Recipe: Chicken & Dumplings with Leeks and Tarragon

The holidays are far gone, but we're still getting plenty of use out of this year's stove-centric loot. By now, anyone out there reading knows that we love hearty one pot meals: lamb stew, pork butt, brisket, the list goes on. And while our trusty royal blue Le Creuset was plenty big for small gatherings, it couldn't accommodate the larger parties that we love to have. Luckily, Jake's parents gifted us another dutch oven with a whopping 7.25 quart capacity, and in aqua blue this time! We're so in love with it that we've used it at least once a week since, regardless of our party size. (Good thing we have a big freezer!)

Also under the tree/menorah this year: the new Smitten Kitchen Cookbook! We so often go to the Smitten Kitchen blog for inspiration and had been waiting anxiously to pour over the beautiful book as soon as it was released. It did not disappoint and after binging on Perelman's recipes and luscious photography we were left with a hankering for one of our favorite SK recipes – Chicken and Dumplings! The recipe isn't in the book (it's ok Deb, we forgive you!) but since we practically have it memorized, we dove right in. And, of course, our brand new Le Creuset was ready and waiting to be broken in. 

Chicken and Dumplings with Leeks and Tarragon 

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Cooks Illustrated 

For the Stew: 

+ 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 peices

+ salt and ground black pepper

+ 4 teaspoons vegetable oil

+ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

+ 2 medium leeks cut in half lengthwise and then into 1-inch pieces

+ 1 large onion, minced

+ 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

+ 1/4 cup dry sherry

+ 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

+ 1/4 cup whole milk

+ 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

+ 2 bay leaves

+ 1 cup frozen green peas

+ 3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves 

For the Dumplings: 

+ 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

+ 1 tablespoon baking powder

+ 1 teaspoon table salt

+ 1 cup whole milk

+ 3 tablespoons reserved chicken fat (or unsalted butter)

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove the browned skin. Pour off the chicken fat and reserve. Return the pot to medium-high heat and repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining chicken. Pour off and reserve any chicken fat.

2. Add the butter to the Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the flour. Whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves. Nestle the chicken, with any accumulated juices, into the pot. Cover and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and tender, about 1 hour.

3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves. Allow the sauce to settle for a few minutes, then skim the fat from the surface using a wide spoon. Shred the chicken, discarding the bones,then return it to the stew.

4. On to the dumplings... stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Microwave the milk and fat in a microwave-safe bowl on high until just warm (do not over-heat), about 1 minute. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth. Return the stew to a simmer, stir in the peas and tarragon, and season with salt and pepper.

5. To make the dumplings, gather a golf-ball-sized portion of the dumpling batter onto a soup spoon, then push the dumpling onto the stew using a second spoon. The dumplings should be about 1/4 inch apart and you should have about 18 dumplings. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve!

Recipe: Righteous Lamb with Carrots

The other night we invited our friends Kelly (The BLager) and Matt over for dinner. We were excited to have them because A) we hadn’t seen them in way too long and B) we wanted to pitch a collaboration to Kelly - more to come on that but just know that you should be very excited and thirsty! Jake has been developing a recipe for lamb shoulder braised in Sixpoint Righteous Ale and we knew if we could get it right, the dish would wow our visiting lager connoisseurs.

Righteous Ale is one of Jake’s favorite beers and the perfect braising liquid to bring out both the sweet and spicy notes of Arcadian Pastures lamb. We're always trying to find ways to bring some extra color into our winter meals, so we thought we'd fold in some carrots from Windfall as well. After picking up our ingredients Jake got back in the kitchen, cracked open a can of Six Point goodness and starting sifting through the spice cupboard. As soon as he sniffed the coriander, he knew he'd found the third and final component he'd been looking for.

The dish came out really well and, most importantly, was approved of by our official brewmaster. Stay tuned for more news on the beer front, and in the meantime we hope you enjoy this hearty winter stew!

Righteous Lamb with Carrots

+ 3 lbs lamb shoulder, cubed

+ flour

+ 3 lbs of carrots, 1 lb chopped and 2 lbs cut into ½ in by 3 inch sticks

+ 1 onion, chopped

+ 1 tbsp of whole coriander

+ 16 oz of Sixpoint Righteous Ale

+ 1 ½ cups of chicken stock

+ olive oil

+ salt

+ pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. With a clean towel dry off the pieces of lamb. On a clean plate pour about ¾ cup of flour and a heavy dose of salt. Mix with a fork and coat the cubed lamb in it.

3. In a heavy pot or dutch oven heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. In small batches, brown the lamb pieces, setting aside when done. Add more oil as needed.

4. After browning the meat, turn heat down to medium-high. Throw in the coriander, and when the seeds start to toast and release their aroma, add onions and chopped carrots. Cook until vegetables begin to soften. Add lamb back to the pan, along with the beer and stock.

5. Bring to a boil, cover and put in oven for 2 hours.

6. After two hours, lay the carrot sticks on top of the stew, and put back in the oven for another 30 min. You can also sprinkle with some fresh herbs. (Sorry, we didn't get a photo of this, mostly due to urgent hunger!)

7. Take out of the oven and serve.

Serves 4 with leftovers

Sunday Brunch: Pappa Al Pomodoro

We've got lots of plans for The Butcher & The Baker in 2012, but perhaps closest to our hearts is  a growing focus on collaboration. Not only are three, four or five heads better than two, but we stand to learn so much from our friends' tastes, voices and skills. This Sunday, in a first attempt, our good friend Mark Silver spent the afternoon in our kitchen, cooking us a beautiful and hearty brunch. Like us, Mark is a seriously dedicated home cook, who loves clean, bright flavors and does most of his shopping at green markets. And unlike us, Mark is a vegetarian. But as carnivorous (and cynical) as we are, Mark has proven time and time again that a meal doesn't need meat to be colorful, filling, and flavorful. 

