David Leite | Personal Recipe Collection | Serves 4, or 6 with the meal stretcher

The One and I have been making and enjoying this dish for years—in fact, it’s been in our arsenal for about a decade. Technically, it’s not a chili, as it doesn’t contain chiles or chili powder. It’s really more of a Mediterranean bean stew. What can I say, nicknames stick. What’s great about it is it’s a cinch to make (all of a half hour) and it’s surprisingly light. When we have weekend guests and don’t want to get bogged down with making six big, heavy meals, we turn to this for a satisfying lunch or a light supper, with a salad on the side.

Customarily, chilis and stews are made by first browning the meat then transferring it to a bowl while cooking the vegetables. Because there’s so little fat in the turkey sausage (and, admit it, they just don’t have that flavor punch beef does), I like to keep the turkey in the skillet while cooking the vegetables. This does two things: 1.) it really gives the turkey a good browning, which adds flavor, and 2.) it doesn’t overcook the red pepper. Oh, and whatever you do, resist the urge to muck this up by adding chili powder (yes, even though it’s called a “chili”). It would ruin the flavor profile.—David Leite

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdLrCbJMtG4

convert Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 large garlic cloves, minced
One 15 1/2-ounce can cannellini beans, well-drained
One 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, undrained, tomatoes chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Swirl 2 tablespoons of the oil into the pan and then add the turkey. Cook, stirring often and breaking up the meat with the edge of a wooden spoon, until the turkey is chunky and nicely browned, about 10 minutes.

2. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the turkey. Dump in the onion and pepper, sprinkle with the oregano, basil, and thyme, and sauté, stirring often, until the vegetables are just softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. The bottom of the pan may develop a brown coating—that’s good. It gives a lot of flavor. If it threatens to burn, drizzle in a few tablespoons of water and scrape it up.

3. Turn the heat to low and stir in the beans and half of the tomatoes and half their liquid. (Reserve the remaining tomatoes and liquid for a meal stretcher, see Note.) Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meal Stretcher Note: Unexpected company? No problem. Add a second can of drained cannellini beans and the remaining chopped tomatoes and their liquid. Simmer the chili until heated through. Serves six, easily.

Recipe and photo © 2010 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

From the 1960s TV show “The French Chef” came many classic dishes. Julia Child made good on Herbert Hoover’s promise of a ”chicken in every pot” by translating her wildly popular recipe for coq au vin into the simple dish that it is, made with mushrooms, onions, bacon, red wine, and (natch) chicken. Since then, it has been recreated in millions of kitchens for decades.

Many of the versions of this dish floating around when Madame Child was learning to cook in Paris were based on ancient recipes that called for a rooster or cock (coq) well past his crowing days. A rooster who’s no longer cock of the walk has flesh that’s incredibly flavorful and sturdy enough to stand up to the frying, simmering, and more simmering required in this fricassée. In addition, the cockscomb, feet, head, and kidneys were tossed in for good measure. Blood was also added to the pot for a little thickening power and that oh-so-français touch, which put the dish over the top.

Julia knew (I’m assuming things here, but I like the intimate familiarity and the ring of “Julia knew”) that getting an old rooster and a cup o’ blood ain’t exactly easy. Not unless you live between the East and Left Coasts and have a hatchet handy. So she tried to squeeze as much flavor as possible into this dish since its publication in Mastering the Art of French Cooking and the redux years later. She smartly chose brown chicken stock, which is a homemade stock made by first searing the chicken pieces. It’s a simple and easy way of adding extra depth and complexity. Short on time? Take a few dried mushrooms (porcini or shiitake), add them to your mother-in-law’s bonafide homemade chicken stock or, forbid, store-bought beef broth and simmer gently, covered, until fully hydrated. The mushrooms, a great umami source, add an extra, indefinable oomph. You might need to top off the amount of liquid once the ’shrooms have blossomed in order to equal Julia’s requisite two cups.

