K.I.S.S.(Chicken and Dumplings)

In the Keep It Simple Sweetie (I like Sweetie better than Stupid, don't you?) department, I had to figure out, once again, what to do with left over rotisserie chicken from Wednesday evening's dinner party.  Most of the white meat was eaten, but we still had 4 legs, 4 thighs, 4 wings and both carcasses left.  We also had the wings, but I hide those as a special snack for me.  I keep the carcasses for making stock (that I freeze for a multitude of later uses), but haven't gotten around to that yet.  I had no clue what to do with the leftover dark meat, which by the way, is so much moister and tastier than the white as far as I am concerned. 

I am over my horrendous meltdown and later whine of Thursday, but still feeling somewhat fragile emotionally.  I needed and wanted comfort.  How else to get it but through food?  We try to eat in a healthy manner, but we never deny ourselves anything.  We just try to control our portions.  After a bit of thought I realized nothing would make me feel better foodwise than receiving the big ol' loving embrace of a pot of chicken and dumplings.  So, that's what I did. 

I haven't made chicken and dumplings since the children were small and we lived on the Canadian border in upstate New York.  We'd be in snow up to our armpits.  My day with the children would be, clothes on, snowpants on, sweaters on, jackets on, hats on, mittens on, boots on, kids out the door....oops, son forgot to pee, boots off, mittens off, jacket off, snowpants down, pee, reverse order of clothes, finally out the door, kids bang door fifteen minutes later, undress them, throw everything in dryer, dry everything, an hour later when they whine to go out start all over again, this time it's daughter who forgets to pee.  In between, I'd stand at the stove making a big pot of chili or spaghetti sauce or chicken and dumplings.  At the dinner table that evening their Dad and I would sit across from two rosey cheeked children and watch them inhale their bowls of steamy goodness.  My children played outside every single day all year long.  They were never ill like the children kept inside during the cold weather.  As I type, I can see it all.  I so miss those days.  I really didn't appreciate them for what they were nor realize how fleeting childhood is.  I was the Mom, they were the kids and we just did our lives.  I didn't think much of it...silly me.

Chicken and Gravy

Since I hadn't yet made my stock, I dug around in the pantry and found a 2lb (4 cup) container of store-bought (for shame) chicken broth.  I put it in the pan and added the dark meat, bone in.  I added 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery and nothing else as the broth was pre-made.  I simmered it all covered for about an hour.  Then, I removed the chicken and deboned it before returning the meat to the pot.  I brought it to a boil.  I added 1/2 cup of flour (Wondra) whisked with 1 cup water to the pot and made the gravy...easy, peasey.

Dumplings:

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons oil

dash of herbes de provence

Mix dry ingredients, add wet, stir until soft dough forms.  Drop by rounded tablespoonful on top of gently boiling chicken and gravy.  Cover and cook until done but not tough.

Salade de Carottes Rapees

We had two other couples over for dinner on Wednesday evening. Both couples are longtime friends, one couple neighbors and the others old friends from husband's time in Washington D.C.. I had vowed a simple summer dinner and I kept my promise. Costco provided two rotisserie chickens. All I had to do was provide a starter, sides and dessert. Since I had sworn not to knock myself out, I pulled a big container of Cream of Tortilla Soup from the freezer. It freezes wonderfully and is, if anything, even better after freezing. OK, what else? What else indeed. How about the no-fail sure to please everyoneTarte a la Oignon.  I had bought a new tart pan, a rectangular one and wanted to try it out.  I had a gorgeous head of leaf lettuce and also some really expensive, but wonderful Jersey tomatoes, a true luxury here in south Florida.  I decided to get some fresh mozzarella, snip some fresh basil from my little herb garden and offer up a summer salad of all those ingredients.  I felt like I wanted something else, some true harbinger of summer.  I wanted color.  I personally find color and texture of food so important.  I began thinking of all the wonderful summer meals I've had in France and I experienced an epiphany...Salade de Carottes Rapees!!  This is a national dish of France, right up there with crepes and coq au vin.  It has everything I was desiring, color, texture, summer freshness and simplicity.  Salade de Carottes Rapees is shredded, dressed down carrots and is served absolutely everywhere in France.  It is national, not regional and versions can even be found in clear plastic containers in every charcuterie and hyper marche.  Some versions contain rasins.  I avoid them.  Too much of a reminder of the years I spent keeping rabbits.  There was no recipe for Shredded Carrot Salad in my little French cookbook/bible so I closed my eyes tightly and whispered, doing my best Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ imitation"There's no place like France...There's no place like France" and voila'! I became inspired.  I begged husband to peel seven organic carrots.  Then, I kissed the Cuisinart processor gently and lovingly and shoved those carrots against the shredding disk...abracacadabra...thirty seconds later the foundation for Salade de Carottes Rapees.  The rest wasn't nearly so mechanical and scientific.  It was all taste and adjust and use what I found on hand.  Here's what I did to the best of my recollection...

