We’re having a heatwave.
A tropical heatwave.
The temperature’s rising,
It isn’t surprising,
We’re having a heatwave.
Okay, I changed the last line…
It is really hard to be motivated to cook in this heat right now, but I am trying to make things that I can either make ahead of time or make something that doesn’t require me to be in the kitchen for too long. This pasta dish looks time consuming, but you can make the chicken stock ahead of time and freeze it.
Hope everyone is staying cool and enjoying the last dog days of summer. It is time to start planning for the holidays and I will be posting some Rosh Hashana ideas in the coming days and weeks.
Chicken with Pasta
by Dr. Eli Landau and Haim Cohen
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 bundle of herbs 10 sprigs parsley, 10 sprigs dill, 2 bay leaves, 5 sprigs thyme
- 2 carrots 1 chopped and 1 whole
- 2 onions 1 chopped and 1 whole
- 5 black pepper corns
- 3 juniper berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Flour for dredging
- Olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon of rosemary chopped
- 2 sage leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon thyme chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 1 kg penne rigatoni, gemelli or other short hollow pasta
Instructions
For the stock:
-
Remove the wings and necks from the chicken and place in a medium size pot with the herbs, the whole carrot and the onion, black pepper corns, juniper berries and bay leaves. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for an hour and a half. Discard the vegetables and herbs, and set aside the chicken pieces. Dissolve the tomato paste in the stock and set stock aside.
For the chicken:
-
Remove the fat that is on the inside of the chicken cavity and chop it coarsely. Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken into eight pieces, dredge them lightly into flour, and set aside. Put a half a cup of olive oil and the chopped chicken fat in a large dutch oven or deep frying pan with a cover on medium-high heat. When the chicken fat begins to dissolve, place the chicken pieces in the pot, in small batches, and brown on all sides. Set the chicken aside.
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Put the chopped vegetables (carrot, onion and garlic) in the pot and saute for three to four minutes. Add the chopped herbs (rosemary, sage and thyme) and continue stirring for two more minutes. Return the chicken pieces to the pot and stir. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot. When the wine evaporates, add enough chicken stock to cover, bring to a boil, lower the fire, season with a little salt and black pepper, stir once and simmer uncovered. Every so often, add a ladle of stock and stir. The cooking time will be an hour and a half to two hours, at the end of which the stock will be gone and the dish will be dense and nicely browned. Add the green peas at the very last minute and cook until heated through.
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Cook the pasta al dente in lightly salted water according to instructions on the package; drain. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl. Place the chicken with its sauce on top, stir gently and serve.
Funny, I’ve been starting all my posts lately with similar comments about the heat. It’s decimated the country’s vegetables, and I bet it’s had a similar impact on the country’s food blogs, too.
Hi Liz,
I think you are right. Fruit and vegetable prices have skyrocketed this summer and it has affected the things that I like to make. I didn’t get to enjoy eating the typical summer fruits this year, such as peaches and nectarines because they are so expensive.
Apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, and watermelons are all going to be higher in the coming weeks because they have been baking in the heat.