Campur Comfort - Chicken and Dumplings

It has been more than a month now since the State of Siege has been lifted, and I can finally say that things have returned to normal. Crowds of school children chant my name as I walk past, babies cry when they see me, my house goes from extreme cleanliness to extreme dustiness in a week and I haggle over 12c (1 quetzal) for everything at the market, the difference sometimes causing me to just walk away. In celebration of my return to the normalcy of abnormalcy (not a real word), I've decided to share my Chicken and Dumplings recipe.


(Something out of the normal - The municipality of San Pedro Carchá decided to flatten the dirt roads and put in drainage systems. We'll have to wait until the rainy season to see how well they work. Buena Onda.)

This recipe, originally from the Rachel Ray 30 Minute Meals cookbook, was one of my first ventures into cooking. The meal never took me 30 minutes and after perfecting the recipe, it still takes a number of hours to prepare. I like to make everything from scratch--it gives the dish a much richer flavor. The dish is also a hit with my fellow volunteers, who from time to time beg me to make it. I think you will enjoy it as well.


(Thyme and Bay Leaf)

With everything made from scratch, you can really control the quality of the food, as well as the amount of salt. Here in Campur, you can buy a freshly-killed yellow chicken on market days early in the morning, with heart, neck, liver and lungs attached (unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, but in the future I'll bring my camera to the market.) The heart and neck are ideal, however unnecessary, when making homemade broth because they add tons of flavor to the broth. You can also save your bones, cooked or fresh (though the two should not be mixed together) and use them to make the broth. I also used the tail, fat and skin that the woman gave me to fulfill the 3 pounds of meat that I asked for. With regards to the vegetables, be sure to use the tops, skins and greens, as they will add more flavor, color, and nutrients to your broth. Be prepared for a long day when making this recipe from scratch, the broth takes 3-4 hours alone.
Buen Provecho!


Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken Broth



2 pounds of chicken scraps (bones, neck, heart, skin, wingdings and fat)
1 carrot with top, roughly chopped
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 bunch of celery with leaves, roughly chopped
2 peppercorns
1 bunch of thyme
1 bay leaf (laurel)
3 tablespoons of salt (to taste)
water
oil (optional)

Normal broth: Combine all ingredients in a 10-quart pot and boil for 4 hours, skimming scum off the top. Once cooled, skim off fat and strain through a colander, setting aside the broth and discarding the vegetables.

Rich broth: In 10-quart pot, saute all ingredients in oil until the onions are clear. Add water and boil for 4 hours. Once cooled, skim off fat and strain through a colander, setting aside the broth and discarding the vegetables.

Dumplings

2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk (regular milk with a few drops of vinegar/lemon that is allowed to curd - takes about 5 minutes)
3 tablespoons parsley leaves, fresh or dried

Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Cut butter into chunks and mix with flour until it looks like course meal. Add buttermilk until just mixed. This should not be prepared until the main dish is near completion, as they will sit on top of the broth.

Chicken and Dumplings



2 carrots with tops, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 bunch of celery chopped
2 pounds potatoes, chopped
2 pounds chicken breast, chopped
1 cup flour
oil
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon thyme
chicken broth
dumpling mixture (doubled if you would like a lot of dumplings)



Season chopped chicken with salt and pepper and dip in flour. Sauté chicken in oil until browned. Set aside in a bowl. In two pots, sauté chopped vegetables, allowing them to stick to the bottom of the pan a little, until onions are clear. Add the chicken and cook for two more minutes. Add broth to both pots and bring to a boil, lowering to a simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. Add dumpling mixture in heaping spoonful at a time to the simmering broth, dividing the amount of dumplings evenly between the two pots. Cover for 10 minutes. Take off tops and allow to cook for 5 minutes.



Serves 10.