Chicken Story 3 - Spices and Chickpea

It being winter in my world also means influenza season is upon us. And unfortunately Mike was violently struck down last week. With the flu that is…

Which means one grumpy gay guy and another bitchy gay guy stuck in an apartment together, all day long. One is grumpy because he is sick; the other is bitchy because the grumpy one is getting on his nerves. And so the bitchy one just gets bitchier and bitchier. Get the picture. It’s a vicious circle. But, they love each other. Immensely.
The bitchy one decides to make a restorative chicken soup in the hope that the grumpy one will get better, and go back to work, leaving the bitchy one in peace. After five long and intense days, during which the bitchy one goes on several solitary shopping expeditions to escape the all prevailing grumpiness, the ailing grumpy one recovers and he returns to the workplace. The bitchy one is convinced the recovery had something to do with his delicious and magical broth. The grumpy one knows better, and pretends to agree. At last, all is well again…

I promise this to be the last installment of “The Chicken Trilogy”. There will be no “Revenge of the Supermarket Chicken”.

Spicy Chicken Broth with Chickpea Dumplings

Ingredients
For the broth:
1 kilo corn fed, free range, organic chicken wings
1 onion, peeled, cut into chunks
1 carrot, peeled, cut into chunks
1 celery stalk, cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, peeled but kept whole
Peppercorns- black and white
Cardamom pods
Cumin seeds
Fresh ginger, cut into slices
Saffron threads, a large pinch
Turmeric
Whole dried red chili
Sea salt
Fresh lime or lemon, juice and zest, finely chopped

For the dumplings:
I small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250g minced chicken
100g chickpea flour
All of the spices above

Method
Place all of the ingredient (except your chosen citrus) for the broth into a stockpot. I used about 5 grams of each spice, more or less. Find the balance you like. I also crushed the spices very lightly to release the aromas, with the mortar and pestle.
Cover with cold water. Bring just to the simmer, and cook very slowly for 2- 3 hours. I never boil my stock; I keep the temperature below a simmer. This keeps the stock crystal clear.

Strain when you are happy with the flavour and discard all the solids. You can season the broth with chicken stock cube instead of salt. There is nothing wrong at all with this practice- my grandmother does it, and so do restaurants I have worked in.
In the meantime, you can prepare the dumplings.Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil gently, for about 15 minutes to soften.

In a bowl mix together with a wooden spoon, the chicken, chickpea flour, the softened onion and garlic.

Add to the mixture, all of the same spices that went into the broth. Use only pinches of each one and make sure they are finely ground. Again find the balance you like. Season well with salt.

Roll them into small meatballs.

Poach them in simmering water for 15- 20 minutes or until cooked through. Drain them using a slotted spoon.
To serve: place the hot meatballs into a soup bowl, however many you like. Top with the boiling chicken broth. Sprinkle the citrus zest over each bowl and add a squeeze of the juice too. Delicious. Makes about 4 –6 serves.

Winter in Summer

Nigella Lawson likes to cook summery foods in her native homeland of England to banish the cold weather and cheer herself up. My disdain for summer weather has led me to do just as she does, here in Australia by cooking wintry food. It is only mid summer (and six long weeks to go) but I am dreaming of chunky minestrone, velvety chestnut soup, wild mushrooms, ragu and tagliatelle, roast pork, game birds, rich red wine stews and crème brulee..
Agrodolce is Italian for “sweet and sour” and far superior than the commercially available sauce that goes by the same name.

Polpettine di Vitello al Agrodolce



Ingredients
For the meatballs:
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 sprig of rosemary
2 tbsp extra virgin oil
500g veal mince
Fresh nutmeg
1 heaped tbsp salted capers, soaked in water, and very finely chopped
Fresh black pepper
Fresh white pepper
Sea salt
1 egg (free range of course)
1 tbsp of dried breadcumbs, mixed with a splash of milk

For the Agrodolce
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and whole
60 ml wine (red or white)
1 fresh bay leaf
60ml Balsamic vinegar (see note)
60ml water
1 tbsp sugar
Fresh chopped parsley

Method.
Begin by cooking the onion and the whole rosemary sprig in the oil, very gently until the onion is golden brown and beginning to break down. Take your time with this step. It should take about 30 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig - it is only there for fragrance. Add the onion to the veal and combine with all the other meatball ingredients. Season well. The only way you will know if you have the seasonings right is by tasting the mixture. If the idea of raw meat frightens you, then just cook a teaspoonful in a bit of oil. But I really could not be bothered with that, so I just taste it in its crude form. Shape into little meatballs.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan large enough to fit the meatballs comfortably and brown them well. Turn down the heat to low, splash in the wine, add the bay leaf and garlic and pop the lid on. Braise for 45 minutes. Check from time to time all is well and the pan isn’t burning. If the pan appears to be drying out, add some water.
Turn the heat to high, add the sugar and allow it to melt and caramelize. Throw in the balsamic and water and boil furiously until syrupy.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with lots of bread to soak up the dark and sexy sauce. Serves two.
Note- I would not use an expensive Balsamic vinegar (the type that costs $300).That would be a waste. An inexpensive one from the supermarket is fine for this dish.