Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Tuesdays with the Texan

Happy Tuesday, Yankee-Belle faithfuls. Well, the Yank and the Belle have gone and done it now. They've given this Texan--aka Mindy Obenhaus--keys to the cafe. Yep, no telling what you might find jalapenos or chipotle in now.

Ah, but we Texans aren't all about Tex-Mex. We like good ol' down home comfort food too. Actually, I'll let you in on a little secret. I grew up a Yankee. However, I got to Texas as fast as I could. I love everything about Texas. The people, the food, the diversity of this great state, and the heat. Okay, I fibbed on that last one.

Once I got here, though, I latched onto a great-mom and grandmama who knew how to cook. That means I learned from the best. Given my dual heritage, though, I'm just glad Ruthy didn't decide to call this Tuesdays with the Tank.

Today we'll continue Ruthy's fowl comfort food theme with Great-mom's chicken and dumplings. I LOVE this stuff. And if chicken soup is good for the soul, chicken and dumplings must be a double blessing.

First we need to make our chicken stock, which will also provide us with the chicken half of our chicken and dumplings. So, in a large dutch oven or stock pot, add one chicken (I leave mine whole, but remove the skin so there's less fat), two or three carrots cut into thirds, a couple stalks of celery (I left the leaves on mine), one onion, quartered, 1 Tbs. salt (I use kosher), and  3/4 tsp. ground black pepper or 1 1/2 tsp. peppercorns. After I took this picture I found some thyme in the fridge, so I added a couple sprigs of that as well.


Now add three quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour.

Cool slightly, then remove chicken and vegetables. Strain broth, discarding solids.


Once the bird has cooled, remove the meat from the bone and shred. The veggies don't make it into the soup, however they do make a great snack.


Return broth to stove, add chicken, and bring to boiling. *NOTE* I try to skim as much of the fat as possible from the broth. If there's time, I will put it in the fridge and then skim.

While you're waiting for the broth to boil, prepare your dumplings.

Combine:
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil (I use canola)
  • Approx. 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups self-rising flour (if the mixture seems too sticky, add more flour in small amounts)
Turn dough onto a floured surface and kneed a handful of times.

From here, it's up to your personal preference. Some like their dumplings big, others like them small. I like a bite of dumpling in every spoonful. My sons want as little dumplings as possible. Personally, I think that's just wrong, but they're brats.

You can roll out the dough and cut it into pieces. That's too much work for me so I flatten a portion of dough on a cutting board, slice into strips, then cut the dumplings into the boiling broth mixture with a scrapper or knife. Remember, you can add as many or as few as you like.


Once you've added all your dumplings, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Then you're ready for a bowlful of pleasure. One sure to warm the cockles of your heart (Does anyone know just where that is?).


Now, if you're intimidated by making the dumplings, here's a secret shortcut--canned biscuits. (Ooo, did y'all hear Ruthy gasp?) Just break or cut them into pieces and drop into boiling broth. Easy-peasy.

Oh, here comes Ruthy again. She's been pacing the kitchen the entire time. She's so protective of the cafe. Missy's at the counter, hiding behind her laptop. Man, her fingers are moving across that keyboard faster than a Texas tornado. Looks like she's got a new story brewing. Speaking of brewing, I think Ruthy's gone through that entire pot of coffee already. Don't worry, gang, I gotcha covered.

30 comments:

  1. You know, I used to make menus, grocery lists, plan meals for my family...but now I just drop by the cafe and see what's cooking!

    I love chicken and dumplings. I just bought some chicken at the store today - boneless breasts - but I can cook those up and add my homemade turkey stock, right? Sounds like a great January supper.

    Mindy, I'm so glad you feel at home in a foreign country...our three years in Texas were enough. Loved the people, loved the scenery, but hated the bugs. I developed a phobia that haunts me to this day.

