spring chicken stew

I'm starting to believe my whole life is one long exercise in learning to pay it forward. Even more so since having children, I constantly find myself astonished at people's kindness and generosity to us and then think, Hey, I should have been doing this for my other friends when they had their babies... d'oh! I try to just graciously accept the help and not feel too guilty for my former ignorance, and one thing that helps is to remember to pay it forward to the next new parent I know. Case in point - when had my first kid, I was so grateful for the friends who brought us snacks and dinners, and I made sure to bring over hearty meals for those who entered parenthood after us. And when our second child was born, in a town we had only lived in for 4 months, family and our new friends organized and conspired to keep a steady stream of meals flowing to us for an entire month. A MONTH of not having to think about where dinner was coming from. With a newborn nursing round the clock and a very sensitive toddler to contend with, this was truly a godsend. And now, four months later, I have the chance to pay it forward, for there are two little boys who just joined our circle of friends here in Vermont - one up in the hills of Marlboro and one right upstairs in our very own building. Since one of the mamas has a gluten allergy, I decided to reach past my old standby butternut mac and cheese and go for something a little different. A little springy yet still hearty and filling for this rather cold New England weather we are still having. (Snow on the day before Easter?? Boo!)

I wanted to use some salt pork I had in my freezer (which happened to be leftover from a succulent cassoulet my mother made us during my luxurious month of not cooking.) Inspired by the Acadian dish Fricot a la Poule, I decided to make a chicken stew. Since I can never find summer savory, the signature herb in that dish, I used thyme and sage, two favorites of mine that are always available at the grocery store and keep for quite a long time in the fridge. To make it a little springy, I added leeks, carrots and peas, and to make it gluten-free (and Passover friendly!) I used potato starch, which I happened to have on hand from making these awesome marshmallows, as a thickener. If you're not worried about gluten or Passover, and you don't feel like buying potato starch, you can of course use flour instead. Also, I braised it in water, rather than chicken stock, but I added 3 teaspoons of this awesome veggie bouillon to give it a little something special. But it's pretty special with just plain water too. Enjoy and happy spring!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb fatty salt pork, salt rinsed off if necessary and pork cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 chicken legs or 8 drumsticks or 8 thighs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 lb leeks, halved lengthwise, washed thoroughly and cut into 1/4" slices

2 medium carrots (1/2 lb), cut into 1/2-inch coins

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoon all-purpose flour or 1-1/2 tablespoons potato starch

4 cups chicken stock or water

2 lb boiling potatoes

1 cup frozen peas

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

In a large, heavy pot, cook the diced salt pork over medium high heat until crispy and golden. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.

Salt and pepper the chicken legs well, and brown them in the pork fat on both sides - depending on the size of your pan you may want to do this in two batches.

Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Add butter to pan. When it's melted, add herbs, leeks, and carrots.

When vegetables are softened, sprinkle potato starch or flour over and stir well. Add water or broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer for 20 minutes.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1" chunks. Add to pot, cover, cook 15 minutes more until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife and chicken is cooked through. Taste broth and add salt and pepper as needed. Add frozen peas, mix well, and cover, letting stew cool and peas warm, about 10 minutes.

When peas are heated through, serve into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4 (or 2, with leftovers for another meal).

Comments

[Laura Gitelson]

how much do i love that your passover friendly stew starts with salt pork...:) you are such a girl after my own heart! sounds amazing.

[Girly Mae]

Ha ha ha! I'm such a bad jew I didn't even think about that! Let me blame it on my mother, who is known to call out on a Pesach morn, "Who wants bacon with their fried matzoh?"

[Laura Gitelson]

i think we should think of our renditions of jewish cooking as some sort of nouvelle jewish cuisine - nothing better than bacon with challah french toast. or the various pork augmented appetizers i have taken to serving at my latke party.