Chicken Thighs Stewed With Radish and Arugula

I have often wondered what stewed radish would taste like. A couple days before Christmas, I finally got around to it. Looking back, this recipe probably would have tasted better with white meat, but dark did the job.

Actually, "did the job" may not be the right phrase. My husband flipped out and said it was one of his favorite dishes I've ever made.

Now before you go adding radishes and arugula to all your stews, I doubt I have them to thank for the meal's success. Neither one tasted like much once it had been simmering for awhile. More likely I owe a debt of gratitude to my old humble friend garlic. I used more than my usual 2-3 cloves, which is something I'd definitely do again.

Chicken Thighs Stewed With Radish and Arugula

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs with skin

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, sliced thin or diced large

1 c. radishes, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

5 cloves garlic, sliced thin

Splash Balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. fresh mixed herbs (I used flat-leaf parsley and oregano, but any herbs you might associate with traditional Southern Italian cuisine would do the trick)

2 tsp. dried mix herbs (I used marjoram, thyme, and more oregano... note that you can use more fresh herbs here instead; I just ran out)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 c. diced canned/packaged tomatoes (say it with me... "If you don't can your own, I recommend Pomi")

2 c. chicken broth

2 c. well-packed arugula

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

Season the meat with salt and pepper. Loosen the skin and get underneath if you can do this without ripping it.

Heat the olive oil in a stew pot over medium. Brown the chicken thighs for 10-12 minutes on the skin side; 5 minutes on the skinless side. Remove the chicken from the pot and place it in a covered dish. Alternatively, plate it and cover it with another plate to trap the heat. (Optional: Bellow, "Bwah-ha-ha-ha, heat, there's no escape for you now!")

Add the onion, radishes, carrot, and garlic to the pot and saute for 4-5 minutes. Splash on the vinegar and deglaze the pan. Add the herbs, salt, and pepper and continue sauteing until the onion is completely limp and translucent.

Arrange the chicken thighs over the veggies in the pot.

In a separate saucepan, combine the tomatoes and the broth. Stir well, then pour the mixture over the chicken and veggies. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 45 minutes.

Remove cover and add arugula and lemon juice. Push the arugula down into the liquid-filled spaces between the chicken using a long utensil such as a wooden spoon or a spatula. Re-cover and simmer 15 minutes more. Distribute the chicken pieces among four serving bowls and ladle the liquid over. Optional: Put bread, rice, or mashed potatoes in the bottoms of the bowls; or prepare a warm bread basket to pass around. Serves 4.

Beat the eggs. Whip the cream. Show no mercy.

Chicken Breast Fillets Topped with Sauerkraut and Black-Eyed Peas

For a culinary enthusiast, I'm dirt poor. That's one of the more selfish reasons that I embrace a primarily-local diet: It frustrates me to see food everywhere that I can't have, and my goal is to make folks equally jealous of whatever I grow on the cheap in my own yard. Since that day has not yet come, I invite you to take a gander at what I did with the rest of the black-eyed peas I soaked for this recipe. It may not make you jealous (depending on your background, it may make you all the more grateful for what you have). But it did satisfy me to know I can whip up a wholesome, mostly-local, mostly-organic entree for pennies.

Chicken Breast Fillets Topped with Sauerkraut and Black-Eyed Peas

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter from a stick that you've had in your fridge for 3 weeks (so it doesn't count as an expense per se)

1/2 c. sauerkraut that your buddy made you with the cabbage he grew in his garden

1 c. stock that you've had in your freezer for 2 weeks

1 chicken breast that you had in your freezer for 2 months

1 c. reconstituted dried black-eyed peas that you gave in and bought at Publix

Sea salt that you boiled down yourself from ocean water to taste

Pepper that you've had in your pantry since before you cared where your condiments came from to taste

Directions:

Thaw the chicken breast. Preferably 24 hours in advance (but if necessary at the last second), halve it and rub both fillets with sea salt and pepper to taste. Cover and put in the fridge until ready to cook.

Thaw the chicken stock in a small saucepan. Add the black-eyed peas. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the chicken stock has almost evaporated (the liquid should not entirely cover the bottom of the pan). Remove from heat and toss beans well with the kraut. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and pan-fry the chicken breast halves until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Plate and top with beans-n-kraut mixture. Serves 2 broke culinary enthusiasts.

And as if I could beat the white-trashiness of this recipe, can you guess why we dragged a buddy with a pickup truck out dumpster-diving for these carpet remnants in the dead of night?

Hint #1: I'm very, very psyched.

Hint #2:

Answer will be given whensoever I's done kickin' back on the porch drinkin' a birr with six-er-seven loyal mangy mutts curled 'round my clodhoppery doodads.

Beat the eggs. Whip the cream. Show no mercy.

Down-Home-Style Thai Chicken Soup

Some of you on Doveland Farm may remember this picture:

It's called Down-Home-Style Thai Chicken Soup. I invented it after the lovely Elizabeth and Mary of Green Flamingo Organics gave me an SUVload of okra that I had no idea what to do with. Of course, since this blog is all about inspiration, I won't be offended if you don't follow the recipe verbatim. I encourage you to play around with the concept and email me with pics of your results!

Down-Home-Style Thai Chicken Soup

Ingredients

3 Tbsp. butter, divided

1 white or yellow onion, diced large

2 c. sliced okra

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 celery rib, sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Generous handful Thai basil leaves, shredded

10 ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced; or 1 24-oz. box No Salt Added diced tomatoes (I prefer Pomi)

2 c. chicken stock

Juice of 1 lime

2 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

1 c. pre-cooked rice

1 12-oz. can coconut milk

Salt-n-pepper

Hot sauce to taste (check out www.aefoods.com for some excellent all-natural varieties)

Directions

Melt 2 tbsp. of the butter in a stew pot over medium heat. Add the onions, okra, carrots, and celery. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Salt and pepper.

Add the garlic and basil to the pot and saute 2-3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and lime juice. Raise the heat and bring to a vigorous boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Let simmer 35-45 minutes. (Add more broth or water a couple tbsp. at a time if it starts to get low.)

Meanwhile, melt the remaining tbsp. of butter in a separate pan. Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper, then brown them in the pan over medium heat.

Add chicken and rice to the pot. Cook 10 minutes more.

Add the coconut milk, and salt to taste. Cook until heated through and serve. Remember to pass hot sauce around at the table. Serves 6 as an entree.

Beat the eggs. Whip the cream. Show no mercy.