As another season of college football comes to an end, perhaps you’ve had your fill of bowl games. But bowl food? Well now, that’s a whole other kettle of, er, well, whatever warms the soul during these long winter nights.
This time of year, my inner self is angling for a menu of savory sauces and stews harboring tender chunks of beans or slow-cooked beef and pork, potatoes anything, and risottos loaded with mushrooms and peppers and cheese.
It’s a time when I like knowing that dinner is simmering away on the back of the stove as the day unfolds. Even as darkness descends, the kitchen is filled with a hopeful glow.
In fact, a pot of homemade stew or chili sheds brightness on the season’s darker side like no other concoction can. At its most basic level, such creations become a personal thing between the cook and the pot, requiring a bit of attention on the cook’s part, even standing over the pot at times, reflecting on life and all its components.
Finally, the steaming pot makes it to the table and bowls are filled. For a little while at least, the day’s hard edges are soft and fuzzy.
Simply stewed chicken thighs
5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8boneless/skinless chicken thighs,
1/2cup all-purpose flour
4cloves garlic, chopped
1medium onion, chopped
3medium celery stalks, chopped
2medium carrots, chopped
1(14-1/2 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes (in juice)
4medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks (peel may be left on if desired)
1medium red sweet bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch wide strips
2cups homemade or canned chicken broth
2cups homemade or canned beef broth
1/2cup dry white wine or dry sherry, or ale (for an alcohol-free version, substitute additional chicken broth)
2tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, cut each thigh into three or four chunks then dredge each piece in the flour. Add the pieces to the pot in two batches if necessary to avoid crowding and cook until golden brown on one side. Turn the chicken to brown the other side, then transfer the chicken to a plate and repeat with remaining pieces.
To the pot add the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots and continue to saute, scraping up all of the cooked-on bits of food on the bottom of the pot. Continue cooking until the onions are softened. Add the chicken back to the pot along with the tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, 1 cup of the chicken broth, 1 cup of the beef broth, the wine (or sherry or ale or additional chicken broth), the vinegar, and sugar. Bring the mixture back to a boil, stirring well, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue cooking for another thirty minutes, or until the chicken is very tender. As needed, add additional broth to maintain a stew-like consistency (not as thin a broth as soup). Adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice, rice pilaf or pasta (such as rotini or penne).
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Jan’s chili
1 1/2pounds coarsely ground beef (or finely diced beef chuck)
1tablespoon vegetable oil
1cup diced yellow onion
4cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2cups beef broth
214 1/2 -ounce cans diced tomatoes
1cup dry red wine
1/4cup each: diced green chiles (fresh Anaheim, or canned), sweet bell pepper (red or green)
1/4cup chili powder
1tablespoon ground cumin
1tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
1teaspoon salt (more to taste)
115-ounce can black beans, drained
Garnishes: grated sharp Cheddar cheese, chopped raw yellow onion, cooked and crumbled bacon, sour cream
In a large, heavy pot over medium high heat, saute the beef in the oil until the meat is browned. Depending on the size of your pot, you may have to do this in 2 batches.
Add the onion and garlic and continue to saute, scraping the bottom of the pan thoroughly to blend the bits of cooked-on food into the chili.
Add the beef broth, tomatoes, wine, chiles, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt, then cover the pot and simmer gently over medium to medium-low heat for 2 hours.
Add the beans and continue cooking for at least 1 more hour, or until the meat is very tender and the flavor is well developed. Feel free to add additional wine and broth during cooking if the chili becomes too thick. Adjust seasonings before serving.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
This is a heavenly preparation that tastes especially good during these cold winter months.
Jan’s one-pot chicken with noodles, ginger and lemon
2chicken breast halves, bones in, skin off (about 1 1/2 pounds total weight)
1tablespoon vegetable oil
4cups good-quality chicken broth
3/4cup chopped green onions (about 5 or 6 medium-sized onions, using all of the white and pale green portion and about 2 inches of the green)
2slices from a whole, fresh lemon (about 1/4-inch thick, or slightly thicker)
2teaspoons freshly grated ginger root
2teaspoons commercially prepared chili-garlic sauce
1/8teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
17.7 ounce package yakisoba noodles (see note)
Using kitchen shears or a very sharp knife, cut each chicken breast half into two portions (since you’ll be cutting through rib and breast bone, shears are very effective). Cut through each breast at the meatiest portion, so you end up with four relatively equal-sized portions.
In a deep-sided, heavy-bottomed pot, brown the chicken pieces in the oil over medium-high heat, turning once to brown on both sides (note: skinless breast meat can be tricky to fry, tending to stick to the bottom of the pan if you flip it too soon; be patient, once the meat has browned sufficiently, it practically releases from the pan bottom by itself). Reduce the heat slightly, remove the chicken pieces to a plate, then pour in the broth, stirring and scraping with a flat-sided utensil to dissolve all of the caramelized chicken juices.
Return the browned chicken pieces to the pot, and add the onions, lemon slices, ginger root, chili-garlic sauce and black pepper. Cover, and cook just until the chicken is tender and cooked, about 40 minutes. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt if desired. The chicken may be prepared to this point up to 48 hours ahead and refrigerated.
Five or 10 minutes before serving, bring the mixture to a boil, then remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon. Add the yakisoba (note: also called stir-fry noodles; check the refrigerated section in produce department of most supermarkets), breaking the soft block of noodles apart with a fork or spoon so they’ll cook evenly and quickly in the broth (this only takes about 3 minutes).
When the noodles are cooked, return the chicken pieces to the pot and heat through. Adjust seasonings. If you remember, fish out any remaining pieces of lemon (it will be almost disintegrated by now, though) before serving.
Serve in large soup bowls or pasta bowls.
Makes 2 servings, but can easily be doubled.
Contact Jan Roberts-Dominguez by email at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
