Canary Island-Style Chicken Stew

This is an awesome easy to make dish.  It comes from the Canary Islands in Spain.  This dish is like soup, best made a day ahead.  Being that it is winter I used canned tomatoes to make this dish.  I dislike buying tomatoes fresh in the winter because they usually come from a greenhouse and don't have very much flavor.  You can also leave the tomatoes out completely, perhaps adding an additional onion.  Serve this dish with fried or boiled potatoes, rice or pasta.

Ingredients:
1/2 kg (1 lb.) chicken
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes. chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
few sprigs of parsley
a pinch of ground cumin
a pinch of turmeric
1 glass of white wine
olive oil
1 bay leaf
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
a little flour
salt and pepper

Cut the chicken into pieces (I used 8 chicken legs), coat in flour and fry lightly in olive oil until golden in a saucepan.  Take the chicken out and add a little more olive oil and fry the onions, pepper and garlic.  Add the bay leaf and herbs.  After a few minutes, add the wine, tomatoes and the chicken pieces.  Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas
Serves 4 to 6

Mexican comfort food at its best.  This dish can be made more or less spicy, just adjust the amount of chili powder and ground red pepper.  This dish can also be made ahead, just prepare as follows but do not top the dish with cheese.  When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to about 350F (175C) and head for about 20 minutes, then raise the heat to 400F (200C), sprinkle the cheese on top and heat for an additional 10 minutes.

2 large onions, chopped
4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 28.oz, cans tomatoes, drained
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken
12 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese (4 oz)
olive and vegetable oil

In a large skillet combine onions, peppers and garlic and cook until they begin to brown, about 7 minutes.  Add in the chili powder, ground cumin and red pepper and cook for an additional minute.  Then add the 2 cans of tomatoes and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.  Then with a food processor or immersion blender, puree the sauce.  Combine 1/2 cup of the sauce with the cooked chicken.  Preheat the oven to 400F, lightly brush each of the corn tortillas with oil and arrange on a baking sheet, slightly overlapping.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake until soft and pliable, about 5 minutes.  Pour another 1/2 cup of the sauce of the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. To make each enchilada, spoon about 2 1/2 tablespoon of chicken in the center of each tortilla and roll tightly.  Arrange the tortillas seam down in the baking dish.  Cover with the remaining sauce and bake until bubbling, about 10 minutes.

Bisteeya (Moroccan Chicken and Almond Pie)

At the Maybachufermarkt in Berlin, there used to be a Moroccan lady who sold this delicious phyllo dough pies.  I only ate it once, but I will remember that little pie for the rest of my life.  I immediately started looking on Pinterest and the internet for a recipe.  This is what I came up with after reviewing a number of different ones.

Ingredients

2 lbs. chicken thighs
2 red onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp saffron
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup almond slices
powdered sugar
ground cinnamon
50 g melted butter
6 sheet phyllo dough
1 egg, lightly whisked
fresh minced parsley
salt and pepper

Place chicken in a large pot.  Cover with water, add salt and bay leaf, bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked.  Remove chicken from water and let sit until cool and then remove meat from bone.  Add oil in a pan and fry the onions for 5 minutes, then add garlic and ginger and continue to to cook.  Add chicken, saffron, stock and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 20 minutes or until all the liquid evaporates.  Let cool. Brush a shallow round 20cm (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter to grease. Place the filo sheets on a clean work surface. Cover with a dry tea towel, then a damp tea towel (this will prevent the filo from drying out). Brush 1 sheet of filo with a little of the melted butter. Sprinkle one-fifth of the almonds on top. Top with another filo sheet, turning slightly, and brush with a little more butter. Sprinkle one-quarter of the remaining almond mixture on top. Continue this layering process with the remaining filo, butter and almond mixture. Line the prepared pan with the filo stack, allowing edges to overhang. 

Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Add the egg and parsley to the chicken mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the chicken mixture into the pan lined with filo. Bring the filo edges over the chicken mixture to enclose. Brush with remaining butter. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and turn onto the lined tray. Bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden and heated through.  Sprinkle powdered sugar and cinnamon on top and serve in wedges,.

