1 3 1/2 - 4 lb. chicken
-- cut in pieces
1 tb Unsalted butter
1 tb Mild vegetable oil such as
-safflower
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 Bay leaves
4 Fresh thyme sprigs
4 Allspice berries
1 md Rutabaga -- peeled
-- cut in 1/2" cubes
1 lg Potato -- peeled
-- cut in 2" cubes
4 sm Carrots -- peeled
-- cut in 1/2" cubes
2 c All-purpose flour
1 tb Baking powder
1/2 ts Baking soda
1/4 ts Freshly grated nutmeg
1 Egg -- beaten
3 tb Unsalted butter -- melted
2/3 c Buttermilk
1/2 c Wild blueberries
-- fresh or frozen
-or-
1/4 c Golden raisins
-- coarsely chopped
2 c Green peas -- fresh or frozen
3 sm Parsnips -- cut in 1/2" cubes
Rinse chicken well and pat it thoroughly dry.
Heat the butter and oil in a large (at least 8 qt.)
heavy stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
When it is hot, add the chicken pieces, season them
generously with salt and pepper, and brown on both
sides, seasoning the
other side when you turn the pieces. Brown the
chicken in several batches to
avoid crowding the pan, 8 minutes per batch.
Transfer chicken to a plate or bowl, drain off half
the fat in the pan, and then return the chicken to the
pan. Add enough water to just cover the chicken.
Then add the herbs and rutabaga. Cover, and leaving
the heat at medium-high, bring to a boil. Cook until
rutabaga is nearly soft through but
still somewhat crisp, about 10 minutes. Add the
potato and the carrots, cover, and cook until carrots
are nearly tender, about 15 minutes.
While the stew is cooking, make the dumpling dough.
To do this, sift the flour, baking powder, 1 tsp.
salt, baking soda and nutmeg together into a
medium-size bowl. Make a well in the middle and add
the egg, melted butter and buttermilk; mix them
together in the well with a small whisk, a fork or
your fingers. Working quickly, incorporate the dry
ingredients to make a fairly stiff dough. Fold in the
blueberries or raisins.
Adjust the seasoning of the stew and make sure it is
boiling merrily; then stir in the peas and parsnips.
Next, one heaping tablespoon at a time, drop
the dumpling dough on top of the stew so the dumplings
are not touching. Cover, and cook just until the
dumplings are puffed and cooked through, no longer
than 15 minutes. Check them occasionally to be sure
they don't overcook and become dry.
To serve, cut through the dumplings with a serving
spoon, and ladle the chicken and vegetables into
warmed shallow soup bowls (remove the thyme and bay
leaves). Place the dumplings on top; serve
immediately.
Pinot Noir goes well with this.
From _Farm House Cookbook_ by Susan Herrmann Loomis.
New York: Workman Publishing Company, Inc., 1991. Pp.
159-160. ISBN 0-89480-772-2.
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