This was a the beginning of the process, cooking whole (organic, free range) chickens with carrots, celery, bay leaves, and rosemary to make a delicious stock for the base of the stew. After the chicken was cooked, I removed the meat from the bones and put it aside to add back later to the completed stew.
Next I sautéed some chopped bacon and onions to add to the stock. After that came canned tomatoes and frozen soup vegetables.
Last I added butter, cream, the cooked chicken, and a cornstarch slurry for thickening. Unfortunately I didn't get a final photo of the finished stew, because the batteries on my camera died. But the stew was delicious, and just the thing for a cold afternoon.
I also took a photo of my kitchen window to show you. A friend of my husband sent me a sprouting narcissus bulb in a plastic cup at Christmas, and it finally bloomed for me that day. The tiny white flowers smell heavenly. I love forcing bulbs in the dead of winter.
Anyone else enjoying spending time in the kitchen these days?
I love every moment I spend in my kitchen. In fact I'm 'almost' looking forward to some cold weather so I can light-up my wood-fired oven. I shall then bake bread and cook long, slow, stews.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! I massively enjoy cooking the whole year round, but especially during the colder half of the year, when one feels such a powerful inclination to nest, nurture with their cooking, and eat steaming warm meals as often as possible. Your stew looks positively scrumptious! A good chicken stew like this is one of my favourite dishes ever.
ReplyDeleteBig hugs & happy Sunday wishes,
♥ Jessica
*PS* Thank you (and George and Ginger) for the wonderfully nice birthday wishes for Annie.
I like the cosiness of winter too. I need to be making meals that will heat up well for someone else, and this looks like a great idea, too.
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