Salade de Carottes Rapees

7 fresh carrots, organic preferred, peeled and shredded

3 large spoonfuls of high quality olive oil (I used my salad set spoon so the bowl of it is probably more than a tablespoon.  In the salads, it's proportion of oil to acid that's important, not the amounts)

1 and a little bit more salad spoonful of fresh lemon juice

1/2 handful fresh mint

1/2 handful flat leaf parsley

1/2 cup sliced almonds

salt

freshly ground pepper

That's it, really.  Dress, taste, adjust, repeat until you're happy with it.  So simple.  So incredibly good.  It add such color to a summer meal.

A note about fresh spices....

 Fresh spices are so easy to have on hand.  I just plant all of mine in a big planter I keep on the side patio.  It is a veritable cornucopia of tastes...in the one pot I have sage, tarragon, mint, parsley, thyme, basil and for good measure, a single dwarf yellow pepper plant stuck in the middle.  All the spices love each other and jumple together happily.  I  love grabbing handfuls as needed when I'm cooking.

Torpor and Lassitude

It's true.  I've lost my cooking mojo.  Well, sort of.  Yesterday, I made my now famous Tarte a L'Oignon.  Yesterday's version should properly be called Tarte a L'Oginon et Champignon.  I had half of a large container of mushrooms sitting in the crisper drawer that I needed to use or lose.  As always, the tarte is foolproof.  We each had a slice for dinner accompanied by a fresh salad.  Today we each had a slice of tarte and salad for lunch.  I am tarte'd out.  There is one slice left for each of us.  I have Moroccan Lamb Stew and Couscous sitting in the fridge.  I need to shove it down the disposal.  It breaks my heart have to do that.  I am not cooking until Wednesday when I am having a small dinner party here.  I don't know what we'll eat.  I have a beautiful head of red edged leaf lettuce, a big chunk of Manchego cheese and some recently bought English bangers.  That's going to be it until Wednesday.  Mark my words.

Moroccan-ish Lamb Stew Over Couscous

It all started with a craving for Moroccan Lamb Stew over Couscous.  I adore my husband, but he's English.  He has an English palate.  If you're English, please don't take offense.  It may be just my husband.  He likes his food plain...meat, potato (not pasta or rice or couscous, just potato) and tasteless steamed vegetables.  If I make the same four things all the time, he's happy so in that respect he's easy to feed.  Me, I need variety in food.  Potatoes are my least favorite starch.  Hence, my craving for the Moroccan Lamb Stew and the couscous.  I started digging around and found the recipe below on the internet...

Couscous with Lamb Stew Gourmet | May 1954; reprinted September 2001

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr This recipe, which accompanied our 1954 article on Tunisia, called for what were then two very exotic ingredients. One, the granular pasta called couscous, is now commonplace in supermarkets across America. The other, dried rose petals, is available by mail order. Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings   For lamb stew 2 lb boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes 1/4 cup olive oil 3 large onions, thinly sliced 8 large tomatoes (4 1/2 lb), peeled, quartered, and seeded 4 cups canned tomato juice 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 fresh habanero or cayenne chile, finely chopped, including seeds 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 1 bay leaf (not California) Pinch of saffron threads 4 carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick 4 turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges 3 red or green bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 lb pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 1/2 lb zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1 1/2 inches thick 1 (19-oz) can chickpeas (about 2 cups), rinsed, drained, and skins slipped off For spicy tomato sauce 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon crushed dried rose petals (pesticide-free; optional)* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste For couscous 4 cups water 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon salt 2 (10-oz) boxes quick-cooking couscous (3 1/2 cups)   Make lamb stew: Pat lamb dry. Heat oil in a 7- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown lamb in 3 batches, transferring to a bowl. Add onions to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in lamb with any juices that have accumulated in bowl, tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, black pepper, chile, herbs, and saffron and simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours. Stir in carrots, turnips, bell peppers, and pumpkin and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini and chickpeas and simmer, covered, until zucchini is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Make spicy tomato sauce: Pour 1 cup broth from pot into a small heavy saucepan and add tomato paste, whisking until smooth. Simmer, stirring, until thick, about 10 minutes, then stir in paprika, rose petals, and cayenne. Cook and serve couscous: Bring water to a boil with butter and salt in a 4-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Mound couscous on a platter and top with stew, using a slotted spoon. Serve broth and tomato sauce on the side. *Available by mail order from Kalustyan's (212) 685-3451.