We think of this as a weekend project because making it one day and eating it the next only enhances the flavor. We suggest whipping this up on Saturday, letting it cool, and then refrigerating it. Take it out Sunday, skim any fat from the top, and heat it gently—and we do mean gently—over low heat until warmed through. Considering you’ll be sitting down to a rooster-less, bloodless coq au vin, it’ll be pretty darn tasty.—David Leite

Coq au Vin
by Julia Child
From Julia Child’s Kitchen
Alfred A. Knopf, 1979
Serves 4 to 6

convert Ingredients
1/2 cup lardons, cut into 1/4 by 1 1/2-inch strips (optional)
2 or more tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 pounds ready-cut frying chicken (a selection of parts, or all of one kind), thoroughly dried
1/4 cup Cognac or Armagnac
Salt and pepper
1 imported bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
16 to 20 small white onions, peeled
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups red wine (Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, or Pinot Noir)
About 2 cups brown chicken stock or beef bouillon
1 or 2 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
About 1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, trimmed, washed, and quartered

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Method
1. If you are using lardons, sauté several minutes in 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole until lightly browned; remove lardons to a side dish and leave fat in pan. (Otherwise, film pan with 1/8 inch of oil.)

2. Heat fat or oil in pan to moderately hot, add chicken, not crowding pan; turn frequently to brown nicely on all sides. Pour in the Cognac, shake pan a few seconds until bubbling hot, then ignite Cognac with a match. Let flame a minute, swirling pan by its handle to burn off alcohol; extinguish with pan cover.

3. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper; add bay leaf and thyme. Place onions around the chicken. Cover and cook slowly 10 minutes, turning once.

4. Uncover pan and sprinkle on the flour, turning chicken and onions so flour is absorbed; cook 3 to 4 minutes more, turning once or twice.

5. Remove from heat, gradually stir and swirl in the wine and enough stock or bouillon to almost cover the chicken. Add the browned lardons, garlic, and tomato paste to the pan. Cover and simmer slowly 25 to 30 minutes, then test chicken; remove those pieces that are tender, and continue cooking the rest a few minutes longer. If onions are not quite tender, continue cooking them; then return all chicken to the pan, add mushrooms, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes. Taste carefully, and correct seasoning. Sauce should be just thick enough to coat chicken and vegetables lightly. If too thin, boil down rapidly to concentrate; if too thick, thin out with spoonfuls of bouillon.

Recipe © 1979 Julia Child. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Lucinda Scala Quinn | Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys | Artisan, 2009 |Serves 6 to 8

Says Lucinda: “This dish has been in heavy rotation in our home for at least 20 years. Originally made from an Italian recipe, it has morphed into our own. When the rosemary vinegar is added to the pan of golden chicken, alchemy occurs. The vinegar deglazes the brown bits and reduces into a syrup, permeating the chicken with an agrodolce (sweet-and-sour) flavor. There’s no better accompaniment than polenta; the readily available instant kind is handy for time-pressed cooks. Rice, pasta, or bread will also work—as long as there is something to sop up the sauce. The dish is even better the day after it’s made.”—Lucinda Scala Quinn

convert Ingredients
1 cup best-quality red-wine vinegar
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary (about 1 tablespoon minced)
5 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (large pieces, such as breast, should be cut in half)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

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Method
1. At least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours before cooking, combine the vinegar, garlic, and rosemary in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Thoroughly season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat a 14-inch skillet (or two smaller skillets) over high heat and swirl in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down. Don’t crowd the chicken; leave space around each piece. Work in batches if necessary. You should hear an immediate sizzle when the chicken pieces hit the pan. Don’t move them; it takes a couple of minutes to sear the chicken so it doesn’t stick. Brown all sides; this will take 10 minutes per batch. Regulate the heat so it stays high but does not burn the chicken. Place all the browned chicken back in the skillet.

3. Add the chicken broth and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat, simmer, and reduce for 15 to 20 minutes. Increase the heat to high and pour in the vinegar mixture. Swirl the pan and stir around as the vinegar evaporates to form a simmering glaze, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately or refrigerate, and reheat with some extra broth.