    I love living where the weather gets cold enough to kill all the bugs :)

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    1. Jan, that would be great with your turkey stock. Matter of fact, I may have to pull up a chair.

      LOL! Texas a foreign country. I hear you on the bugs though. I don't like them either. And we've got some really BIG spiders at the farm. I've learned to wield a mean can of bug spray.

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  2. yum my mom used to make the best chicken and dumplings..I never learned how.may give these a try but cooking the whole chicken and dealing with taking it off the bone scaresme more than the dumplings LOL! looks like some serious work!
    Susanna

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    1. Susanna, by the time the chicken is boiled it falls right off the bone. Nothing serious about it. However, if it's still too intimidating, you could resort to canned chicken, but the results wouldn't be as good.

      Hope you'll give it a try.

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  3. Sounds yummy and not too difficult. I'm like Susanna though. Hate picking the bones. I might try it with a bunch of thighs. Would that work?

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    1. Sandra, thighs would work just fine. Some folks use only the breast. What ever is to YOUR liking.

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  4. HAHAHAHAHA!

    You had to tell them I was pacing, didn't you???? BRAT!

    Mindy (The Texan) welcome aboard! How much fun to have a different side of fun, regional cooking here at the cafe. You know those down home boys were just not all about my sushi bar, LOL!!! I'm laughing with delight that you've joined the ranks and the interview process went really well, don't you think???

    :)

    And I'm lovin' me some chicken and dumplin' comfort food. And I can do this with the leftover turkey and gravy. The biggest difference is that if you go biscuit style in the oven, the biscuits are crisper and drier, baked rather than boiled.

    Canned biscuits?

    Like you couldn't find a box of BISQUICK in the cupboard????

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    1. Yeah, yeah, you could use the Bisquick, Ruthy. Sheesh! And it would be yummy with the turkey and gravy. Although I have another recipe for turkey and dumplings that is uber low on the carbs. I know that's right up your alley. Got it from one of the guys on The Chew. Love that show. Of course, it airs right before lunch and that's just not fair.

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  5. Hmmmm....how can I turn this recipe vegetarian? Tofu and dumplings? I think not! Back to sitting in the corner with my hot chocolate (no chili pepper in it though! I don't care if we're playing Texan today.) Though, at least now I have some recipes to cook up for my non-veggie friends. If I ever got up the nerve to handle the poor dead bird. I'd be more inclined to hold a funeral in the backyard. :-)

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    1. Kav, you could do the dumplings with a real nice vegetable stock. Add more vegetables and leave them in. The broth flavors the dumplings as they boil. I bet it would be good.

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    2. True confession -- I've never had dumplings before so I may give that a try!

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    3. Kav, please let me know how it turns out.

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  6. Mindy, welcome!! And thanks so much for this recipe. I love chicken and dumplings. Although I usually do the drop dumplings--the fluffy ones. I'm too lazy to roll and cut. :)

    Jan, I've used boneless breasts many times. Just don't overcook them. My kids tend to say mine are rubbery. LOL

    LOL, Susanna! If a whole bird freaks you out (turkeys kind of freak me out because of the way they move when you're putting them in the roasting bag! :)), then try using cut up parts. :)

    Sandra, I guess you could use any parts you want. If you like darker meat, that would work great.

    Kav, I'm sitting here dying laughing!! You poor thing. I bet we gross you out regularly. Hey, I have a post ready to go for Friday that has a vegetarian option. (But you'll have to scroll really fast past the frying of the bacon). :)

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    1. Missy, you crack me up. Rubbery chicken. Oh, my. You know, they're already dead.

      Thank you for the welcome. It's great to be here.

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    2. No, Mindy, they're not alive. But when you try to wrestle a turkey all over the place, don't you kind of feel the legs move as if they were walking?? It just grosses me out!! In fact, I quit washing turkeys. I read you don't need to, plus it just spreads germs all over your sink. I used to follow up rinsing the bird with a major cleaning with bleach. Now I don't have to worry so much. The turkey goes straight in a roasting bag (with me hollering out in horror each time it moves). LOL

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  7. Rubber chicken.... Now I'm thinking of the Swedish Chef on the Muppetts... Here, chickie! Chickie!!! Bork de bork!

