Homemade Chicken Stock

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Don't throw out those bones! Savory, flavorful homemade stock is the base for all kinds of recipes. Soups are the most obvious, but it's also useful for adding delicious flavor to vegetable and rice dishes, for braising and poaching. This is my basic method, feel free to substitute other herbs and vegetables.

Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  3-4 hours
Yield:  8-12 cups stock, depending on the size of your chicken

INGREDIENTS
1 chicken carcass, with bones and skin
1 onion, quartered
1-2 carrots, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, scrubbed and chopped (with leaves)
2 TB peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf

DIRECTIONS
Add all the ingredients to a big stock pot and fill with clean cold water to just cover the bones. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat and simmer for a few hours. Let cool, drain through a colander. Now you can discard those bones! Chill the stock overnight, and skim off the fat. That ambrosia can be used right away, or frozen in small containers for the benefit of future generations.

Powisset Chicken Salad

This crunchy, refreshing salad couldn't be simpler to prepare, and is perfect for a hot weather meal.  Talk about incentive to cook extra chicken the night before.

Prep time:  15 minutes
Serves:  4

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken meat, 1/2 inch dice
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped carrot, 1/2 inch dice
1 cup arugula, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 apple, peel on, sliced and chopped
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan
Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Toss the chicken, carrot, arugula, parsley, apple, almonds and Parmesan with the lemon juice and olive oil.  Serve, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

A cool white or rosé alongside makes the picture complete.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Choi Chicken

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick










This tasty meal makes good use of one large saute pan or skillet.

Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS
1-1.5 lbs chicken breast meat, sliced into "fingers"
3 TSP Jerk Style Seasoning
2-3 TB olive oil2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large bok choi plant, white parts separated from the green leaves, both coarsely chopped
Cilantro
DIRECTIONS
Place the chicken in a large bowl, drizzle with 2 TB of olive oil, and turn to coat.  Then sprinkle with 2 tsp. of the jerk seasoning, turning pieces to reach all sides.  Set aside. 

Place a serving platter in your oven and preheat  oven to about 150F (warm). 

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat.  Cook garlic for a minute, then add the choi stems and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until tender crisp.  Sprinkle in the remaining 1 tsp. jerk seasoning, and stir.  Add the green leaves, cover, and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until bok choi leaves are tender.  Remove cooked bok choi to the platter in the oven, and turn heat to medium high (add a little more oil if necessary to facilitate cooking the chicken).   Cook chicken over medium high heat for 5 minutes, turning once.

Arrange chicken on top of bok choi, drizzle remaining pan juices over the chicken, and serve.

Powisset "Waldorf" Salad

This entree salad is delicious alone, or inside a summer sandwich. Fresh celery adds the world's best pungent fresh green crunch.  Must ... stop... eating ...

Prep time:  10 minutes
Yield:  4-6 sandwiches

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 "ish" cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 - 1 1/2 cups diced celery
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped arugula
4-6 TB mayonnaise
2 tsp fresh dill, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Whole grain rolls or wraps

DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Spoon into rolls, or right onto your plate. 

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick

Roast Chicken with Powisset Root Vegetables

A roast chicken takes only minutes of prep, and then the oven does the rest of the work. Fun History: Steve Friedman wrote about this recipe in a New York Times article. Adapted from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cooking for Guys.

Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 2 1/2 hours
Serves: 4 - 6

1 whole free range chicken, approximately 4-5 pounds.
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup water
3 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut into pieces about 2 inches square
3 onions, peeled and quartered
5 big carrots, peeled and cut into 2” pieces

Preheat the oven to 325. Rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat it dry with paper towels.

In a bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice and chopped garlic. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan or a large casserole dish. Drizzle the chicken all over (even get a little on the inside) with the olive oil mixture. Then sprinkle the chicken inside and out with the Italian seasoning, cumin, and salt and pepper. Pour the water into the pan (not on the chicken, don’t want to wash off the seasoning), and slide the chicken into the hot oven.

Cook for about 2 hours, and then add the potatoes, onions and carrots around the chicken, adding a little more water if the pan is dry. Cook for another hour (the total cooking time will be about a half hour per pound of weight), or until chicken is fully cooked. If you have a meat thermometer, the meat should be 185 in the thigh.

Pull that masterpiece out of the oven, and let it cool for a few minutes, then carve off slices to serve with cooked carrots, onions and potatoes alongside.

