Fast, Easy Chicken & Dumplings

Fast, Easy Chicken & Dumplings

For the soup:

1.5 lb chicken tenders, chopped and seasoned with 1T salt, 1T pepper and 1T poultry seasoning

2T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 qt good chicken broth

For the dumplings:

2C AP flour

3t baking powder

1t salt

1T chopped parsley

2t chopped thyme

4T Crisco (cube then place on a plate in the freezer)

1C milk or buttermilk (or a mix of both)

In a large, heavy bottomed dutch oven, heat olive oil and saute chicken until browned and cooked through.  Remove with a slotted spoon a plate.  Add onion, leek, celery and carrots and saute until onion is translucent.  Add garlic, bay leaf and saute another 30 seconds to a minute.  Add chicken broth and a quart of water.  Cover and bring to boil, reduce to simmer while you get on with the dumplings.

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk to combine and break up the flour.  Add in the herbs and stir to combine.  Add your semi-frozen Crisco (it never really freezes all the way) and using two knives of a pastry cutter, combine with flour until it resembles coarse sand.  Slowly add in the milk while stirring just until the dough comes together.  You will probably only use 3/4 of the milk.  Remove to floured surface and roll out until about 1/2 in thick.  Cut into strips and pop them on a tray and back into the freezer for about 15 minutes.  

Slowly add your dumplings to the soup, one at a time and without stirring.  Cover the pot and allow them to steam for another 15 minutes.  Very carefully stir, cover and turn off the heat.  Allow the soup to sit for a few minutes before serving.  Feel free to add more parsley or thyme to brighten it up then serve it up in big bowls to hungry children.

Dolma

DOLMA

1lb. ground beef or lamb

1C uncooked brown or white rice

1 small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1T olive oil

1/4C parsley, minced

4 bell peppers, any color

3 large, firm tomatoes

3 zucchini

2 lemons

Optional:  baby eggplant

Cook rice according to package directions and allow to cool.  Saute onion and olive oil until translucent.  Add in meat and garlic and continue to saute until the meat is brown and crumbly.  Be sure to season with S&P each time you ad something to the pan.  Set aside to cool while you prep your veggies.  

Remove tops and de-seed peppers.  Remove tops and carefully scoop out tomato pulp and seeds into a strainer over a bowl.  Remove tops and bottoms of zucchini and very carefully scoop out the inside.  I find a long somewhat sharp tea spoon works well for this. Same for eggplant, if using.  Season insides of your veggies.  

Combine your meat, rice, parsley and a squeeze of lemon, mix thoroughly.  Taste now and re-season or add more lemon to your liking.  Firmly pack each of your veggie shells with the meat/rice mixture and place them upright in a large enamel coated cast iron dutch oven.  Start with the peppers and fill in with smaller veggies so that it's tightly packed.  If you don't have enough room, it's ok if the zucchini hang out on top.  

OPTIONAL STEP:  Go back to your tomato juice - squeeze the pulp to get as much juice out as possible and add in the insides of the zucchini and eggplant.  Add a little water and whiz it up in a blender or with an immersion blender.  Alternatively, you can just chop the insides finely OR leave them out entirely.  I usually either blend it up or just add the tomato juice and about 1/2 cup of water.  It just needs some liquid in the pan so the veggies steam.

Pop a heavy lid on your pot, bring to boil and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes until the veggies are soft but not falling apart (see that pic above?  I went off and did something else and my tomatoes fell apart.)  Serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

Note:  If you have leftovers this makes a fantastic soup.  Just sort of mush up the veggies and add some beef or chicken broth and reheat.  Yummy with crusty bread.