1 3 1/2 - 4 lb. chicken - cut in piec, es
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp mild vegetable oil such as safflowe, r
1 salt and fresh ground pepper
2 bay leaves
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 allspice berries
1 medium rutabaga, peeled - cut in 1/2 cubes
1 large potato, peeled - cut in 2 cubes
4 small carrots, peeled - cut in 1/2 cubes
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup wild blueberries - fresh or frozen, or-
1/4 cup golden raisins - coarsely chopped
2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
3 small parsnips, cut in 1/2 cubes
Directions
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.
Servings: 8 servings
Nate Pennell's Mulligan Stew With Blueberry Dumplings Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bread; Breads; Dutch Oven; Fruit; Soup
The History of Recipes
It is possible to trace the history of written recipes far back into antiquity, certainly as far into history as the Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. In practice though, generally, these early cookbooks were just very basic hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for food preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to academics is a collection of tablets in ancient Sumerian which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel `wonderful`. As we move into Roman times around 25BC a Roman scholar, called Apicius, assembled some scrolls which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, Apicius describes how the roman meals were split into starters, main course and dessert, a very modern way of dining. Additionally, he describes how the early Romans made use of a wide range of spices and herbs, including a few that will be familiar to modern cooks for example bay, mint and dill. During the following few centuries, the wealthy families of Europe tried to serve the most exotic meals, and because of this chefs and their collection of recipes were at a premium. Nevertheless, it was during the nineteenth century that fine cookery and cookery books rose to prominence. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, testing, and publishing recipes of the day. Like it or not, the introduction of TV brought us celebrity chefs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everybody to search through massive numbers of recipes just like those on this site. |
We hope you enjoy this Nate Pennell's Mulligan Stew With Blueberry Dumplings recipe.
