Recipe: Chicken Escabeche and Article: Bay: The Little Leaf That Adds A Lot

BAY: THE LITTLE LEAF THAT ADDS A LOT

When a recipe calls for a bay leaf, I add it without thinking, almost as a culinary knee-jerk reaction. Sometimes, though, I forget. Then, tasting the finished dish, I miss the spicy, aromatic flavor a bay leaf contributes, and realize how much this somehow easily overlooked herb adds, particularly to soups, stews and marinades.

Beyond flavor, some find that the bay leaf contributes something else to hearty dishes like meat stews and bean soups. Compounds in this aromatic leaf are credited with digestive properties. Europeans, appreciating this benefit, also use bay leaves to make tea. For example, some Sicilians sip a canarino after a big meal. For this comforting infusion they simmer a bay leaf in water, sometimes adding strips of lemon zest. Either way, the water becomes yellow, hence the name, which refers to a canary.

Americans may not think of this use because what is generally sold in the U.S. is California laurel, Umbellularia californica, also known as bay laurel. This has a more bitter flavor than the Laurus nobilis, also called sweet laurel or sweet bay, commonly found in Europe and the Middle East.

You can tell which kind of bay leaves you have simply by looking at them. California bay leaves, which are a dull, greyish, dusty color, are smaller, narrower, and more pointy than the bay leaves from Europe or Turkey. These foreign bay leaves are dark green and shiny on top, paler and duller on the underside, and have a broad, rounded shape.

To try true bay leaves, look at the mail order sources for spices listed in the back of many cookbooks. Most of them sell imported bay leaves. They will be considerably more expensive than what you get at the supermarket.

This low-fat, marinated chicken is an ideal way to appreciate the distinctive pungent note all bay leaves provide. A reminder: If necessary, write yourself a note so you remember to remove the bay leaf from dishes before serving.

CHICKEN ESCABECHE

1 pound boneless chicken breast, preferably one large breast
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2 large lemons)
4 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. whole coriander seed
1 tsp. dried oregano
12 pearl onions, whole, peeled, or 1 medium onion, cut in thin crescents
2 small carrots, diagonally cut in 3/4-inch slices
1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded
6 bamboo skewers

Trim all visible fat from the chicken and cut the breast into 1-inch cubes; there should be at least 24 pieces.

In a large, deep saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken, stirring until all the pieces are white all over, 4-5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.

Into the pot used to cook the chicken, pour the vinegar and lemon juice. Add the bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, coriander, and oregano. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

Add the chicken and onions. Reduce the heat and simmer the chicken 15 minutes.

Add the carrots and cook 5 minutes.

Pour the escabeche into a glass dish or stainless steel bowl. Cut the red pepper into 4 pieces and arrange them to cover the chicken. Set the bowl aside until the escabeche is cool. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours, up to 3 days.

Cut the red pepper into 1-inch squares. If using pearl onions, slide one onto a bamboo skewer. If not, start the skewer with a piece of chicken,

Add a square of the pepper, a second piece of chicken, and a carrot slice. To complete the skewer, add another piece of chicken, pepper, chicken, and another onion.

Repeat, making up 5 more skewers.

Note: This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Each of the six servings contains 169 calories and 5 grams of fat
Source: Dana Jacobi by the American Institute for Cancer Research