Salt Spring (Sierra Nevada) Chicken

Friend Caz has recently been musing about clutter. The kind of clutter that occurs when you notice something you want to read or go back to in the newspaper or in a magazine, so you pick up it or tear it out and place in a handy pile beside the bed, or couch, until the time when you can sit down and read it properly. She suffers from this kind of clutter. I suffer from this kind of clutter. The pile seems to grow and grow and I never find that moment when I can sit down, read, and digest the contents. In fact, the only time the pile decreases is once every month or so when the clutter gets so overwhelming that I end up throwing it all in the recycle.  And so Caz got to wondering, if she scanned the articles instead of tearing them out would this reduce her clutter?  I would hazard a guess and say no, but then again I know Caz.  Chances are she may have less pieces of newspaper fluttering around her flat, but I’m sure she’ll find some other form of clutter to collect. For me though, this does seem to work ,at least a little. I’ll keep the articles nicely tucked away in a folder in my gmail so as not suffer email clutter of which I have something bordering on a phobia (ask my co-workers, my inbox is almost suspiciously empty), and then, when I’m looking for inspiration for the week I will trawl through and see if any of the headings take my fancy.  Some might be reread and used within days, whereas others will sit for a month or two until the time, or season is right.

This recipe lasted barely a week before it was brought out and into the menu, mainly because it was a stew and I’d started seeing the first daffodils and freesias poking their heads through the frost and was keen to fit in a few more winter warmers before the spring weather deemed them too hearty or heavy. I feel like I should change the title of it though as no Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was harmed in the making of our meal. Instead we kept things (almost) local and went with a Salt Spring Pale Ale so perhaps I should call it Salt Spring Chicken instead. The beer itself had an rather fruity quality (Wil likened it to wine), and was certainly an interesting bottle although not one I could drink all evening. I would certainly choose it again though, even if it was a little darker than I was expecting for a pale ale.  The method for the recipe was nice and easy to follow, and gave me time to get a few Sunday evening chores done while it bubbled away which is always handy. Quicker to prepare meals are great when you only have a few moments and you’re out the door, but when you have a long evening and several chores to attend to meals such as this one perfect.

It was also a good choice as it was relatively straightforward in terms of flavour, no crazy spices or exotic elements. Given that Wil was still in recovery mode from his stomach bug this week a nice chicken and vegetable stew was right up his alley, and it went down well, even if it did take him twice as long as usual to empty his bowl. I enjoyed it myself though I am more looking forward to the leftover portions we’ve got for lunch this week as dishes like this always taste better a day or so afterwards.

Caz was right when she said that this dish “sounded like noms” as it was pretty tasty.  It wasn’t earth shatteringly fantastic but well tasty and perfect on a cool Sunday evening.  If the weather’s cool where you are I’d recommend it, and get yourself a few extra ales for the side.

From An Appetite for Ale by Fiona and Will Beckett via The Times, thanks to Caz for cutting and scanning

3 tbsp sunflower oil or light olive oil

125g smoked bacon lardons

500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 big carrot, thinly sliced

2 sticks celery, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

¼ tsp dried thyme

1 level tbsp plain flour

300ml chicken stock

150ml Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and a little extra to finish the dish

300g new potatoes

125g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

A handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pan and brown the lardons lightly (3-4 minutes). Remove to a casserole using a slotted spoon, then lightly brown the chicken pieces. Transfer them to the casserole. Turn down the heat and add the chopped onion.  Cook until it starts to soften, about 3-4 minutes, then add the sliced carrot and celery and cook for a couple of minutes more.

Tip the vegetables into the casserole, stir, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes over a very low heat to amalgamate the flavours.  Add the crushed garlic and thyme, cook for a few seconds, then stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Add the chicken stock and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and bring up to boiling point. Turn the heat right down, re-cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.

Cut the new potatoes into even-sized chunks, add them to the casserole, stir well and continue to simmer until the potatoes are cooked (another 15-20 minutes), adding the mushrooms about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Splash in a little extra beer, season, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley and serve.