Sunday Dinner: Spanish Stew

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: The good news, dear readers, is that Celia is recovering well from her knee replacement surgery! The bad news is you're getting a recipe from me today, and it's not accompanied by a delightful story of how I met a member of the royal family, or lived in the Far East, or emigrated to New York City. My life has been much, much duller than Celia's. Also, I didn't even think to take pictures when I made this, let alone an instructional video. Julia Child, I'm not.

Instead, I'm giving you a reasonable quick Spanish Stew, perfect for the rapidly cooling weather. If you're in the south, and NOT experiencing any cooling because your power is out, you have all our sympathy and best wishes. Some nights it's a home-made meal, some nights it's a cold sandwich. 

Spanish Stew

 

For the liquid portion:

1/2 cup olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic or 6 t pre-minced garlic (my fave for speed and simplicity)

1 large or 2 regular cans of tomatoes, with their juice

1 eggplant, peeled and diced

1 bay leaf 

1 t cayenne pepper, or less if you have white-person mouth like me.

1 t Kosher salt, or to taste

For the hefty stuff:

2 T olive oil

Chicken breast, cubed. I used 2 breasts for a smaller serving. You can go up from there, depending on how meaty you want this to be

Two large potatoes, sliced into half-moons. Is there a professional term for this cut? If there is I don't know it.

OPTIONAL: Chorizo or similar spicy sausage. Get the kind you can crumble, not the cured kind you slice.

Halved olives. I like Manzanillas for this dish, but you do you. If you don't want to fuss with cutting, get some pre-sliced ones.

1 t paprika

Garnish:

chopped fresh parsley

 

Directions:

In a large pot (I used my Dutch oven) heat the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and simmer for a minute. Put the tomatoes with their juice in and smush them with your spoon. Don't fret about getting them small, there's a blender later on in this recipe. Add the diced eggplant, bay leaf, cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Remember, there will be salt in those canned tomatoes, and if you choose to add the sausage, you may need less cayenne. Simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavors blend.

In a generously sized skillet, heat 2 T oil. When it's sizzling, stir in chicken, potatoes and, if you like, crumbled chorizo. Sprinkle the chicken and potatoes with paprika. Saute on high, stirring frequently, until everything is browned. Remove from heat.

Back to the saucy stuff! Either pour the tomato-eggplant mix into a blender/Cuisinart or use your immersion blender. I finally got one for Christmas after seeing how much Celia uses hers, and it has changed my life. 10/10 would recommend. Take out the bay leaf, then blend until smooth and taste to adjust seasonings.

Into the large pot goes the now-blended saucy stuff, the meat and potatoes, the olives and the bay leaf. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are fork tender.

I served this with popping biscuits because that was what I had, but it would be best with a nice crusty bread and a hearty red, like a Malbec or a Rioja.

Dear readers, what are you having for dinner tonight? And have you been affected by Hurricane Helene?

Winner, Winner Sunday Dinner

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Today's recipe comes courtesy of our friend Celia Wakefield, who made this dinner for Youngest's last night home before toodling off to college. There's no name for it; perhaps you all can come up with something? Here's the deets:

 

 

1. Skin 3 tomatoes or use a cup of canned tomatoes. drained.

 

 

2. In a large pan, heat 2-3 T olive oil and add 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 leeks washed and chopped. You can add other late summer vegetables, whatever you have from the farmers market.

 

 

3. Remove the kernels from 3 ears of cooked corn, add to pan once the leeks and onions are translucent. add more olive oil if necessary

 

 

 

4. Bag of gnocchi: follow instructions for cooking and put water on to heat.

 

 

5. Skin and chop the tomatoes, add to pan with veggies.

 

 

6. Seasonings: Roasted garlic, basil or oregano,  parsley, salt and pepper.

 

 

7. Grate a cup + of cheese; parmesan, cheddar, Manchiago, etc.

 

 

8. Cook the gnocchi; if the veggie sauce looks dry, add a half cup or more of the pasta water when the gnocchi is done.

 

 

9. Add the pasta to the sauce. Sprinkle with the cheese, reserving some for your guests to add. 

 



Your Sunday Dinner: Paprika Chicken

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I have a few things to confess before I give you this recipe. First, it isn't mine. I got it out of last week's PEOPLE, and let me tell you, that is a first. I'm usually not tempted by "Taylor Swift's Tatertot casserole" or "Angelina Jolie's angelfood cake." Like those people really cook? Pull the other one.


Second, I've never heard of the recipe's author (creator? Originator?), Carla Hall, despite the fact that she's apparently been on a big deal cooking show for three years. This is what life without cable gets you, folks. Cultural illiteracy. 


Third, I didn't even cook the dish myself. Ross did. In fact, I wasn't even in the house while he made it. I waltzed in from an afternoon writing at the library, set the table and sat down. However, Ross assures me it came together quickly, easily and economically. I can assure you it was delicious. Even Youngest said she'd like it again.


Chicken Paprika


Extra virgin olive oil  (ours was more like Slightly experienced olive oil)
 8 chicken thighs (recipe said skin on, but Ross knows I hate that, so he peeled them)
Kosher salt (we used Episcopalian salt)
1 onion, chopped
2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, finely chopped (Ross, afraid of overheating our New England palates, substituted jalepenos. But they really weren't that hot at all, so I would definitely up the ante to serranos.)
2 minced garlic cloves (we have the pre-minced stuff.)  
1/2 t sweet paprika
pinch of ground red pepper
1 c chicken stock (ours is home made, makes up for the cheap salt and convenient garlic)
1/3 c sour cream
1 T chopped Italian parsley



Simmer 1/8 inch oil in a deep skillet. Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and lay them skin side down in the oil. Cook 15 minutes, turn, cook another 5-10 minutes until "golden brown." (Our chicken wasn't quite golden. Guess that's what happens when you denude the thighs.)



Saute onion, chiles, garlic and 1/4 t salt in the pan drippings. Stir in paprika, red pepper, cook 1 minute. Add the stock, bring the mixture to a boil, and return the chicken to the skillet. Simmer the whole she-bang, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the serving dish (Ross draped it with plastic wrap and threw a dishtowel over it to keep it warm.)

Reduce heat to low, whisk sour cream into the mixture in the skillet. Pour over the chicken, garnish with parsley. We had the chicken on a serving plate and poured the sauce into a gravy pitcher so everyone could add to his or her taste. We also nuked some egg noodles from the night before and served them beneath the chicken - that stretched it out nicely.

 
Excellent, as I said. Carla Hall has a new cookbook coming out at in April; CARLA'S COMFORT FOODS, FAVORITE DISHES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. If this is an example of what's in it, I'm going to order it for Ross.