Food for Thought

[#1]

One week. One more little week and I’ll have a counter installed in my still-yet-to-be-finished kitchen. Which means I get to have my appliances installed. Which means I get to cook again really soon—and not just with my slow cooker! What is life without a kitchen, I ask you? Where would the world be without the smell of sizzling garlic?

I’ve practically worn out my slow cooker over the last week.  It’s kind of like the last mile in a road race: You just want to lie down in the middle of the road and take a nap. But then you find it; the reason to keep going. Some kernel of motivation to keep you going. For me, it was Provencal chicken stew.

It all started on a rainy, cruddy day; I was craving stew so badly, I couldn’t even look at my Le Creuset pot without weeping. Forlornly staring at my stack of relocated cookbooks piled up on my living room floor, awaiting their rightful place back in the kitchen, I spotted The Gourmet Slow Cooker: Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World. “That’s it!” I thought. How could I have forgotten about it? I dug out my Cuisinart slow cooker (or crock pot, as we used to say in the olden days), flipped through the lovely (and stained from good use) pages of Lynn Alley’s great book, and found it. All I had to do was get the chicken and maybe some bread. The rest of the ingredients—onion, Kalamata olives, garlic, crushed tomatoes, white wine, flour, salt and pepper—I had on hand.

I dashed off to the supermarket and, miracle of all miracles, by the time I got back there was a reprieve in the rain giving me just enough of a window to run outside to the grill and fire up the side burner to brown the chicken, sauté the onions, and toss in the crushed tomatoes and wine to deepen the flavors. Into the slow-cooker it went, and 5 hours later, with the rain once again lashing at the windows, out came the savory, delicious, falling-off-the-bone stew that my husband and I (and, well, our dog, too) slurped up with hunks of olive bread and a bottle of Malbec.

Once I have my kitchen back intact, I’ll definitely put this into heavy rotation, and maybe even give it a shot in my big, cast-iron stew pot—or maybe not. It seemed hard to beat the texture and flavor-melding that the slow cooker gave us. Below is the recipe, minus a couple of ingredients that I’d left out because I didn’t have them on hand and, to me, weren’t so necessary; Kosher salt substituted for regular (I prefer it for things like this); and some notes regarding some adjustments I made for my own taste. Kitchen or not, give it a try: 

• 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1 chicken, cut into serving pieces and skinned [I used thighs and  breasts only]

• 1/4 cup olive oil [I needed a little more, so I recommend keeping it nearby when you’re cooking]

• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped [I went instead for long, chunky slices—don’t hide my onions!]

• 1 clove garlic, minced [I used three whole cloves, smashed using the bottom of a big butcher knife]

• 1/2 cup dry white wine [eh, I used a little more…]

• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup black Nyons or kalamata olives, for garnish [I didn’t garnish, I threw in the Kalamatas during the last hour of cooking—I like that briny addition to work its way in]

Combine the 3/4 cup flour and the Kosher salt in a resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken to the bag and shake to coat completely. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned on both sides. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain, then arrange in the slow cooker. [NOTE: I turned on my slow cooker and got it going while I was browning the chicken so the warm chicken went into a warm pot, instead of changing temps midstream.]

Set the sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the onions, garlic, and the 2 tablespoons flour. Sauté, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Add the wine and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes and pepper to taste. You might need a little salt, too, so taste it. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes, until some of the tomato liquid evaporates.

Pour the onion mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 8 hours, until the chicken is tender. At 3 to 4 hours, the chicken will still be firm and hold its shape. At 6 to 8 hours, the meat will be falling off the bone. [I cooked on high for 4 hours; low for 1; it was luscious!]. Serve immediately with some nice, crusty bread. Rainy, cruddy weather not included.

[#2]

How on earth did you forget your crockpot?

Mine's in rotation at least 3 times a month. Though truth be told I own three actually. Best cooking equipment in the world for "I'm going to be busy all day, so what should I cook?".

[#3]

Your post reminds me of my situation when I was first married.  My husband had a job in a seasonal resort and we had to live in a kitchenless cabin on the grounds for three months.  But I had all my new wedding gifts, including a bunch of counter appliances.  The crock pot was among them, along with the blender, the mixer, a little toaster oven, and a propane stove.  I set them all up on a large table in the sitting room. Believe it or not, I cooked and cooked often!  

I then had to wash everything in a bathtub with ball and claw feet.

Your recipe sounds delicious.  It has a mixture of ingredients that I use often -- chicken, tomatoes, wine, garlic and kalamata olives.  Delish!