Anyway, we've been trying to save money and use our food well (instead of throwing away old onions and things) so we have a couple big zippy bags in the freezer that we toss the old stuff in. Peter likes to make roasted chickens, so we'll often have the bones. I also toss the tops and bits of onions, carrots, celery, etc in. Especially since we've been traveling, all the produce goes into the freezer instead of coming home to limp carrots and moldy onions. We also toss the rinds of parmigana in (that stuff is GOLD here, can't waste it!).
So, I started this meal by pulling the broth bag out of the freezer. Since it was Sunday, I was mostly home working and had plenty of time to watch the pot and make the house smell good. Of course, I could also have pulled pre-made broth from the freezer (if I had any on hand) or used the canned stuff- which isn't all that bad.
After the broth was done, strained, and left to rest in the fridge, I started our actual meal. I chopped carrot, celery, onion, and garlic and let them saute in evoo in our Le Creuset (one of the best cooking implements we received as wedding presents!). After they softened and smelled nice, I tossed in a few bay leaves, thyme, and s&p. Then I sprinkled flour on top to make a roux. If you aren't a roux person, you need to become one because it's fantastic and means you can use less cream and even Peter won't know! I stir the whole mess and let it cook until the flour is no longer white. I want it to blend into the veggies and turn a light beige color. After the flour cooks (maybe 2 minutes?) it's time to add the liquid. I added plenty of broth (since the dumplings need to absorb liquid later in the recipe), until the Le Crueset was half full. As for the chicken... since I wasn't starting from a whole chicken, and I didn't have any left over cooked chicken in the fridge, I used a couple of breasts and poached then in the chicken broth I made earlier. Once cooked, I took them out and cut into large bites.
So, at this point we have the veggies cooked, the chicken resting on the side, basically it just needs to get put together! I adapted a dumpling recipe from Cooks Illustrated and Betty Crocker. I used whole milk instead of cream as well as flour, baking powder, and salt. Pretty simple. I stirred the mess together and it was like really thick muffin mix. I added the diced chicken to the pot, stirred in a couple handfuls of frozen peas, and spooned the batter on top. The recipes said to let it simmer from 15-20 minutes, which I did with the temp on low and the lid firmly in place.
It made plenty- enough for two hungry people and leftovers. We sat down to a hearty meal on a cold night.
Notes and Next Time
- I think I used too many peas, we both noticed that it was a little sweet. The Cooks recipe called for sherry, which might have added enough acid. Next time I'll probably still use peas, but fewer, and maybe stir in a little lemon juice at the end.
- I definitely didn't cook the dumplings long enough. Some were fine, but all of the larger ones were still damp in the middle instead of being fluffy and dry like biscuits.
- This recipe just reinforces to me the value in making broth. I can grade papers and do all sorts of things and neglect the pot but homemade is so much tastier and cheaper (since I don't buy anything just to make broth, it's all leftovers). Having the freezer bags is so handy, and keeps us from having horrible surprises in the fridge.
- Peter thinks that the dumplings could have used a bit more salt. Since I used kosher not table salt as the recipe called for, this is definitely possible. I don't remember.
Ingredients/Recipe
- broth
- carrot
- celery
- onion
- bay
- thyme
- chicken
- peas
- flour
- baking powder
- milk
- s&p
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