The Loire Valley is located in central France and known as the "Garden of France," due to its fertile land and moderate climate and abundance of fruits and vegetables. It's also one of France's main wine making regions. Gastronomically speaking, the Loire Valley is known for its pork products, often prepared in rillettes, rillauds, rillons, pätés. It's also known for its cheeses, desserts, fish dishes (the Loire is, after all, a river) and other gastronomic delights.

For my quick sojourn into the cuisine of the Loire Valley, I made:

Poulet Aux Poireaux

Ligérien-style Chicken with Leeks

This is a very simple recipe that requires few ingredients, and therefore minimal preparation time. It was perfect for a lazy weekend night. The dish was quite tasty, though nothing out of this world.

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Ligérien-style Chicken with Leeks Ingredients 6 chicken half-breasts or 8 thighs, bone-in Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 large leeks, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced 4 cups chicken stock, divided 1 Tbsp minced fresh tarragon Directions Trim chicken parts and season with Kosher salt and pepper to taste. Heat butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven or sauté pan over medium heat. Working in batches if necessary, add chicken, skin-side down, and cook until it browns, about 6 minutes. Turn and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add leeks to the pan. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of stock and the tarragon. Bring to a boil and simmer until the stock is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to the pan and add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of stock. Bring to a boil again, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate. Using a slotted spoon, remove the leeks and place on top of the chicken. Reduce the stock until it has a syrupy consistency and spoon over chicken.

Adapted from a recipe in Cole's Kitchen Arts' 1995 Regional French Cuisines: From Normandy to Provence

French cuisines I've explored so far: French, Alsatian, Auvergnat, Belgian, Bordeaux, Bourguignonne, Breton, Champagnoise, Corsican, Gascon, Limousin<, Lorrainer, Luxembourger, Lyonnaise, Medieval French, Monegasque

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