CityMama™

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe from a Real Southerner

What do you do when you have a fresh batch of chicken stock, some leftover chicken, and three hungry kids? Make chicken and dumplings!

Now, despite my abiding love for it, chicken and dumplings is not a part of my culinary tradition. As with other Southern dishes like shrimp and grits, Brunswick stew, and pulled pork, it's a dish I've made with varying degrees of success over the years. This year, though, I finally decided to just get it right once and for all.

This a tried and true recipe from my friend Lisa Frame who lives in the South. I'm passing it along with her permission so that you, too, can achieve chicken and dumplings success!

She starts the recipe assuming you've already cooked your chicken in water or broth. (I just put a whole cut-up chicken into a pot with enough colder water to cover by an inch or two. I add in some peppercorns, onion, garlic, and a couple bay leaves that I tie-up into a cheese cloth and huck into the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a bare simmer, skimming any foam or impurities as needed. Chicken will be cooked through/falling off the bone in about an hour.)

Note: As a short cut I use a chicken carcass from a roast chicken and make the soup/broth ahead of time (I always have a batch in my freezer) and then buy a rotisserie chicken to shred into my chicken and dumplings.

Make your dumplings. These are light and fluffy—sort of a cross between a gnocchi and a noodle.

Dumplings: 

• 2c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 3 TB shortening (I use Earth Balance sticks)
• 3/4 buttermilk (a MUST)

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the shortening. Add the buttermilk, stirring with fork until moistened. Knead the dough 4 to 5 times, and pat to 1/2-inch pieces and drop into boiling broth (I don't pat out, just pinch off pieces -- do same thing with biscuits most of the time). Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Take chicken out of broth and bring broth to a boil. Add pepper. Add thyme—I use about 1 tbsp fresh or 1/2 tbsp dried. (Lisa says thyme is a must.) I also add carrots and celery and sometimes peas, but Lisa says southerners don't add veggies. Stir in chicken (I take off bone and leave in big chunks), heat through, and serve.

If you want to thicken more, use a little bit of flour that you've stirred in milk.(I find that the dumplings thicken enough.)

Enjoy!

Image credit.

 

Braised Chicken with Rosemary, White Wine, Golden Raisins, and Mushrooms

This is a very easy week night dinner that is a take-off on the Pollo alla Cacciatora recipe that mu mother learned how to make when she was married to my (Italian) dad and living in Rome. According to my mom, real "Chicken Cacciatore" doesn't have tomatoes and/or peppers in it, just chicken, garlic, and rosemary; and some vinegar and wine to deglaze the pan. Who knows if she's correct, I just know that the Pollo alla Cacciatora I grew up eating was a very simple dish. That was my inspiration for this braise.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY, WHITE WINE, GOLDEN RAISINS, AND MUSHROOMS

This is even better the next day, so if you can swing that, I highly recommend cooking it ahead of time.

• olive oil
• 3 lbs of cut up chicken parts, I used thighs because I love them!
• 1 onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup or so dry white wine
• 2-3 glugs (tbsps) white wine or white balsamic vinegar (very important!)
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup of golden raisins
• 1 basket of white mushrooms trimmed and sliced in half
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a Dutch oven or covered braising pan, heat olive oil (as much as you like) over med heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan. When chicken is browned, toss in garlic and onion and continue cooking until onions are soft. Turn up heat slightly and deglaze the pan with wine and vinegar, scraping up all the yummy bits. Add rosemary sprigs, raisins, and mushrooms. Stir gently, cover, lower heat to medium low, and continue cooking about 15 minutes until chicken is done. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove rosemary before serving. This is great with roasted potoes or over rice, pilaf, pasta or with bread to soak up the yummy juices!

Picadillo with Ground Turkey

I love any kind of hash—corned beef, Chinese pork (especially with salt fish!), potato—and this sweet, sour, and fragrantly spiced Cuban-style hash called Picadillo.

