So it was a raging blizzard yesterday, and while I worried all day about losing power and not being able to see the Patriots play, I never thought to consider the cable. Yep, the cable went out at about 3pm, while I was in the middle of typing an e-mail. It should have occured to me. It doesn't take much to lose our cable. It's gone down during the day for no apparent reason, so of course it would have trouble with a bit of snow.
But, I refused to panic. I found the radio station that would broadcast the game, and decided I might as well start cooking. I have an article due soon on braising, and one of the recipes will be my own chicken stew, kind of a boneless, white wine version of coq au vin.
So, off I went, opened the Westport Winery Chardonnay, added it to my perfectly carmelized onions, and sighed with satisfaction as the wine hit the hot pan and started to sizzle, sending a wonderful smell into the air. It occured to me that I should probably check the wine, to make sure it tasted ok, though it was a bit late now. But, I was in luck, the wine was just as good as I remembered. I paid close attention as I made the stew this time, noting how much of everything I was using, since I usually just throw it all in there, by feel.
And it was coming out perfectly, in fact, it was one of those times where the dish actually comes out better than it ever has before. Don't you love when that happens? I tasted it, after I'd added the browned chicken pieces back in, and the chicken broth, and it had simmered happily for about five minute or so. It tasted good, really good. It was time to send it off to the oven for an hour and a half or so. But then I decided to add a pinch of salt.
I grabbed my tall can of sea salt, and waved it over the stew, intending to add a light sprinkle and then a dash of pepper. But, the top flew off the can, and about 2 cups of salt landed in my stew. I was in shock for an instant. My perfect stew had been ruined. How to fix it?? I grabbed a spoon and started scooping salt, and it just made things worse, piles of it slid down and looked like melting sugar. So, I just grabbed the whole pot and dumped it into a colander and then ran it under hot water, hoping to rinse the salt away. I threw it all back into the pan, added a swig of wine, and a few more cups of chicken broth, and then tentatively tasted a mushroom. It tasted like sea water. Not a good sign. But, I put the mess into the oven anyway, and hoped it would bake itself together somehow.
How was it when I took it out of the oven? Salty. Very salty. But the chicken, and the potatoes, and vegetables were delicious. The broth was bad. So, I did the drain business again. But this time while the solids were resting in the colander, I added some butter and another onion to the soup pan, along with a sprinkle of flour, and let it all brown up. A swirl of wine was next, and then more chicken broth brought it all together. I added the rest, gave it a good stir, and then threw it into the fridge.
It was actually pretty good today. I had several small bowls at lunch, but was unusually thirsty all afternoon.
So, the lesson learned here, is NEVER to shake a container of salt over a dish! Do as the cooks do, and either pinch it from a little container, or shake it into your hand and then sprinkle it in. I will NOT make this mistake again.
This soup is out of this world though, and so easy to make, especially if you buy mushrooms that are already prewashed and sliced, and use baby carrots.
What's so special about this soup? Well, the onions carmelize and dissolve into the broth as it bakes, giving the soup a rich body and sweetness. The flour on the chicken helps thicken the soup and turn it into a stew, and also gives the chicken a velvety coating so that when you bite into a piece it just melts in your mouth. The wine gives it an extra level of depth, but is optional, I often make it without the wine, and it is just as good, a nice, homey chicken stew. The parnsips add sweetness as well, and of course, it tastes even better the next day.
Pam's Chicken Stew
1 pound boneless chicken breast
3 medium onions, sliced thin
1 cup baby carrots
3 or 4 parsnips, scrubbed well, and chopped into one inch pieces
2 cups baby potatoes (I used yukon gold)
2 bay leaves
3 6" sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 small box sliced mushrooms
3 cups chicken broth (I used College Inn)
flour for dredging
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup white wine (I used Westport Rivers Chardonnay)--optional.
vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Slice chicken into 1 inch square (approximately) chunks
Take a plastic bag, add a cup and a half or so of flour, salt and pepper. Then add chicken and shake bag until chicken pieces are well coated.
In a dutch oven, about 3 1/2 to 4 qt size, add oil just until it covers the bottom of the pan, and turn heat to medium high. Add chicken pieces in batches and lightly brown on both sides, and remove to a side plate. Once all the chicken is browned, add the onions and tablespoon of butter. Cook the onions until lightly brown and reduced in size, stirring and scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Then add the wine, and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then add the chicken, then the carrots, potatoes, parsnips, bay leaves, rosemary, and finally the mushrooms and 3 cups of chicken broth. Cover, and put in the oven for an hour and a half.
Stir, and serve.
:)