Recipe © 2009 Lucinda Scala Quinn. Photo © 2009 Mikkel Vang. All rights reserved.
© 2010 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Carlyn Berghoff and Nancy Ross Ryan | Berghoff Cafe | Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2009) | Serves 8

Our tasty turkey meatloaf is made from fresh turkey, and my family and I like it so much I often cook it at home. The barbecue sauce is the perfect seasoning and everybody has a favorite brand, so use yours. The vegetables keep the meatloaf moist and juicy. I mince the vegetables so the texture of the cooked turkey meatloaf is smooth and dense and it doesn’t fall apart when sliced.—Carlyn Berghoff

convert Ingredients
2 pounds ground turkey
2 large eggs
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped green, red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh button mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, as needed

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Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. In a large bowl, combine the meat, eggs, and barbecue sauce, and mix well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Stir in the pepper, onion, mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and mix gently. Slowly add the bread crumbs and mix just to thicken the meatloaf. The mixture should be moist and thick, but not firm and dry.

3. Line an 11 by 4-inch baking pan or a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the turkey mixture in the pan and smooth out the top.

4. Bake until the meatloaf is cooked through but not dried out, about 50 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

5. Leftover turkey meatloaf makes great sandwiches the next day on a French roll with extra barbecue sauce.

Recipe © 2009 Carlyn A. Berghoff. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

In my family, favorite dishes are always being altered according to what is available and what is best — especially when I’m cooking. Here’s a perfect example: chicken and potatoes, fried together in a big skillet so they’re crisp and moist at the same time, is my mother’s specialty. Growing up, my brother and I demanded it every week; our kids, Tanya and Joe and Eric, Paul and Estelle, clamored for it too. And now the next generation of little ones are asking their great-grandmother to make chicken and potatoes for them.

When I am at the stove — and though I follow my mother’s basic procedures — I can’t resist playing around. Some days I add sausage to Grandma’s recipe, or capers or olives; I might douse the chicken with a splash of vinegar; sometimes I cut up a whole chicken, other times I’ll split little poussins or Cornish hens. If I’m in a hurry, I quickly cook small pieces of chicken breast with the potatoes. (You can see what experiments have worked well if you look through my previous books.)

This recipe gives you Erminia’s classic formula — chicken, small potatoes, a bit of onion, and fresh rosemary — with two of my latest twists: pickled cherry peppers and bacon strips, in bite-sized rolls. Cherry peppers are plump golf-ball-sized antipasto peppers in vinegar that you’ll find in jars on the pickle shelves of the supermarket. They come in sweet and hot varieties — and the latter are explosive, if you take just a bite. But when they’re seeded, sliced, and added sparingly to the chicken, they imbue the dish with a mellow heat that I love. If you and your family are hot heads, cut up two or more peppers; otherwise slice only one, or use the sweet cherry peppers and see how you like that.

My latest spin on our chicken-and-potato tradition is one everybody loves, especially the kids: we roll bacon slices into little bundles, pin each one closed with a toothpick, and caramelize them along with the chicken. The bacon fat slowly renders and lends the meat a layer of flavor that’s picked up by the potatoes and onions too. By the end of cooking, the rolls have turned into crisp morsels that are a treat to eat with the juicy chicken and tender potatoes. (But be sure to remove all the toothpicks!)—Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

convert Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds chicken legs or assorted pieces (bone-in)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1 pound red bliss potatoes, preferably no bigger than 2 inches across
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or more
2 medium-small onions, peeled and quartered lengthwise
2 short branches fresh rosemary with plenty of needles

For my special touches — try either or both
4 to 6 ounces sliced bacon (5 or 6 slices)
1 or 2 pickled cherry peppers, sweet or hot, or none — or more! — cut in half and seeded

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Method
1. Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off excess skin and all visible fat. Cut the drumsticks from the thighs. If using breast halves, cut into two small pieces.

2. Make the bacon roll-ups: Cut the bacon slices in half crosswise and roll each strip into a neat, tight cylinder. Stick a toothpick through the roll to secure it; cut or break the toothpick so only a tiny bit sticks out (allowing the bacon to roll around and cook evenly).

3. Pour the canola oil into the skillet and set over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt on all sides. When the oil is very hot, lay the pieces in it, skin side down, an inch or so apart — watch out for oil spatters. Don’t crowd the chicken: if necessary, fry it in batches, with similar pieces (like drumsticks) together.

