So once again I’m cooking winter food and it’s in the 80′s in Florida … But it’s DECEMBER, cut a girl some slack!

My original plan was to make my Beef Daube, which is one of my most popular posts.  But, as I looked in the fridge there was a bottle of Stone Levitation Ale staring at me.  It’s a yummy caramel ale with strong flavor.  However, to be honest, it’s not my favorite drinking beer but it has a complex flavor and bold body that I knew would lend itself to stew.

Also, I had a heavy meeting load yesterday so my crock pot was my friend (not to mention it doesn’t heat up the kitchen).  It took me 16 minutes to get the stew going and I’ve put maybe 5 more minutes into it.  The house smells heavenly.

Recipe:

2 lbs stew meat (pre-cut, it’s not the best option, but it’s a lifesaver in a time crunch)
28 0z can diced tomatoes (use organic, they are better)
1 large potato peeled and cut into 1 inch dice
1 white onion quartered (I quarter rather than slice so they can be picked out but you get the flavor)
3 carrots peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
8 0z cremini mushrooms
1 12 oz medium to dark beer
1 herb packet (fresh oregano, thyme, Italian Parsley, chives)
1/4 cup butter softened
1/4 cup flour

Put everything in the crock pot except the butter and flour and set on low for 6 – 7 hours.  Combine the butter and flour to create a beurre manie.  Add the buerre maine to the crock pot about one hour prior to serving and let it cook into the sauce.  Stir gently.

Enjoyed this with a Yummy Dogfish 60 Minute IPA

I made this almost a week ago and am just now able to sit down and write about it.  I only get around to making Chicken and Dumplings 2 – 3 times a year and I don’t know why, it’s easy and it tastes so good that writing about it is making me want to cook it again!

My mom wasn’t a huge fan of cooking, in fact we suspect she sabotaged many a dish to cement a reputation as a bad cook and therefore ensure she would escape kitchen duty.  That said, her chicken and dumplings were yummy!  I’ve changed the recipe, adding some of my own favorite ingredients, but it’s still just simple fantastic comfort food.

Recipe:

Stew:

1 whole cut up chicken, skin removed
well washed greens of one leek (dark greens)
2 carrots peeled and cut in half
2 Celery ribs halved
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme
4 -5 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
Kosher Salt (Start at 1T as the chicken cooks, taste and add more)
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
3T flour
2T butter
1 Cup Frozen Peas (or mixed vegetables if you prefer)

Dumplings:

2 Cups Flour
3tsp baking powder
1/2tsp white pepper
1tsp kosher salt
3/4 Cup milk (preferably whole)
1/4 cup light vegetable oil (not olive)

Directions:

Put first nine ingredients into a cold stock pot and cover with cool water.  Gently bring up to a simmer and cook for 2 – 3 hours until chicken is falling off the bone. Remove chicken and place on a plate to cool.  Remove and discard vegetables and strain the broth through cheesecloth.  Allow to rest so you can skim the fat off.

Meanwhile prepare the dumplings by combining dry ingredients in a medium bowl, stir and add the milk and oil.  Use a fork and stir until combined, but don’t over work the dough. Set aside to rest for 5 – 10 minutes.

Rinse the pot (just make sure that there is not any stock remnants as in spices pepper or anything that will cloud your soup stock) place on stove over medium high heat.  Melt the butter and add the flour to create a roux.  Cook roux for 2 – 4 minutes keeping it light in color, but making sure the dough has cooked.  Whisk in broth and bring to a low boil.

Using two spoons, drop dumpling dough into the pot.  Cover and simmer for 10 – 12 minutes.

While the soup is simmering remove chicken from the bone.  Add to the pot when the dumplings are cooked along with peas.  Cook until heated through — 4 – 5 minutes.  If desired finish with a generous glug of cream but the soup is wonderful without it.

This dish lends itself to an ice cold glass of milk just as easily as a glass of wine.  We had it with a Heitz Cellars Sauvignon Blanc we purchased on our last trip to Napa.  The visit to the winery was our favorite as the tasting room was small and intimate and we were able to speak to the winemaker, not to mention their dogs were there too.  This was an excellent pairing.  It’s a drier wine not as fruity as many Sauvignon Blancs with a nice balanced acidity that compliments rather than clashes with food.  The crispness of the Sauvignon Blanc complimented the rich chicken broth and brought out all of its flavors.

This may seem like a dish exclusive to winter, but because you are cooking low it never heats up your kitchen.  You could cook the broth in a crock pot if you want as well — but you’ll need another pot to finish the soup so I just use the same pot.

If there’s one thing I’m obvious about it’s my love for French food.  So a couple weeks ago when I arrived in Paris, my very first destination was a classic bistro.  My only requirement was that it be on the way to the catacombs which I was on a mission to see having been interrupted by fate on my previous visits.  By random luck my company assigned hotel was walking distance to the catacombs and I had spotted a very traditional looking bistro just across the street.

Famished (it was around 2:00 and I’d only had coffee so desperate may be a better adjective) I set off from the hotel the minute I was checked in.  I noticed as I was walking to the catacombs that a lot of the people I was encountering were from Africa — I didn’t stop to think about what this would mean for food in the area because I was extremely focused on a crepe and onion soup or pommes frites.  I walked into a very classically french looking bistro, ordered a un verre cote du rhone (in another post I’ll discuss the language barrier that lead to a one-person, one-bottle of wine lunch) and began to peruse the menu.

It was only then I realized I was in a restaurant that specialized in African, not French food.  I ordered the chicken with couscous and the photo you see is what they presented as lunch for one person.  I wish I could remember the name of this establishment because the meal was so fantastic that I couldn’t wait to come home and recreate it.  If you are in Paris, seek directions to the catacombs (metro stop Denfert-Rochereau see the map here) The restaurant is on rue Froidevaux and you can see the park above the entrance to the catacombs from it.  This was an inexpensive spicy amazing lunch!

Here’s my re-creation of the recipe

1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs skin removed

3 T olive oil

28 oz diced tomatoes

32 oz chicken stock

1 white onion diced

3 zucchini cubed (keep the chunks big so it doesn’t disintegrate)

6 cloves garlic minced

3 carrots diced

3 ribs celery sliced

2 bay leafs

salt and pepper to taste

handful chopped flat leaf parsley

1 T Sriracha sauce (you can add more later but this is a condiment that deserves respect)

Brown the chicken in olive oil, transfer to a slow cooker, add remaining ingredients stir and set on low.  Cook for 4 – 6 hours. Serve over mounds of couscous.  Other condiments could include garbanzo beans, golden raisins, more hot sauce

As for wine, if you like sweeter whites this is a light flavor and I think a Riesling would balance the spiciness.  As for us, we aren’t big sweet wine drinkers so we had it with a Merlot — or — have a cold crisp beer always a good accompaniment to spicy food.

I can’t resist leaving you with a picture of me in the catacombs …

The docent was having fun with silly lighting, kinda ruined my pic

6 million people are buried here