Kotopita

This is one of my all-time most requested dishes.  Once I made this for somebody, they usually request me to make it again.  The best way to describe it is Greek Pot Pie.  Being Greek, it uses Phyllo dough instead of a traditional pie crust.  I came across this dish originally in a Greek restaurant back in Norfolk, Virginia.  It sounded good in the discription, but once it arrived, it was mediocre.  I decided that I could make it better.  This recipe is what I created after comparing various recipes I researched online.  It does take a bit of time to make, but it it totally worth it.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
3 cups stock (made from stewing chicken)
1/3 cup butter
1 bunch scallions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups Feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons mint, chopped
1 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper
3 eggs, beaten
12 to 14 sheets Phyllo dough
1/2 cup melted butter

1. Place the chicken, stock or water, salt and pepper into a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate, reserving the broth, and set aside to cool. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it with your fingers.
2. Heat the butter or oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, reduce heat to low and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour the reserved broth into the skillet all at once and whisk to eliminate any lumps. Simmer the broth for about 5 minutes to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the feta, dill, parsley, mint, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and the thickened broth and stir together. Adjust seasoning and then stir in the beaten eggs.
5. Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish or a deep-dish pie tin. Lay a layer of filo into the dish and brush it with meltied butter or olive oil. Add 5 or six more sheets of filo, brushing each with oil or butter and laying them at different angle to cover the dish. Press the filo gently down into the corners of the dish or pie tin.
6. Pour the chicken-cheese filling into the dish and spread it out evenly. Lay the remaining layers of filo over the top of the filling, brushing each layer with butter or oil and draping the excess over the edges of the dish. Trim the filo to leave about 1 1/2 inches draping over the edge. Roll the filo edges up toward the center of the dish to form a rolled edge.
7. Place the dish in the oven and bake for anywhere from 45-75 minutes, or until the center is bubbly and the crust is nicely browned.
8. Remove from the oven, cool about 15 minutes and serve with a salad.

Chicken and Dumplings

This has always been one of my favorite dishes.  I know Cracker Barrel has an awesome version; however here in Germany they don't have any, so I've got to make my own.  Albeit I used the dumpling recipes from this link (http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/11/homemade-chicken-and-dumplings/), I decided to make my own stock by simmering a chicken in some water for 1.5 hours until it was nice and tender and began to fall off the bones.  This is a great method because you can also make some tasty chicken stock at the same time.    This dish takes a bit of time to make, but the stock and chicken can be prepared ahead of time.  It's well worth the wait.  Here's what you'll need:

1 2-3 lb. chicken
Enough water to cover chicken in pot
1 onion, cut in half
Dry herbs (whatever you would like to season your stock with)
2 bay leaves
3 Allspice kernels
Salt and pepper

In a large stockpot, place the whole chicken in the pot and fill with enough water to cover.  Wash the onion with the skin, cut in half, and add to pot.  (Leaving the skin on the onion gives color to the broth)  Add the 2 bay leaves and allspice kernels, dry herbs, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, lower to a simmer and simmer for about an hour and a half.  Afterwards, take chicken out of the pot, strain the broth, discarding the onion, bay leaves and allspice.  Reserve broth.  Allow chicken to cook.  Once cool, pull meat off the bones and reserve meat.

For Dumplings:

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons butter
a little less than 1 cup milk
2 quarts of chicken broth
3 cups cooked chicken

This is where it gets fun.  Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and butter with your hands untin incorporated, similiar to how you would make a pie crust.  Then add the milk and stir until well blended.  On a well floured (the flour will later thicken your stock, so don't be shy) surface, roll out dough.  Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough into 2x2 inch squares. You could probably also use some small cookie cutters if you wanted.  Bring the chicken broth to a rolling boil.  Then drop the dumplings in one at a time (this is to avoid them sticking).  Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 15-20 minutes until done.  You can test a dumpling and see if its cooked all the way.  Then, add the reserved chicken and cook until the chicken is warmed through.  Its now ready to serve!

Next time I plan on making the chicken stock well ahead of time, then refrigerate, so all the fat rises to the top of the container and solidifies.  I will then use the chicken fat to help make the dumplings.  I know this will make it more fattening; however, sometimes for me, taste usurps health :)