After a Saturday morning stroll though the Union Square Green Market, Mark came over Sunday afternoon with his boyfriend Jeffery and a bottle of Prosecco. He proceeded to take us through a classic and insanely simple rustic Italian dish - Pappa al Pomodoro, or stale bread and tomato stew. The stew highlights one of our favorite secret weapons for getting through the winter - canned tomatoes. After making a thick tomato stew from our can of choice (we just love the local Jersey Farms Crushed Tomatoes) we threw in big chunks of perfectly golden, just-toasted stale bread and let the magic happen. For an added kick, we topped the stew with a single raw Flying Pigs egg yolk - a yummy addition, but certainly optional for hard-core vegetarians. To fill out the meal, Mark slowly cooked some Cayuga Pure Organics Polenta with homemade vegetable stock, topped with Cowgirl Crème fraîche, Two Guys micro-scallions, and roasted mushrooms and, to cut the heaviness, a light green salad with celery and Parmesan. 

Huge thanks to Mark for cooking such a perfect winter meal. We can't wait to have you and Jeffery back!

Pappa al Pomodoro

+ 1 loaf rustic white bread (fresh or day-old)

+ 1 28-oz. can crushed tomato

+ 1 small red onion, finally diced

+ garlic (8-10 cloves)

+ 1/2 tsp pepperoncino (red pepper flakes)

+ very good olive oil

+ a bay leaf

+ a saucepan of hot stock

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

2. Slice the loaf into approximately 1-in./2-cm cubes. Discard any pieces that are too crusty. (You should have about 5-6 cups of cubes.)

3. Toss the bread with lots of peeled and halved garlic cloves in olive oil on a baking sheet or roasting pan. Bake until golden brown, but before garlic scorches.

4. In a large saucepan or sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid, add the diced red onion and pepperoncino to a couple tablespoons of olive oil, cover, and poach the onions over very low heat.

5. When the onions are soft and just beginning to color, add the entire can of tomatoes with a few ladlefuls of stock and a bay leaf. Season with salt to taste. Stir frequently, simmering the sauce over medium low heat.

6. Add the croutons to the tomato mixture, stirring frequently. Add stock as the bread absorbs it to maintain the stew's consistency.

7. Keep stirring and adding stock as necessary until the croutons soften and break apart - about 15 minutes.

8. You may leave the stew as is, or remove the bay leaf and purée it totally or part way with a foodmill or immersion blender.

9. To plate, ladle a generous portion into a shallow bowl, and drizzle with olive oil. You may top it with shaved cheese, chiffonade of basil, or an egg yolk, e.g.

Recipe: Lamb and Freekeh Stew

Spoiler alert: we make a lot of stews throughout the fall and winter months. We'll usually make one on Monday night, eat it all week for lunch, and throw the extra in the freezer. And we'll do this over and over. This week Jake wanted to make something that tasted the way our recent Berkshire hikes smelled. Hey, inspiration comes from all places, right? 

As an earthy starting point, we got some cubed lamb pieces from Arcadian Pastures, and a variety of mushrooms from Mardura. Next, we were off to Cayuga Pure Organics, once again seeking their grain wisdom. Even before we finished describing what we had in mind, they handed us some Freekeh. Freekeh, they explained, are roasted green spelt berries and we love spelt so it was an easy sell. Another bonus: the grain comes from North African and Middle-Eastern cooking traditions, where lamb is often the focal point.

We already had some duck stock in the freezer from our last roast and we figured it would play into our stew perfectly. We picked up carrot and leek bunches from Migliorelli and headed over the Windfall Farms to do some research on greens. They suggested Senposai - or Japanese collards - which are very similar to American collards, only sweeter. Sounded great! And finally to serve along side, a boule from Hot Bread Kitchen, knowing we still had some Monterey Chevre in the fridge.

We headed home, took out the cast iron kettle and started to cook. Almost immediately the apartment was filled with the most amazing aroma - just like the woods after a rainy fall day!

Lamb Stew with Freekeh

+ 1 pound lamb cubed for stew (cut from the shoulder or leg)

+ 1 pound of Freekeh

+ 1 pound of mushrooms, sliced

+ 4 cups of stock

+ 4 carrots, cut up into ¼ in slices

+ 4 leeks, cut up into ¼ in slices

+ 1 bunch of heart greens, like collards, sliced into ribbons

+ 1 cup of flower

+ ½ cup salt

+ 3 tablespoons of oil

1. On a large plate mix salt and flour. Coat the the lamb pieces in the mixture.

2. In a heavy pot or dutch oven heat the oil on medium-high heat. When hot, brown the lamb in batches, a few minutes on each side.

3. Meanwhile prepare leeks and carrots. When all the lamb is browned put in a bowl and set aside. Add the carrots and onions to the pot. 

4. When the carrots and onions begin to soften and brown, add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms start to brown and emit a strong mushroomy aroma, add the stock and the lamb and bring to a simmer. Cover.

5. After a half hour, rinse the freekeh like you would rice and then add to pot. Bring back to a boil and then bring down to a steady simmer. Cover.

6. After another half hour add greens. Cover and simmer for half hour. Serve.

Serves 6