It's traditionally made with ground or shredded beef, but I used ground turkey with delicious results. (I use ground turkey in place of ground beef in just about every recipe that calls for it.)

Serve over white rice or with tortillas. You can also scoop it up with tortilla chips. This dish got a thumbs up from the kids, too!

Picadillo with Ground Turkey

adapted from Cooking Light'

• 3-4 glugs of olive oil
• 2-2.5 lbs (2 packages) of ground turkey
• one finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes and juice
• 2 jalapeños en escabeche (pickled), chopped (or you can use milder roasted green chiles)
• 6 green olives, pitted and diced
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, slightly crushed
• 1/2 cup tablespoons golden raisins
• 4 tablespoons capers
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• a big splash of red wine or sherry

Preparation

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ground turkey and saute until no longer pink. Add tomatoes, chiles, olives; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Reduce heat to low. Stir in raisins, capers, vinegar, and sherry; simmer about 10-15 minutes more. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serve over white rice or with tortillas with black beans and a green salad on the side if you like.

Turkey, Green Chili, Hominy Chili

My friend Alisyn made this chili on New Year's Eve, and even after (the baby and) I spent a solid hour plowing through all the appetizers on her buffet table, I had to have a bowl of this delicious chili.

When we were invited to a chili cook-off, I knew this was the chili I wanted to bring. Alisyn gave me the general ingredients, but she just wings it, and so did I.  You can, too.

TURKEY, GREEN CHILI AND HOMINY CHILI

Note to self: Eat more hominy. It's so satisfyingly good.

• olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 lbs of ground turkey
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsps ground cumin (or more or less to your liking)
• 1 tbsp dried oregano (crush between your fingers when adding to pot)
• 1-2 tsps ground chipotle (I like the flavor of this in chili, but you can omit)
• 2-4 ounce cans of diced green fire-roasted chilis
• 2 cans of hominy, drained
• a quart-sized box of chicken broth
• sea salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

Pour a couple 3 glugs of olive oil into a Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes until onions start to become translucent. Add turkey and bay leaves, and brown it, crumbling it as you stir. Add the cumin, oregano, and chipotle pepper. Stir for a few minutes then add the chilis, hominy and enough broth to cover everything, you might not use the entire box. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Check for salt and pepper. It's done in about 20 minutes. Serves 8.

Garnish with any of the following:

• fresh cilantro leaves
• chopped onion
• Mexican crema or sour cream
• lime wedges
• shredded asadero or crumbled cotija cheese
• slices of fresh jalapeño

"Rotisserie"chicken in the Crock-Pot: Tastes like (rotisserie) chicken

Using a recipe from Stephanie O'Dea's Make It Fast, Cook It Slow as a guide, I made a rotisserie chicken in my Crock-Pot last night.  She said it would be good (and not as salt-laden as store-bought rotisserie chickens), and she didn't lie.

Her recipe (which is easy) involves mixing together some salt and herbs, rubbing on the chicken, adding some garlic and onion and slow cooking it for 4-5 hours.

I did basically that, except I used a rosemary salt that I got in Italy instead of her salt-herb mixture and I omitted the garlic and onions. Now, before you go, "Whoa, wait I minute. I don't have that. I can't make this."—relax. You can make your own (google it) or purchase some from places like this. Or you can just use Stephanie's recipe and I'm sure it will be just as delish.

One caveat, though, if you are making your own rosemary salt. I think fresh rosemary is best added to a dish towards the end of cooking time so its flavor stays fresh and bright, otherwise it can get bitter. If you are going to make your own rosemary salt, this is one time I think that dried rosemary is okay, especially if you are going to combine it with rock salt in your food processor and blend it together. Or maybe use not the freshest leaves of your purchased sprigs of rosemary. Then you get the rosemary flavor (albeit more subtle) without the bitterness that can occur when you toss fresh rosemary into the pot or pan to cook with your chicken or lamb for hours and hours.  This is a personal preference of mine. You do what you wish.

