The Fayette Citizen-Dining Guide
Wednesday, October 21, 1998

Dining Guide

Soothing Stew Recipes

What is the first food that comes to mind when you hear the words "cozy," "soothing" and "comforting?" Streamlined for today's cook, this old-fashioned favorite still serves as a great prescription for warming up a cooler weather chill and calming down a busy day.

"We southerners know that dumplings cooked with chicken or any other kind of stew have mood restoring properties that make you feel at home, safe and happy," says Martha White baking expert Linda Carman. "Besides just plain tasting good, historically, they were an inexpensive way for folks in the rural South to extend a stew and make it more substantial."

In fact, dumplings are really just a form of biscuits that are cooked in a pot instead of the oven. Like biscuits, there are two styles of dumplings rolled and drop. For rolled dumplings, the dough is rolled out to about 1/8-inch and cut into strips or squares that are gently lowered into a simmering stew. Even easier to prepare, drop dumplings are made with a softer biscuit dough that's simply dropped by spoonfuls into the pot.

Chicken and dumplings don't have to be a distant memory of dinner at grandma's or a daunting all-day project in the kitchen. Chicken Stew with Classic Dumplings, a reinvented version of the old favorite, boasts all the requisite ingredients, but is quick enough to make after work. The stew takes advantage of canned chicken broth and cooked chicken paired with the traditional trio of carrots, onion and celery. The dumplings, made in minutes with self-rising flour and chicken broth, are simply dropped into the bubbling broth and are ready in 10 to 15 minutes.

Of course, chicken is not the dumpling's only companion. Tomato Vegetable Stew with Cheddar Cheese Dumplings is a jazzed up way to enjoy dumplings without compromising their soothing effects. Tomatoes, chicken broth, green beans and sauteed celery and onions unite to form a flavorful broth that thickens nicely as the ceesy drop dumplings simmer.

Chicken Stew with Classic Dumplings Stew

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

4 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

6 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 cups cooked chicken, coarsely chopped

Dumplings

1-1/2 cups Martha White Self-Rising Flour

1/4 cup shortening

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup chicken broth

In six-quart Dutch over or large saucepan with lid, heat oil over medium high heat; add onion, carrots and celery. Cook and stir until carrots are tender. Stir in cooked chicken. In medium bowl, using pastry blender or two knives, cut shortening into very small pieces to evenly distribute into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in parsley. Add 1/2 cup broth; stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls over simmering broth. Cover and cook over medium low heat 10 to 15 minutes or until dumplings are firm. Six to eight servings.

Tomato Vegetable Stew with Cheddar Cheese Dumplings Stew

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth

2 cups frozen Italian green beans

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1/4 tsp. pepper

Dumplings

1-1/2 cup Martha White Self-Rising Flour

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

2/3 cup milk

In six-quart Dutch over or large saucepan with lid, heat oil over medium high heat; add onion and celery. Cook and stir until celery is tender. Add remaining stew ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until beans are tender. In medium bowl, combine flour and mustard. With pastry blender or two knives, cut shortening into very small pieces to evenly distribute into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese. Add milk; stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls over simmering stew. Cover and cook over medium low heat 10 to 15 minutes or until dumplings are firm.

Smoky White Bean Stew with Corn Meal Dumplings Stew

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth

2 cups water

2 cups cabbage, coarsely shredded

1 (15.8 oz.) can great northern beans, undrained

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. pepper

1 bay leaf

Dumplings

1 cup Martha White Self-Rising Flour

1/2 cup Martha White Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix

1/4 cup shortening

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

2/3 cup milk

In six-quart Dutch over or large saucepan with lid, heat oil over medium high heat; add onion and carrots. Cook and stir until carrots are tender. Stir in sausage; cook until lightly browned. Add remaining stew ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Remove and discard bay leaf. In medium bowl, combine flour and corn meal. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut shortening into very small pieces to evenly distribute into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in parsley and pepper. Add milk; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls over simmering stew. Cover and cook over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes or until dumplings are firm. Six to eight servings.

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