Cooking challenge... apples, chicken, prunes, sauerkraut, and kale. ??

dawnnys

Well-known member
Go!

I have this miss-mash of items that never seem to get used. I've had this craving for and apple/sauerkraut combination ever since learning that the latter has a lot of antioxidants in it and is really good for you.

 
Hard cider questions? Where do you buy this and what makes it"hard"??

And what is "dry" vs any other kind of hard cider? would it be in the beer and wine section or do I need to go to the liquor store?

 
I love this old and simple French Casserole Chicken with the combination of apples and tarragon.

I'm a big fan of French tarragon.

French Casserole Chicken

from the Joy of Cooking

wonderful. I also add parsleyed dumplings. All in one pot.


5 lb. Of fowl, disjointed (I make this proportion using only 4 legs/thighs)

Sear the pieces in 1/4 c. butter. I pepper them at this time too, although the recipe omits pepper entirely.

Add:
1/4 c. dry white wine. (I add more of course)

Remove chicken from the pot. Place in the pot:
2 pared, cored, sliced tart apples (use firm ones)
5 chopped clery ribs with leaves (one recipe in which celery cannot be omitted)
1 minced onion
3 sprigs parsley
½ t. salt
1/4 t. paprika

cover and cook gently until tender. Stir in:
2 ½ .t flour
2 c. chicken stock

Cook and stir the sauce until it boils. Add the chicken. (At this point, I also add parsleyed dumplings). Cover and simmer until it is tender, about an hour.

Remove chicken to a hot ovenproof serving dish. Strain the sauce (why? the ingredients are wonderful to eat as is. I don't strain).

Warm over hot water and add to the sauce:

1/3 c. sour cream (I use more, my hips love it)

Correct the seasonings.

Ad 1 T. fresh tarragon (or basil) I always make this when my tarragon is in the garden

Pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle generously with:
Parmesan cheese
(I omit this last step entirely): Place under a broiler until cheese is bubbly.

 
"Hard" means fermented, or containing alcohol. I've only ever seen "dry" but perhaps there is a

sweeter version. I get it at Trader Joe's (sorry) but I've seen it in well-stocked supermarkets. I believe the brand name is "Blackthorn" or something with a "thorn" in it.

 
Not T&T, but their are a few kale soup recipes on the net. I always enjoy the flavor / texture of

adding apples to the vegie soups. Just never made a Kale soup.

 
Joe, since I don't make anything on a weekday that I can't pronouce ;o), since I didn't have

(make that weekNIGHT)

some of the ingredients, I tweaked it a little bit - I always tweak, never could follow directions. Half and half for the crème fraîche, omitted the liquor and butter, etc., and also put it in the crockpot... er, I mean the "mijoteuse". :eek:) Thanks for directing me to your recipe. It smells delicious!

And by coincidence, it ended up like what Marg had suggested, with tarragon (before I saw her post).

Thanks also to Ang and BarbB. I'm sauteing the kale with bacon. There goes the healthy.

 
I have never had Kale, at least that I am aware of.... Just a lil known fact about barb! : )

Let me know if you like it!

 
It came out very good... just the right amount of sweetness with tanginess

Now if I can remember what I did...

1/2 cup sauerkraut
4 apples, peeled and cut up into chunks
8-10 prunes, diced (gave a really nice earthy flavor)
2 chicken breasts, pounded
1/2 onion, diced
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried tarragon (which I couldn't taste at all, so I'd probably omit next time)
1/4 cup half and half, with 1 T flour mixed in
(salt and) black pepper to taste

In crockpot, layer sauerkraut, apples, prunes, and chicken. Top with onion, lemon juice, cinnamon, tarragon, and half and half/flour mixture.

I didn't use salt, but did sprinkle a little black pepper on top. Let cook on high until chicken is done, about 4 hours. Halfway through, I mixed with a large spoon to make sure everything got cooked.

Serve over rice; a little cream cheese on top really added a nice flavor. No leftovers!

 
I like steamed kale, but last night's (sauteed) was a little tough

Next time, steamed. It's a strong taste, which I had forgotten about, but not a bad taste. I imagine it would be good in a soup because there would be so many other flavors in there with it.

 
Very clever! I love when you can come up w/ creative uses up the fridge stuff and not waste food

Sounds like a great recipe! How was the Kale?

 
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