The chicken doesn't quite taste like a roasted chicken (and doesn't have any yummy, crispy skin), but it also doesn't take a stewed chicken, which is what I was worried about. It tastes like a baked chicken—it's very moist and flavorful.

CROCK-POT ROTISSERIE CHICKEN

• one whole chicken
• rosemary salt
• a pound of potatoes

I washed and dried an organic, whole, pastured chicken then rubbed it inside and out with rosemary salt (about 1-1/2 tbsps) and cracked pepper. Put it breast-side down in your Crock-Pot (don't add any liquid) and dump in a pound of scrubbed fingerling potatoes. Set it to cook for about 5 hours on LOW if you have a Crock-Pot that heats the sides or 4-5 high if you don't. (Check at 4ish hours to make sure it's not overcooking.)  Carefully remove to a plate and carve. Arrange potatoes around the chicken.

Cilantro Beef (or Turkey): Like Hamburger Helper, But So Not

This is a dish that I learned to make from my brother, and seriously, it could not be easier.  Since it uses ground beef (or turkey or lamb), it's quick to make which makes it perfect for a mid-week meal.

Think of it as a Chinese-style Hamburger Helper-type dish, though hopefully far more delicious—and better for you.  Put on a pot of rice and when the rice is done, start this recipe. It'll be done in less than 10-15 minutes. Sooner if you prep everything in advance.

It doesn't look like much, but I promise you this is one of the best things you will ever put into your mouth.

And if you are one of those people who hates cilantro? Shhhh! Keep it to yourself!

CILANTRO BEEF (or, in my case, turkey)

• 1-2 tbsps canola, peanut, or macadamia nut oil (Amount of oil depends on meat used. I find that turkey needs the 2 tbsps because it's so lean.)
• 1/2 of a large sweet onion (Vidalia, Maui, Texas Sweet), diced
• a 1-inch piece of ginger, sliced (don't bother peeling, you'll saute it briefly then remove it)
• 1 bunch of organic cilantro, finely chopped (don't chop the last inch of stems, but some stems are fine)
• 1 lb of (organic) ground beef, turkey, or lamb
• 2 tbsps of organic low-salt soy sauce (oyster sauce works well in this, too.)
• white pepper to taste, about 1/4-1/2 tsp (must be white pepper)

Sauté the onion and ginger in the oil over medium-high heat until onions are soft and just starting to turn color, about 5 minutes. Add beef or turkey and sauté until cooked through, breaking it up into crumbles. Remove the ginger pieces. Add in soy sauce and white pepper. Cook for about a minute. Dump in all the cilantro at once, give the dish a final stir then remove from heat. 

Serve over rice (or brown rice as I do). This would also be great over rice noodles.  And if you like heat, don't forget to pass the garlic-chili sauce!

Turkey soup where the leftover stuffing--not the turkey--gets to be the star

I have to admit that while I love Thanksgiving, I'm not really a fan of turkey, especially leftover turkey. I have a few small slices of dark meat with my turkey dinner, and I might pick a few more bites of the carcass, but I don't look forward to turkey sandwiches, salads, casseroles, and soup for days. 

I do love soup though, just not turkey soup with the usual starches--noodles or rice. Today I was looking for a quick and easy soup to make with the turkey bones and stumbled upon this recipe for turkey vegetable soup with stuffing dumplings.

The stuffing dumplings are brilliant because they are seasoned enough (mmm, salty, herby goodness) to stand up to the slightly gamey turkey broth. I used twice as many carrots and celery for the soup (because I like a carrot-y turkey soup), added in some leftover corn, and made dumplings from the quart container we had of leftover stuffing.  The result was a light, clear soup chock full of veggies (and not so much turkey) and light, fluffy, flavorful dumplings.

Hope you try it!