    :)

    I read (I think it was in Farmer Boy) that they used to make chicken biscuit pie with the whole chicken, bones and all, and you just sorted through the bones in the gravy.

    Now I would be grossed out. How much better to bone that baby out, but I'm NOT DISSING those frontier women. They worked their fingers to the bone, God love them.

    But I'd still bone out the bird. ;)

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    1. Agreed, Ruthy. However, considering all the work those frontier women had to do, who can blame them for thinking, "Pick out your own dern bones."

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  8. My grandmother, Nannie, would can all her own veggies and even beef tenderloin, bake her own pies but she thought canned biscuits were a gift from God. Why? I never will figure it out.

    I loved chicken and dumplings when I was little. Now I just make my own chicken broth. I get a roaster, hopefully on sale, and use every last bit of it and then make my stock. I am afraid my husband thinks I can make one last for an entire month if necessary.

    I was making my stock last week and thought what a chore it must have been over a fire.

    Peace, Julie

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    1. Julie, can you imagine that? Cooking over a fire. In the winter I'm sure it was more enjoyable, but in the summer.... Especially in Texas. Oy!

      Your Nannie sounds like a wise and wonderful woman.

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  9. Well now... you shot my dinner plans down. I had a chicken breast thawed and ready for a quick stir-fry tonight, but you've changed all that. This coughing, hacking, sick-of-this-cold gal can't see past the total comfort of chicken soup with dumplings. Now if I can just drag my sorry self off this couch long enough to peel the veggies and shred the chicken.... (and yeah, Ruthy, it's gonna be canned biscuits! There's a limit to the energy I can muster.)

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    1. Oh, Carol. I'm sorry you're sick. I had that blasted cold mess a couple of weeks ago. Not fun. Wish I could come fix it for you.

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  10. Carol, my snarkisms should never be applied to those of us fighting the COLD-MONSTER...

    I'll join you in some hot lemonade.

    Stupid head colds.

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    1. Stupid is right. The one I had has made the rounds at our house. Everyone, even hubby, has had it. Lord willing, we're coming to the end of that course though.

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    2. Had my hot lemonade mid-afternoon, but I made the chicken and dumplings, ate a bowl for lunch AND another bowl for supper. Almost a miracle cure!! I may still be coughing and sniffling, but I feel ten times better than I did this morning. I totally credit your recipe. :)

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    3. Don't you just love that God gave something so yummy healing properties? He's so awesome.

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  11. Julie, you amaze me! Okay, I guess this is the time to admit I often make dumplings with canned broth. My family likes dumplings as a side dish without the meat. :)

    Carol, I'm sorry you're sick! This will be perfect comfort food.

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    1. Canned broth, Missy? Canned biscuits is one thing, but canned broth just takes the whole homemade right out of it. Now get in there and make your own stock, girlfriend. Do it on a cold day. Make a bunch and freeze it.

      Okay, I'll shut up now.

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  12. my mom started shortcutting once - used not only canned broth but canned chicken - sorry but of all the processed stuff I eat(and I eat plenty) canned chicken I absolutely hate. not sure why but I do. my dad finally complained thank goodness and she went back to real chicken though not the unliked pieces from the whole chicken - the chicken breasts. not as good a broth as the stuff with the bones but still so much better than the canned stuff. I do use canned broth for stuff but blech on the canned chicken - maybe it's the salty taste dunno.

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    1. Anonymous, you are so right about the bones. I like to stock up breast halves when they're on sale (which there are right now-yay!). I skin them before boiling them, but the bones are still there for flavor. And that breast meat just comes off in one big hunk. In other words, you can chop instead of pick:-)

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