Note for all recipes in this post: I used homemade chicken stock with no added salt. If you use purchased chicken broth, even low-sodium, you will need to add less salt at each stage than you saw me do in the demo.
Chicken & Dumplings
adapted from Everyday Food
serves 4 hearty eaters
3 T unsalted butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 12 oz)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin (I like to use a mandoline I bought at Target for about $10; it's now available at Amazon)
1 C flour, divided
a few sprigs fresh thyme* (optional)
a few carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
4-6 C chicken broth (I use broth reconstituted from my homemade chicken stock)
1 3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t table salt
1/2 C milk
chopped fresh dill (optional)
1-1 1/2 C frozen petite peas
additional salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Heat butter in dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming begins to subside, arrange chicken in pan, with space in between. Let brown without moving for several minutes. Check pan periodically and adjust heat so butter doesn't get too brown. When chicken is nice and brown, flip it to brown other side (it should release fairly easily if it's brown enough, and if the pan was hot enough at the beginning). Transfer browned chicken to a bowl and set aside.
Put onion in pan, add a little salt and pepper, and sauté until translucent but not yet really browning, scraping brown bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan as you go. Add thyme sprigs if using, stirring just until they start to become fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add 1/4 C flour and stir to coat (if the flour is coated in the butter, it won't make lumps when you add the liquid).
Pour in chicken stock, scraping bottom of pan to lift all fond, then stir in chicken and any juices released into bowl, carrots, and more salt and pepper. Cover pot and increase heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to keep pot simmering. Let simmer about 20 minutes.
Whisk together remaining 3/4 C flour, baking powder and table salt (and dill, if using) in a small bowl. Stir in milk until just incorporated. Drop tablespoons of batter into broth, spacing as evenly as possible. Replace lid and simmer 10-15 more minutes.
Remove pot from heat and carefully add frozen peas between the dumplings, stirring without breaking up dumplings. Adjust seasonings and serve.
*Thyme is easy to grow in a pot or in the ground. It's a woody perennial requiring very little care. Don't ever use dried thyme, or most dried herbs. If you can't grow your own, come snip some of mine--I have plenty.
Moroccan Couscous
adapted from The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman
makes 6-8 servings, depending on how many vegetables you add
a few tablespoons butter or olive oil or a mix of the two
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 12 oz)
1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 T peeled and grated fresh ginger root
1 large pinch saffron threads or 1/2 t ground turmeric
1/8 t cayenne, or to taste (I usually use not more than a pinch)
1 t ground coriander*
3 cloves
1/2 t ground cinnamon
2-4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 lb butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into one-inch chunks
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then cut into half-inch slices
4-6 C chicken broth or mix of chicken broth and water
one 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 C golden raisins
Couscous, prepared according to directions, substituting chicken-vegetable cooking liquid for half of the water
Heat butter and/or oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the butter's foaming starts to subside, or the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and let brown, without stirring, for several minutes, adjusting temperature as needed. Flip chicken to brown other side, then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add the onions (and bell pepper, if using) and a little salt and pepper. Scrape up fond from the bottom of the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are quite tender, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger, saffron, cayenne, coriander, cloves and cinnamon and stir and cook until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the broth and chicken to the pot, along with additional salt and pepper and the carrots. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Add the squash 10 minutes later, and the zucchini 10 minutes after that. Cook until the all the vegetables are tender, about 10 more minutes. Add the garbanzos and raisins and cook about 5 minutes more.
Prepare couscous according to package directions (I like this couscous, which can be found at some stores in town), only substituting hot liquid from the pot for half the water. Taste sauce and adjust the seasoning, then serve immediately over the couscous.
*If you use spices more than occasionally, and you can afford it, purchase a small burr coffee grinder and use it only for grinding whole spices, bought in bulk (don't pay for the packaging!). I use mine mostly for coriander and cumin, and the flavor difference is astonishing. Do not use it to grind stick cinnamon, however--stick and ground cinnamon come from different parts of the tree, and the taste won't be the same.
West African Chicken-Peanut Soup
adapted from The New York Times
serves 6-8, again depending on how many vegetables you add
2 tablespoons oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 12 oz)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon garlic, pressed through a garlic press
Pinch of cayenne
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 C roasted and shelled peanuts (I found unsalted roasted peanuts in the bulk section at Freddy's), crushed slightly
6 cups chicken broth
2 garnet sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into one-inch chunks
15-oz can diced tomatoes, or half a box of Pomi tomatoes (freeze remainder for another use)
1/2 pound collards or kale, washed, stemmed, and cut into 3/8" ribbons
additional vegetables (butternut squash, baby potatoes, zucchini, as desired)
1/4 to 1/2 C peanut butter, chunky or smooth
Put oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat; when oil shimmers, add chicken and let brown, without stirring, for several minutes, adjusting temperature as needed. Flip chicken to brown other side, then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, cayenne and salt and pepper and sauté an additional 30-60 seconds, until fragrant. Add 1/2 cup peanuts.
Stir in the stock, scraping up browned bits. Add the chicken, bring to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low so the soup bubbles gently. After about 10 minutes, add the sweet potatoes. When sweet potatoes are just starting to be tender, after about 10-15 minutes, stir in tomatoes and greens, then cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is starting to fall apart, about 10 minutes more.
Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. Taste, adjust seasoning (you may want to add more peanut butter at this point) and serve, garnished with remaining peanuts.
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