The recipe had every element I was looking for.  It also looked like one hell of a lot of work.  It seemed to make a huge amount.  The rose petals seemed way over the top.  I really wanted to not have to make a trip to the store (since I had bought the lamb the day before and then looked for a recipe, silly Me) and wanted to use ingredients I already had on hand.  I didn't have chickpeas so forget them.  I didn't want it spicy so forget the chilies and I  had no green peppers so they were also left out.  I just used what I had.  I really simplified the process.  I mean, a stew is a stew.  My version is delicious and ever so much easier.  This recipe will serve 4 generously.  So....here's what I did....

Dana's Version of Moroccan Lamb Stew Over Couscous

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lamb stew meat cut into 2 inch cubes

3 large onions, thinly sliced

1 large can crushed tomatoes (imported tastes best)

1 small zucchini (corgette), cubed

1 small yellow squash, cubed

4 carrots, cubed

1 potato, cubed (for husband)

1 cup water

olive oil for browning

small handful of fresh tarragon

oregano

fresh rosemary

salt

pepper

4 bay leaves (laurel)

fresh thyme

1 cinnamon stick

Process:

Cook lamb cubes in oil until it loses it's red color, but is not yet browned.  Add sliced onion and cook until meat is browned and onion translucent.  Add crushed tomatoes, water and all spices.  Simmer 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.  Add vegetables and cook until vegetables are crisp tender.  In other words, NOT mushy.  At this point, I shut off the stew and let it sit on the stove for an hour or so for the flavors to marry. 

Reheat stew.  Remove laurel (bay leaves) and cinnamon stick.  Five minutes before serving prepare couscous.  Fluff couscous and ladle hot stew over.  Absolutely wonderful. 

Husband took a minute, teeny portion.  I was insulted.  He tasted the stew and then went back for two more full helpings.  I am so proud of him.

Cream of Tortilla Soup

I cannot go to Costco without buying a rotisserie chicken.  They are the best value around.  I often get four meals from one chicken.  Also, I can't make a chicken that moist and tender unless I do a beer can chicken on the grill.  Last night we had sliced chicken breast, homemade stuffing with sausage and pecans, tomato slices and more of the fantastic Costco asparagus roasted in the oven.  Today, I turned the legs and thighs into Cream of Tortilla Soup.  I used an old recipe from a 1991 issue of Bon Appitite Magazine.  As always, I made adaptations.  My adaptations are in bold.

Also, before the recipe sharing, I want to show you how I cook.  Some of you know that I am handicapped, some don't.  It's not just my hands that are shot, it starts with my shoulders, goes to my arms and then to the peripheral nerves of my hands.  I cannot lift my arms above my waist.  In order to cook, I hop up and down on a stool hundreds of times a day.  I must defy gravitional pull by getting higher than I need to raise my hands and arms.  This is an ugly photo.  I'm dressed in my "kitchen rags" and the photo makes me look fat, but I asked husband to take the photo so that you can see how I cope with my handicap and how I still indulge in my joy of cooking.  All the hopping up and down does give me great calves, though!  I have stools in every room, in the RV and even at my son's house.  The grandkids love it!  When I cook at son's home, they drag their own stools over to the counter and "help" me.  Don't ever let an infirmity take away the joy of something you love doing.  Joy is what separates us from the Beasties.  Or, at least I think so.

Cream of Tortilla Soup

 Ingredients:

• 2 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth (I used 4 cups homemade stock)*

• 1/2 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup diced celery  (I used 1 cup and used leaves and all)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives (I used almost 1 cup of diced cilantro)
• 1 1/2 cups crushed unsalted tortilla chips
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour  (I used 3 tablespoons)
• I added 1 carrot, peeled and then done into ribbons with the peeler)

• 1/4 cup whipping cream (I used 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Crushed unsalted tortilla chips
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bring chicken broth to boil in small saucepan over medium heat.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon chopped tomato and 2 tablespoon chives for garnish. Add remaining tomato, chives and 1 1/2 cups tortilla chips to saucepan and sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over and stir mixture for 2 minutes.

Stir chicken broth into tortilla mixture. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat. Stir in whipping cream. Add grated Jack and cheddar cheese and stir mixture until cheese is melted and well blended. Add chili powder and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Rewarm soup over low heat, stirring frequently.) Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle each with some of reserved tomato and chives and crushed tortilla chips and serve.  Easily (using my quantities) serves six.

* I save chciken carcasses and also any bones from other chicken dishes, boil them up with chunks of carrot, celery, onion and bay leaves to make a robust chicken stock.  I strain it and freeze it in 2 cup portions and then use it as needed when broth is called for.  It's a great way to use up getting old carrots and celery and I can control the sodium etc..  Seems a no brainer to me.