Let’s take a trip all the way back down the timeline to the very beginning of the Legend of Zelda one more time. We are venturing back to Skyloft to visit with another cook. This cook has set up a restaurant at the Bazaar, and she prides herself on finding the right combination of ingredients and spices to get her dishes tasting just right. Today we visit with Piper, the Skyloft Bazaar Cook, and examine the stew she fusses over at her Bazaar cafe.
At her cafe she makes large pots of a white broth stew with various vegetables and meat floating inside. Upon a closer examination of this stew, I determined that it looks like a cream stew. We can see what looks like carrots, potatoes, and herbs in the stew as well. So, I think what Piper is making is something similar to a Japanese chicken cream stew.
To make this stew, we will brown some chicken thigh pieces and build a stew with carrots, potatoes, herbs, and aromatics. We will also stir in a béchamel at the end to give the soup it’s cream quality. All in all it’s a really tasty and comforting stew. I would be visiting Piper regularly for a bowl of this if I was living in Skyloft!
Ingredients
1 lb chicken thighs
3 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
Small bunch of tyme sprigs
1 cup milk
½ cup half and half
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp white pepper
1 onion, diced
2-3 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1 tsp salt, divided
Parsley, chopped
Olive oil
Black pepper
Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch chunks. Season the chicken well with salt and black pepper.
Set a Dutch oven (or stock pot) over medium-high heat. Once warm, add 1 to 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the chunks are lightly browned around the sides. Cook the chicken in batches, if needed. Remove the chicken pieces when done and reserve them on a plate or in a bowl.
Add a little more olive oil, if needed, and then add the onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the carrots and potatoes, and toss to coat them in the oil. Sauté for a minute or two, and then add the chicken broth. Scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven with a spatula and stir the contents of the pot well. Add the thyme, bay leaves, and ½ teaspoon of salt, and stir again to blend.
Bring the stew to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Allow the stew to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables fully soften.
While the vegetables soften, we will make the béchamel sauce. Set another smaller pot over low heat. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in the pot. Once the butter is melted, add the 2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk the flour into the butter to create a smooth roux. Allow the flour to cook for about 2 minutes, but do not allow it to brown.
After the 2 minutes, start slowly whisking in the milk. Pour the milk in slowly, about 2-3 tablespoons at a time and completely whisk it into the roux before adding more. Continue this process until the full cup of the milk have been whisked in. You will notice the sauce getting oversaturated and becoming more gravy like after about the ½ cup mark. Once all of the milk has been added, add ½ teaspoon of salt, the white pepper, and the nutmeg. Whisk the spices into the sauce to fully blend. Turn the heat up to low-medium and allow the béchamel sauce to thicken a little more, about 3-5 minutes. When the béchamel sauce is done, remove it from the heat.
When the vegetables have softened, remove the thyme and bay leaves from the stew and discard them. Skim any fat from the top of the soup, if necessary.
Remove the Dutch oven from the heat. We will temper the béchamel before adding it to the soup. Scoop out one ladleful of the hot soup broth and add it to the béchamel sauce. Stir the broth into the béchamel sauce to fully incorporate it. Repeat with a second ladleful of hot broth. Once the béchamel has been tempered, slowly pour it into the soup pot and stir it into the broth. Continue stirring until the béchamel sauce is fully incorporated into the stew. Add ½ cup of half and half and stir it into the stew.
Return the pot to the heat and allow it to return to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for about 5 minutes. Season further with salt as needed. The stew is ready. Serve the soup in bowls and top with some of the chopped parsley. Enjoy!