Pollo al Mattone (Chicken under a brick)

Pollo al Mattone is one of my mom's favorite dishes.  She used to always get it at Vivande on Fillmore Street in San Francisco usually after stopping into Fillamento, a great, great housewares store that isn't around anymore. Their bricked chickens were always flavorful and juicy with crispy-crispy skin, (just like the bird you see above!).  When I saw it on the cover of the September 2009 issue of Bon Appetit (recipe on page 84), I knew I'd be making it.

You start by marinating the chicken overnight (or all afternoon like I did) then roast it the next day.  The key is spatchcocking it first (removing the backbone so you can butterfly it).  I did it backwards because I was on the phone while cutting up my chicken and removed the breastbone instead.  One cut in and I quickly realized what I had done. Fom there, there was no going back.  "Never apologize!" says Julia, right? (Note to self: no cooking while on conference call.)

Hi, I'm backwards, but I'm still going to taste delish.

Continuing on, you grill or roast the chicken in a hot oven under a foil-wrapped brick (or in my case, cast iron skillet upon chicken cooked in another cast iron skillet), flip, then continue roasting until the juices run clear.

Gettin' smushy.

Pollo al Mattone is easy and fun to make.  The girls got a kick out of seeing the flattened chicken and it tasted, well, just amazing. I roast chickens often, at least a couple of times a month, and from now on, they'll be done al mattone. Check out the recipe in this month's Bon Appetit for more details.

Note: I'm reviewing a new camera, the Nikon Coolpix P90, and used it to take these photos.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Mint and Lime

This refreshing salad is from Nigella Lawson.  It's a perfect use of that pre-shredded cabbage that comes in a bag if you don't have the time nor inclination to shred it yourself. You can easily substitute lettuce if you don't like raw cabbage. It calls for a whole bunch of chopped mint, but don't be alarmed--it's essential to the taste, and it's lovely in the salad and not at all over-powering.  I added some broccoli slaw for extra crunch.  I used red jalapeno peppers because they are milder and I didn't want to overwhelm it with spiciness for the kids, but I made a separate little dish of fish sauce with chopped up thai chilis to spoon over my serving. DY-NO-MITE!

This is an example of me trying to sneak spicier foods into my kids' meals.  Both J. and I love spicy food, the hotter the better. I am getting frustrated with not being able to order my favorite spicy dishes as restaurants or having to tone down meals at home because the kids won't eat it. I want them to understand the beauty that is pasta tossed with just garlic, chilis and olive oil or a Korean Yuk Gae Jang (beef and chili pepper soup with an angry red broth) that almost makes you cry it hurts so good.

Bunny is coming around and will now eat kimchis, curries, and salsa.  Wallie is still in wimp mode but will at least try things with a glass of water at the ready.  They're going to have to get with the program if they want to remain in this family. (Of course, I kid.)

Chicken soup with homemade noodles

Last night I was craving chicken noodle with chewy, wide, hearty "noodles," so Bunny and I decided to make some together. (See photos here. Note: I've decided I'm "Post-DSLR." I don't care about taking perfect food shots, I just want to be able to document on the fly with my camera phone and hope they come out semi-pretty.)

To make the noodles you combine about 2 cups of AP flour with about a cup of water (add more flour or water a little at a time as needed) until you have a smooth, elastic, workable dough.  Knead for about 5-10 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky, then let it rest for 20-30 minutes, covered in saran wrap, on a floured board.  Roll out the dough as thick or thin as you like and cut into noodley shapes. I use a pizza cutter for this.

The soup was a snap to make since I already had a couple of quarts of veggie stock in the freezer plus a leftover roasted game hen from last week, so I defrosted the stock, added in some carrots, parsnips, and celery, brought it to a boil, then dropped in the noodles.  They cook up in about 5 minutes, and best of all retain their al dente chewyness (because they are so thick), rather than sogging-up like regular pasta.

If you have never made homemade noodles, give it a go.  You don't need any fancy equipment, trust me.

PS I am only using roasted game hens for my chicken noodle soup from now on.  The flavor was ohmygodtodiefor.