Bread

Mark has been the bread baker in our house, but last week I was on a roll in the kitchen, so I kept on going. Well, I was also on a loopy roll - I ended up roasting the chicken upside down (wierd!) and then didn't read the "warm" milk in the bread recipe. Yeast needs to be warm to work. Mark came to the rescue, and we ended up with lovely bread.

Here's a recipe for what James Beard (Beard on Bread) named a "Basic Home-Style Loaf". Good for toasting and sandwiches.

Basic Home-Style Loaf

Beard on Bread

1 package yeast

2 cups warm milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tablespoon salt

5-6 cups flour (The recipe says all-purpose -- I used 2 cups whole wheat, and the rest white.)

Add yeast and sugar to 1/2 cup of the milk, stirring until dissolved. Allow to proof (i.e. it will bubble). In another bowl add the rest of the milk, butter and salt and then add the flour one cup at a time. After 3 cups, add the yeast mixture. Continue stirring in flour until firm (about 4 to 5 cups).

Put dough on flowered board and knead, adding flour as needed until dough is "supple, satiny, and no longer sticky." Butter a bowl, place dough in turn to coat, and cover. Allow it to rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size (about 1.5 to 2 hours).

Punch the dough down, put it back on the floured board and knead another 4-5 minutes. Divide into two equal parts. Shape into loaves and place into well-buttered 9x5 inch loaf pans. Set aside to rise again until doubled.

Bake at 400F 40-45 minutes.

Chicken and Yellow Rice

After New Year's Chad and I met his family down in Florida for a family vacation at Disney World. We also made the hour and a half drive down to Tampa to tour what used to be the old family homestead in the suburbs. We stopped in Ybor City, which was/is a center of cigar factories and Cuban restaurants. We ate at the Columbia, which I highly recommend. Jane was nice to treat me to a cookbook from the restaurant. Tonight I'm trying the Chicken and Yellow Rice which I actually ordered for lunch the day I was there. It was wonderful then. I'll have to let you know after dinner how my version is. It has some variations:

1. Saffron. I can't afford saffron (the most expensive spice there is. apparently because it is the dried stigma of a Crocus Sativus Linneaus - member of the iris family. and there are only 3 stigma on each flower. so that is a lot of stigma for a 1/2 teaspoon) So I finally did what anyone does when they need to know something, I googled "saffon spice substitution." A dash of tumeric apparently replaces the color. We'll see.

2. I cut up a whole chicken for the first time in my life. Again, I did have to google "How to cut up a chicken," but found a very nice website with good descriptions, step by step instructions and pictures. Here you go - http://gourmetsleuth.com/cutupchicken.htm

3. I also made the asparagus and white wine optional since I didn't have it on hand.

And now the recipe:
3-lb. chicken fryer, cut into quarters
2 onions chopped
1 green pepper chopped
2 med tomatoes diced
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups long grain rice
1/2 t. saffron
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup small green peas cooked
4 asparagus tips
2 roasted red peppers
1/4 cup white wine

In a skillet, saute chicken in heated oil until skin is golden. Remove chicken and place in casserole . In same oil, saute onion, green peppers, tomatoes and garlic for 5 minutes. Pour over chicken. Add chicken broth, saffron, salt, bay leaf and rice. When mixture begins to boil, cover casserole and bake in oven at 350 for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Sprinkle with wine and garnish with peas, roasted red peppers and asparagus tips. Serves 4.

Chicken & Rosemary Dumplings

Of course, I chose the hottest day of the year (so far...) in Central Texas to make chicken & dumplings, but oh, well. The chicken was already thawed... I love my Mom's very traditional chicken and dumplings, but I found this recipe a few years ago in Cooking Light and fell in love. The original recipe calls for celery but this time I used leeks because 1) Clint doesn't like celery and 2) I had leeks that needed to be used. I also halved the onion (because leeks have a similar flavor), doubled the garlic, and used whole milk instead of light buttermilk. My variances in parentheses.

Soup:
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 lb chicken drumsticks
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 thyme sprigs
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced carrots (approx. 3 carrots)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery (or leeks)
1 cup diced onion (I used 1/2 cup w/ the leeks)
1 garlic cloves, minced (4 cloves)
1/2 tsp salt

Dumplings:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk (or whole milk)
1 large egg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water

1) Combine broth, water, chicken, and thyme in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken & cool slightly. Strain broth & discard solids. Remove chicken from bones and chop into bite-size pieces. Set chicken aside.

2) Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Saute 6 min. or until onion is tender. Add reserved broth mixture and salt; simmer 10 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs. Keep warm.

3) To prepare dumplings, combine flour, rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Combine buttermilk and egg, stirring with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

4) Return chopped chicken to the broth mixture; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Combine 1/4 flour and water, stirring with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry. Add flour picture to pot; simmer 3 minutes. Drop the dumpling dough, 1 tbsp per dumpling into chicken mixture to form 12 dumplings (use 2 spoons to handle the sticky mixture). Cover and cook 7 minutes-do not let broth boil. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste. Yield: 6 servings.