Disclaimer: I am not a foodie, I like good food.
While at the beach this summer, I found a number of old cookbooks - most circa 1999. A lot has changed in the world of food consumption since then, but one thing has not changed: good food is still good food. I chose a few recipes and brought them home with me to try. Some I Ieft alone, others I tweaked to meet my new Canyon Ranch-inspired sensibilities. Forever ago (late August), I shared my plans, and though we are well on our way to rediscovery, I've not posted much since.
Though most of my recent cooking has come from those older books, this meal came as a result of our visit to Target to get sleeping bags on our way to Darien Lake in August. I was on a recipe-collecting roll and bought this book because of this recipe on the cover. My boys were insistent!
CHICKEN IN WHITE WINE
serves 6 (in my house, would serve more somewhere else!)
8 pieces chicken, we prefer thighs
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 head garlic, cloves peeled
1 tablespoon tomato paste
227g (half pound) cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup pearl onions, peeled
2 cups (450mL) chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 small red potatoes, quartered
4 carrots, cut into 2” lengths
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Serve with multigrain baguette and garden salad.
1. Heat a nonstick Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
2. Add chicken to Dutch oven, in batches, and cook until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to plate as it is browned.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped onion, celery and garlic to Dutch oven; cook, stirring until vegetables are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste until smooth. Add mushrooms and pearl onions; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, wine, potatoes, and carrots; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of pot.
4. Return chicken and bacon to Dutch oven. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender and juices run clear when chicken thigh is pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, whisk together flour and water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir in about 1/4 cup of hot stew liquid until blended. Add liquid to put and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid bubbles and thickens, about 3 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley (if you remember, often I don’t!).
— FROM MY KITCHEN BY WAY OF WEIGHT WATCHERS “ONE POT COOKBOOK”, 2012
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The timing of this project is great as the brilliant Cathy Zielske has developed new recipe book templates! I'm now able to get my act together and all recipes blog-worthy are also book worthy!
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Now that I have a fabulous format, I am hoping to get a complete recipe book put together in the next few months. Claire will be heading off to University late next summer and I'd like her to have some of the favourite family recipes ready to go along with her.
I'll share more as soon as I remember to take photos of the finished meals - before the kids get to them! It's good stuff :)
