Some people swear by their crockpots for weeknight meals. For me, Sunday supper is when I find it most convenient. It avoids that moment late on Sunday afternoon when I've got an ambitious menu planned but no longer have the corresponding ambition to carry it out and that oh-crap-the-weekend's-almost-over mood sets in. And if it's an all-in-one meal like this, all I have to do is come up with a salad, a much less onerous task.
Chicken in the pot with aioli
Adapted from "The French Slow Cooker" by Michele Scicolone
Ingredients
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into large pieces
2 small leeks, trimmed, washed and cut into large pieces
4 small turnips, peeled and quartered
1 small onion, chopped
1 large sprig of fresh rosemary
1 chicken, about 4 pounds
1 cup chicken broth
Aioli
Cornichons
Method
Scatter vegetables on the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. (Remove giblets if there are any.) Put chicken on top of vegetables. Pour broth over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve chicken with vegetables, aioli and cornichons.
For aioli:
2 large peeled garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks (pasteurized)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Chop garlic with salt in a food processor. Add egg yolks and mustard and process until smooth. Drizzle in olive oil in a slow steady stream with the machine running until mixture emulsifies. Add lemon juice to taste.
Rating: The chicken is falling-off-the-bone tender, and the bird has lent its full flavor to the veggies. But it's the aioli that makes it. I'll grant you permission to skip the pickle course, but it won't be the same without aioli, and this is a lot better than the stuff you might find in your deli case or in jars.
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