4. Drop the bacon rolls into the oil around the chicken, turning and shifting them often. Let the chicken pieces fry in place for several minutes to brown on the underside, then turn and continue frying until they’re golden brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes or more. Fry breast pieces only for 5 minutes or so, taking them out of the oil as soon as they are golden. Let the bacon rolls cook and get lightly crisp, but not dark. Adjust the heat to maintain steady sizzling and coloring; remove the crisped chicken pieces with tongs to a bowl.

5. Meanwhile, rinse and dry the potatoes; slice each one through the middle on the axis that gives the largest cut surface, then toss them with the olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. When all the chicken and bacon is cooked and out of the skillet, pour off the frying oil. Return the skillet to medium heat and put in all the potatoes, cut side down in a single layer, into the hot pan. With a spatula, scrape all the olive oil out of the mixing bowl into the skillet; drizzle in a bit more oil if the pan seems dry. Fry and crisp the potatoes for about 4 minutes to form a crust, then move them around the pan, still cut side down, until they’re all brown and crisp, 7 minutes or more. Turn them over, and fry another 2 minutes to cook and crisp on their rounded skin sides.

6. Still over medium heat, toss the onion wedges and rosemary branches around the pan, in with the potatoes. If using cherry peppers (either hot or sweet), cut the seeded halves into 1/2-inch-wide pieces and scatter them in the pan too.

7. Return the chicken pieces, except breast pieces, to the pan, along with the bacon rolls; pour in any chicken juices that have accumulated. Raise the heat slightly, and carefully turn and tumble the chicken, potatoes, and onion (and bacon and/or pepper pieces), so they’re heating and getting coated with pan juices — but take care not to break the potato pieces. Spread everything out in the pan — potatoes on the bottom as much as possible, to keep crisping up — and cover.

8. Return the heat to medium, and cook for about 7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, then uncover, and tumble the pieces and potatoes (and bacon rolls) again. Cover, and cook another 7 minutes or so, adding the breast pieces at this point. Give everything another tumble. Now cook covered for 10 minutes more.

9. Remove the cover, turn the pieces again, and cook in the open skillet for about 10 minutes, to evaporate the moisture and caramelize everything. Taste a bit of potato (or chicken) for salt, and sprinkle on more as needed. Turn the pieces now and then; when they are all glistening and golden, and the potatoes are cooked through, remove the skillet from the stove and — as I do at home — bring it right to the table. Serve portions of chicken and potatoes, or let people help themselves.

Recipe © 2004 Tutti a Tavola, LLC. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

This traditional recipe for chicken sauteed with bourbon comes from the family of The Reverend William H. Ralston, for many years the rector of St. John’s Church, Savannah, and a devout churchman and Kentuckian—I think in that order. The recipe first appeared in print in a collection prepared by the Episcopal Church Women, but it is a very old dish with French roots that have been firmly planted in the Kentucky hill country. Like everything else Father Ralston did, it is absolutely forthright and unpretentious, and yet it glows with the refined elegance of the polished silver that once graced the rectory. Father Ralston is no longer with us, but whenever I make this chicken, I feel him close by.

Once again, this chicken bourbon recipe demonstrates the versatility of Kentucky’s national beverage. The bourbon does something very nice to the chicken, and is especially complemented by the earthy flavor of wild mushrooms. Of course, you may make this dish with white button mushrooms, but their mild flavor is not nearly as satisfactory as wild ones. When domestic white mushrooms are the only kind available, or when the wild ones are out of season, I mix the domestic ones in equal parts with reconstituted dried boletus or shiitake mushrooms, which gives reasonable results. If you want to have some fun and educate someone at the same time, invite a Yankee over for a Kentucky fried chicken dinner and put a platter of this in front of him.—Damon Lee Fowler

convert Ingredients
2 young frying chickens, no more than 2-1/2 to 3 pounds each, disjointed as for frying
Salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8 to 10 large, wild mushrooms, sliced thick, or 1/2 pound cremini or portobello mushrooms and 1/2 ounce dried boletus edulis mushrooms (porcini or cêpes)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped scallions
1/2 cup well-aged bourbon
1 cup heavy cream

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Method
1. Wash the chickens, pat them dry and spread them on a platter. Lightly dust them with salt and flour. Wipe the fresh mushrooms with a dry cloth and slice them thickly. If you are using dried mushrooms, put them in a bowl, pour 1 cup of boiling water over them, and soak 15 minutes.

