Waterzooi
Source: http://www.slowfood.com/ and Writer: John Gunton

Waterzooi is no simple soup, but rather a bowl of controversy between gastronomic experts of Flemish cuisine. This ancient dish is inextricably linked with the Belgian city of Ghent, once one of the richest entrepôts of Europe. Waterzooi translates quite simply as "boiled in water", but the key question is what ingredients should be boiled. The origin of the dish, dating back to the Middle Ages, is undoubtedly fresh water fish. At that time, meat was very much of a rarity, whereas Ghent was a city with a maze of rivers and canals bursting with fish. In fact, to raise money, the government even levied a tax on each fish caught off one of the town's bridges - and at that time there were over a hundred bridges. This freshwater fish soup can be described as a Northern European relative of the more famous bouillabaisse, and there was even a recipe based solely on eels. Outside of Ghent, toward the Belgian sea coast, a parallel recipe developed using local salt water fish, primarily turbot, brill, sole,, monk fish, and plaice.
But if you visit the city today, it is rare to find any restaurant that still serves a fish Waterzooi. Because over the years - due to river pollution, changing taste habits - chicken has taken over as the undisputed base of the Waterzooi.
Christian De Wilde is the owner-chef of the delightful restaurant Tête-à-tête in Ghent, whose balcony overlooks the river Lieve. But when asked to recommend a Waterzooi recipe, he doesn't hesitate in taking the "chicken side" of the controversy. Using a free-range chicken, he creates soup that is a meal in itself, a recipe that is hearty - with half a chicken per person this should be served without an entrée - yet at the same time subtly light, because the secret of the Waterzooi is simply the delicious chicken bouillon.

In a big pan, boil 2 small chickens, salt, pepper, thyme, a bay leaf and a clove in chicken stock for 30 minutes. When done, debone the birds, put the bones and the skins back in the pan to simmer in the broth for one more hour to obtain a delicious bouillon. Sieve it through a thin colander, then skim it. Clean and cut finely 2 carrots, 2 onions, 2 leeks (white part) and a 1/ 4 of a celery root. Add the vegetables to the bouillon and simmer for 10 minutes. Sieve it again, add a bit of thick cream, a few drops of lemon juice and thicken with 1 tablespoon of flour browned in butter. Add the chicken meat and the cooked vegetables. Season to taste with salt & pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and reheat on low flame.
Add 2 egg yolks & 2/3 cup of thick cream to bind the sauce, without boiling it. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with boiled potatoes.