of greens. Serve it with boiled potatoes and crusty bread.

Preparation time: half-hour

Cooking time: about 50 minutes

Makes: three servings

4 cups rooster inventory

6 boneless, skinless rooster thighs (about 575 grams)

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium to massive leek, white and pale inexperienced elements solely, halved lengthwise, washed, dried and diced (see Be aware)

1/2 cup diced onion

2 medium carrots, diced

2 medium celery stalks, diced

1 tsp contemporary thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried

1 massive egg yolk

1 Tbsp + 2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 cup whipping cream

• salt and floor white pepper, to style

2 Tbsp chopped contemporary parsley

Place rooster inventory right into a six-inch-or-so-wide pot and add the rooster thighs. Set over medium-high warmth and produce to a mild simmer. Decrease the warmth, as wanted, to keep up that mild simmer. Gently simmer rooster thighs till cooked and tender, about 25 minutes.

Elevate rooster thighs out of the pot, set on a plate and let cool. Reserve the leftover inventory.

Set an eight-inch-or-so-wide pot over medium, medium-high warmth and add the butter. When butter is melted, add the leeks, onion, carrots and celery. Prepare dinner and stir greens till softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour within the reserved inventory and produce to a mild simmer. Decrease the warmth, as wanted, to keep up that mild simmer. Simmer greens 10 minutes.

Whereas greens simmer, minimize the cooked rooster thighs into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes/items. Additionally place the egg yolk, cornstarch and cream in a bowl and whisk effectively to mix.

When greens have simmered 10 minutes, add the rooster and the cream combination, stir to mix, return to a simmer, and simmer one to 2 minutes, or till the waterzooi thickens. Combine within the parsley, style and season waterzooi with salt and pepper, and serve.

Be aware: Diced on this recipe means to chop into 1/2-inch cubes.

eakis@timescolonist.com

Eric Akis is the creator of eight cookbooks. His columns seem within the Life part Wednesday and Sunday.