2. In a large, heavy skillet that will hold all the chicken without crowding, heat the butter and olive oil over low heat. Add the chicken and scallion and saute, turning frequently, until golden and tender, about half an hour. While it cooks, baste every few minutes with spoonfuls of the bourbon, being careful to add it in small amounts so there is never any liquid accumulated in the pan: it should saute, not steam. When the chicken is cooked through and golden and all the bourbon has been used, remove it to a warm platter.

3. Turn up the heat to medium-high. If you are using reconstituted dried mushrooms, first lift them out of their soaking water, dipping them to loosen any sand that is clinging to them, and put them in the pan. Filter the soaking water through a paper towel or coffee filter and pour it into the pan. Bring it to a boil, stirring frequently, and evaporate all the liquid. Add the fresh mushrooms and saute, tossing constantly, for about 3 minutes.

4. Add the cream and scrape loose any residue that may be stuck to the skillet. Simmer until it is just heated through and starting to thicken. Taste the sauce and correct the seasonings, then pour it over the chicken. Serve at once.

Recipe © 2008 Damon Lee Fowler. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Lisa Schroeder with Danielle Centoni | Mother’s Best | Taunton Press, 2009 | Serves 8

Listen to David's interview with Lisa

This dish is almost as popular as our pot roast, probably because so many people grew up eating their mother’s or grandmother’s version. Traditionally, chicken and dumplings is like a thick, creamy chicken soup with a layer of doughy dumplings that steam right on top while the soup simmers. Some make the dumplings “slippery,” with flour and water for a denser, chewier texture. But ours are layered with butter and leavened with baking powder, making them more like biscuits.

Back in the day, a lot of moms turned to biscuit mix to save time, so not many people remember dumplings as tender and delicious as these. Making the biscuits from scratch takes just a few minutes more than a mix, and the results are far superior.—Lisa Schroeder

convert Ingredients
For Belle’s chicken soup broth
2 whole chickens, plus other carcasses if available
2 yellow onions
4 ribs celery (cut in half to fit the pot, if necessary)
4 carrots, peeled (cut in half to fit the pot, if necessary)
4 parsnips, peeled (cut in half to fit the pot, if necessary)
1 bunch fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, with stems (about 20 sprigs)
4 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (divided)

For the chicken gravy
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups chicken broth from Belle’s Chicken Soup
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large carrots, peeled and diced (1 1/2 cups)
5 ribs celery, diced (2 1/2 cups)

For the dumplings
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 scant teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2/3 cup whole milk

For serving
5 cups cooked chicken (you can use the cooked chicken from making Belle’s broth; remove the skin and pick the meat off the bones, keeping the meat in large chunks; or cook a 3-pound chicken)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, for garnish

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Method
Make the chicken soup broth
1. In a narrow, deep pot just large enough to hold the chickens (10- to 12-quart capacity), place the chickens, onions, celery, carrots, parsnips, and parsley. (Make sure you use a narrow pot rather than a wide one. Otherwise, you may have to use too much water to cover the chickens.) Add just enough cold water to barely cover the chickens (ideally, not more than 5 quarts, or 20 cups).

2. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to a simmer (rapidly boiling soup or stock often makes it look cloudy instead of clear) and season with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. (You’re seasoning here because you want the chicken to have some flavor when you use it later in other dishes. The soup will be seasoned again later.)

3. Simmer the broth, uncovered, for at least 3 hours. Season again with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Taste; if it tastes like chicken, it’s ready. If not, let it cook a bit longer and taste again. It can cook for another hour as long as it is barely simmering, but no more than 4 hours total or the chicken will dry out.

4. When the broth is done, turn off the heat, lift the chicken from the pot with slotted spoons or a spider and set aside in a large bowl or on a rimmed baking sheet until cool enough to handle.

5. Strain the broth into a clean 6- to 8-quart pot, and discard the solids. If you’re not making the soup right away, cool and refrigerate the broth so you can scrape off the solidified fat from the surface before. Otherwise, allow the stock to sit undisturbed for at least 10 minutes, and spoon off the fat that rises to the surface.

Make the chicken gravy
1. In a large (8- to 10-quart), heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and mix well to make a roux. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles fine, wet sand, about 3 minutes.