Last but not least by any means, save that carcass! Bones, skin etc are the perfect base for homemade chicken stock, which is the foundation of all kinds of other recipes.

Bring out a roast chicken for dinner, serve with your favorite Merlot or Pinot Noir, and everything is right with the world.

Served up by Tod Dimmick

Roast Chicken with Bok Choy and Kohlrabi

Fennel & Chicken Slaw

Photo:
Tod Dimmick










This crisp, cool, savory salad is perfect for summer weather.

INGREDIENTS
1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 fennel bulb, sectioned, rinsed, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup parsley, rinsed and chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion, minced
1/4 cup dry toasted, sliced almonds
a handful fresh basil leaves, minced (about 1/4 cup)
salt and pepper

Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced
DIRECTIONS
Mix the chicken, fennel, parsley, onion, almonds, and basil in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix the garlic, mayo, lemon juice, olive oil, and dill. Scrape this dressing over the salad and toss thoroughly to mix, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with a dry rose' or dry white wine and enjoy this salad, as you survey the view from the shade of your Provencal farmhouse. Or, in our case, as you survey the tailgate lot outside of Gillette Stadium before a Revs game.

Tip: A food processor equipped with the thin slice disk is a good tool for preparing this salad.

Roasted Pepper, Basil, & Fresh Mozzarella Salad

 






This easy, hearty salad can serve as a side dish or an entree perfect for a summer night.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2-4

INGREDIENTS
2 red peppers, roasted and chopped (or one 12 ounce jar roasted red peppers)
1 pound Ciliegine (cherry size) fresh mozzarella, drained
1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 small (pool ball sized) sweet onion, diced
4 fresh sage leaves, minced (optional)
lemon juice
olive oil
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Combine the peppers, mozzarella, basil, onion and sage, and dress with lemon juice and olive oil.

Variation: Add 1-2 cups of grilled chicken, chopped into 1/2" pieces

Photo and recipe by Tod Dimmick

Fresh Kale & Chicken Soup

Photo:
Tod Dimmick

Powisset Farm serves up a gorgeous bunch of kale. That's where we'll start. What next? Hm, let's look in the fridge... What's this? Leftover chicken, leftover whole wheat shells? Add a few more choice ingredients, and can you say "Dinner"!

Prep time (assuming the component parts are already done): 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4-6

3 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch kale, washed, stems separated from leaves: stems chopped into 1/2 inch pieces, leaves coarsely torn into pieces
6-8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Dash hot sauce
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb grilled chicken, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2-3 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a large stock pot over medium heat and cook the garlic, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until garlic lightly tans. Add the kale stems and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the stock and heat to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, add the kale leaves, Italian seasoning, hot sauce, and black pepper, and cook for 5 minutes or until the leaves are tender. Add the chicken and pasta and heat for 2-3 minutes to desired temperature. Add salt to taste, and distribute to serving bowls, topping with Parmesan cheese.

Serve with crusty bread and a dry red wine, and life is good.

Submitted by Tod Dimmick,
AKA "The Foodie" at 1000radishes

Arugula Pesto

There's no one in the middle when it comes to pungent, spicy arugula. Its strong flavor inspires either passionate fans, or vehement detractors (who have yet to see the green light).




For arugula fans, imagine taking that bright green "spring" flavor and distilling it into its concentrated essence. That's what I see in arugula pesto.

Prep time: 5-10 minutes

1 bunch (about 2 cups) fresh arugula, rinsed, dried, and coarsely chopped
3TB toasted walnuts (or pine nuts)
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil

Add the ingredients in order to a food processor equipped with a cutting blade and pulse into a chunky paste. Add more olive oil if necessary.

The photograph shows pesto tossed with whole wheat shells, diced fresh mozzarella, and leftover grilled chicken chopped into bite-size chunks. A dry rose alongside makes this a terrific summer meal.

Submitted by Tod Dimmick

Spring Chicken

How about a free range chicken seasoned with herbs, stuffed with vegetables, and gently cooked in a medium oven for several hours? When you get back home from your meeting, or the soccer practice, this juicy beauty will be waiting. Add some fresh bread, and a glass of good Merlot, and this spring chicken provides an elegant meal any day of the week.

Don't forget to save the leftovers for chicken stock!

Submitted by Tod Dimmick