This is what we would call a gloomy day dish. The past few have been nothing but grey skies with clouds threatening to rain throughout so we decided to heed their warnings and spend our afternoon in the kitchen.
We love the idea cooking up stews and soups while we do chores around the house, traveling to each room, and waiting for the aroma to follow along as we work. The olives and speck make this stew extra special, definitely worthy of a dinner party.
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (approx 2 lbs)
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 slices of speck (or prosciutto), dime thickness, diced
1 tbsp of all purpose flour
1 tbsp of tomato paste
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of red wine
2 cups of chicken broth
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs of thyme, tied
8 small red or gold potatoes, halved
1 baby eggplant, diced
8-10 black olives, pitted but whole (Mission are great!)
8 baby bella mushrooms, halved
2 tbsp of olive oil
Parsley for garnish
Heat oil In a 5+ quart dutch oven over medium high and brown the chicken skin side first to brown and also crisp a bit, about 4 minutes each side. Remove from heat and set aside.
Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the same pot and cook until soft stirring frequently. about 8 minutes. Add the garlic for the final 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
At this point, lower the heat to medium and add the speck to the pot. Then add the flour, stirring for one minute, followed by the tomato paste, mixing until combined. Allow to cook for 1 minute.
Bumping the heat back up to medium-high, add the chopped tomatoes, wine, and chicken stock. Stir to mix. Add bay leaf and thyme and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes and then add the chicken back to the pot and cover. Cook for another 15 minutes.
Remove lid to add potatoes and eggplant. Replace lid and allow to cook for 30 more minutes.
Lift lid one last time and set aside, remove the bay leaf and thyme, and then add olives and mushrooms to simmer for a final 15 minutes.
Turn off heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
No Comments