Leigh Witchel

Basic Stock

2-3 lbs chicken parts (I use 3-4 chicken leg quarters – if your market carries it, by all means use a Soup Hen , Fowl or Gallina – being older it will need longer simmering)
vegetable peelings
1-2 bay leaves, about 1 tsp each coriander seeds and pepper corns, ½ tsp each dried thyme and basil and 4-5 whole cloves

Stew and Vegetables

1-2 T chicken fat
¾ t turmeric
1-2 T flour (depending on how thick you would like the broth)
1 qt. broth
1 13 oz can evaporated milk (reserve about 2 oz for the dumplings)
salt, pepper, Worcestershire and hot sauce to taste (homemade broth will need a healthy amount of salt)

1 13 oz can mushrooms

3 red potatoes, washed but not peeled, cut into eighths
1 large sweet potato, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into ½ inch slices
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced in ½ inch rounds
3 ribs celery in ½ inch slices
2 medium onions, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into ½ inch slices
Handful of celery leaves, chopped.

½ cup frozen peas

Dumplings

1 T chicken fat
1 egg
¼ cup broth
¾ c flour
salt, pepper
chopped parsley (optional)
¼ cup condensed milk (see above)

This recipe is done in two main steps

Chicken broth and meat made ahead of time:

For stock making, I keep and freeze most vegetable peelings especially onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, mushrooms and ginger, but not potatoes or cabbage family vegetables, they are too strong. Just place them all together in a bag in the freezer until ready to use. Put about 2 cups of peelings (making sure to have a variety) into a large stock pot with the chicken and seasonings. Cover with water, bring to simmer. After about 2 hours (or when chicken is cooked through, leg joint moves easily and juices run clear) take the chicken pieces out, let the stock continue to simmer. When cool enough to handle, remove meat, set aside and return skin and bones to pot. Let broth simmer up to 4-5 hours longer. Strain and let stock cool. Refrigerate stock and let fat congeal at top. You should have more broth than you need for this recipe; freeze fat and broth seperately for other uses.

Stew:

The stew is made much like a Béchamel or white sauce. In Dutch oven or stock pot, melt chicken fat over medium heat. Add turmeric and let fry for a few seconds to “bloom” in the fat. Stir in flour, let cook over low heat a few minutes. Raise heat, add broth in a bit at a time, using a whisk to avoid lumps and letting it come to a boil and thicken before adding more. When all the broth is added, add the milk (keeping ¼ cup in reserve for the dumplings) and add the mushrooms and liquid. Lower heat to a simmer. Add the other vegetables in the order listed except the peas and add the chicken (cut into smaller pieces if needed). Cover and let simmer until potatoes are cooked through (about an hour)

Dumplings

In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly and add the other ingredients except the milk. Add the milk in a bit at a time to make a batter thin enough to be dropped from a spoon (it should not be very runny.)

When the vegetables are cooked through, have the stew at a gentle boil. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls into broth. Cover stew for about three minutes to let the dumplings cook enough to hold their shape, then stir once gently to loosen the dumplings from anything to which they have stuck. You may have to repeat this to add in all the batter. Reduce heat to medium & cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add peas five minutes before serving.

This is quite rich, but makes about 6-8 servings.