2. Whisk the broth into the roux a little at a time, allowing the roux to absorb the liquid before adding more (this will help prevent lumps). Add the salt, pepper, carrots, and celery. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, and then lower the heat and gently simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally and skim off any scum (Love Note 2) that rises to the surface.

Make the dumplings
1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley together in a large bowl, and then cut in the butter using a pastry blender, two knives, or a whisk until it’s in small pieces. (Alternatively, you can use a food processor: Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to combine. Add the parsley and pulse once or twice to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse until it is in small pieces.)

2. Add the milk and stir or pulse once or twice to moisten the flour mixture. (Do not overmix or you will develop the gluten in the flour and the dumplings will be chewy.) Gather the dough into a ball.

3. Using a large spoon or your hands, scoop out 1/4-cup chunks of dough, lightly roll them between your palms to round them out, and then drop into the simmering gravy (it’s OK if they sink), spacing them apart. Cover the pot and simmer until the dumplings are done (a knife inserted in the center should come out clean), about 20 minutes. (Avoid lifting the lid while the dumplings are cooking because it slows down the cooking process, and “if you’re lookin’ you’re not cookin’!”)

To serve
1. Gently stir the cooked chicken into the pot with the dumplings, return the liquid to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes to heat the chicken through. Using a serving spoon or tongs, divide the chicken and dumplings among soup bowls. Ladle the gravy over the chicken and dumplings, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.

Love Notes
1. This chicken and dumplings recipe is delicious with the broth from Belle’s Chicken Soup. (You need just the broth, with no other ingredients or additions). In a pinch you can use canned low-sodium chicken broth and a rotisserie chicken and still have a good meal. When you add the chicken, feel free to stir in any leftover vegetables you have lurking in the fridge, such as steamed broccoli or green beans or braised greens.

2. When simmering gravies or sauces that include flour, be sure you skim off any scum that rises to the surface with a large serving spoon or ladle. This scum contains proteins and fibers from the flour that can make a sauce gummy.

Recipe © 2009 by Lisa Schroeder. Photo © 2009 Ellen Silverman. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

This popular Burmese chicken coconut soup features noodles doused in a mild curry sauce with a consistency that’s somewhere between soup and gravy. Topped with different accompaniments of contrasting textures and flavors, it’s a one-dish meal that’s perfect for everyday eating and when entertaining guests. Grandma Alvina Mangrai likes to eat it with egg noodles, but you can use rice vermicelli too.—Patricia Tanumihardja

convert Ingredients
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped (1 tablespoon)
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped (2 cups)
2 teaspoons ground paprika
Three 13 1/2-ounce cans coconut milk (5 cups)
7 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour whisked into 1/2 cup warm water to make a smooth, runny paste
2 pounds fresh or 1 pound dried thin Chinese egg noodles (like chow mein noodles)

Garnishes
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 tablespoons ground dried red chilies, pan-roasted until dark and fragrant
1 large sweet onion, halved, cut into thin crescents, and soaked in water
2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
1 cup cilantro sprigs
3 limes, quartered
Fish sauce

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Method
1. In a medium bowl, combine the fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Add the chicken and mix well with your hands (use gloves to prevent your nails from being stained ochre by the turmeric). Set aside.

2. In a medium heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it becomes runny and starts to shimmer. Stir in the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paprika and mix until the onions are well coated.

3. Tumble in the chicken and raise the heat to medium-high. Stir and cook until the chicken is no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and stock and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

4. Stir in the garbanzo bean flour paste and return to a boil. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce is thick like heavy cream, 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the consistency with more stock for a thinner gravy or more garbanzo bean flour for a thicker gravy. Taste and add more fish or soy sauce if necessary. Reduce the heat to very low and keep warm until ready to serve.

5. Just before serving the soup, cook the noodles in a large pot of water according to package directions. Tip into a colander over the sink and rinse under cold running water. Drain and place in a bowl. Toss in a little oil to prevent sticking.

6. Divide the noodles among individual soup bowls and ladle about 1 1/2 cups sauce over them. Garnish with eggs, chilies, onions, cilantro, limes, and fish sauce as desired.

Recipe © 2009 Patricia Tanumihardja. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.