My "Signature" Sherry Sauce
16 June 2009
Back in Munich, in our nice big kitchen! But having been away for so long, unfortunately there are some nasty surprises, too – the dishwasher is out of order; and as much as I love cooking, I totally detest washing up. Luckily Simon is not so bothered about our new of division of labour (me cooking, him doing the dishes) ;-)… Anyway, I really hope this will soon be fixed.
At least the (electric) cooker is working reasonably (it’s growing quite old and moody though, and is by far not reacting as quickly as the portable induction plates I was using in Tokyo…). It is still nice cooking here again. So Sunday evening Simon and I enjoyed a very casual and leisurely dinner - in fact the first one we actually got to spend together since moving back to our "old" flat. Our dining table seemed just huge (it’s actually rather average sized, but compared to the tiny one we had in Tokyo…).
Following Simon’s suggestion, I prepared a dish I’ve been making again and again ever since I started cooking as a teenager. In fact I would say this is probably one of my most "typical" dishes ever. We often had sherry sauces at home (my dad likes preparing them), and I always loved these kind of meals. Over the time I have developed my own version, but I then cooked this dish so frequently for a while (sometimes also using aubergines and/or courgettes instead of mushrooms), that at some point I thought it was getting really ordinary and boring, so I grew almost reluctant to make it. Very much to Simon’s regret, who cannot get enough of it.
So here it is back - my chicken and mushroom stirfry in sherry cream sauce!
Chicken & Mushroom Sautée in Sherry Cream Sauce
| serves 4 |
| about 400g chicken or turkey breast filet |
| 600g mushrooms |
| 1 big onion |
| 2-3 dents of garlic |
| 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube (organic) |
| a generous dash of dry sherry |
| 1 teaspoon mild curry |
| some dried marjoram |
| some mild curry |
| some garlic powder |
| a hand full of (toasted) pine seeds |
| 3-4 tablespoons crème fraîche |
| some coarsely ground black pepper |
| some oil for frying |
to go with it: |
| rice (parboiled or basmati) |
Chop the chicken breast filet into bite-sized chunks or strips. Season with a good pinch of salt, some curry powder, some dried marjoram as well as a bit of garlic powder, and rub the spices thoroughly into the meat. Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan and briefly sear the chicken while constantly stirring until evenly browned, but remaining raw inside. Take out of the pan and set aside.
Clean and finely slice the mushrooms to have them ready. Finely chop the onions and brown them gently, using the same pan as before (and add some more oil if necessary). Shift the onions to the side, and use the free spot in the centre to cautiously fry the minced dents of garlic. Before the garlic gets brown (and bitter), stir with the onions. Add the sliced mushrooms, very briefly sauté them, and pour over about half a cup of water. Add the stock cube, let it dissolve and stir well. (Speaking of stock cubes, I always use organic ones – not only do they not contain dubious substances such as glutamate, but they also taste way better!)
Cover with a lid and let simmer gently for just about 5 minutes or so. Add the pre-fried chicken and continue simmering (again covered with a lid) for another 5 minutes. When the chicken is done, remove the lid and pour in a generous dash of dry sherry, and season to taste with some more dried marjoram and some coarsely ground pepper if you wish. Bring to a stronger boil for 2 minutes or so to let the alcohol evaporate and the sauce reduce. Finally stir in the crème fraîche, and finish with a hand full of toasted pine seeds (before adding them, I usually brown the pine seeds in a non-stick pan, without using any oil).