LONG WEEKEND WARMERS
An easy stew and a "presidential" hot toddy to warm you up!
My fellow Americans, ‘tis President’s Day Weekend, and if you’re not too busy buying a new mattress, we’ve got some unbelievably delish recipes for you to try!
Programming note: No newsletter next week… But we want to know what you’d like to see from us in March and beyond. Let us know by clicking the button below and leaving in the comments.
COZY UP FOR A LONG WEEKEND… WITH A CHERRY HOT TODDY!
EK: How about a little history in honor of President’s day? I am putting on my whiskey nerd hat for the holiday :)
AU: I love herstory! Especially when it involves men in wigs (and whiskey).
EK: It wasn’t just the cherry tree that George Washington has become famous for—read about the myth that created that “I cannot tell a lie…” fable.
It’s also well known that our first president loved to take a drink, in moderation…But did you know that he also made whiskey at Mount Vernon, his home in Virginia, just outside D.C.?
Washington was always looking for “enterprises” that would earn him extra income and he was intrigued by the potential of a distillery—sounds like a lot of craft whiskey makers all over the U.S.A. today!
It wasn’t as far-fetched an idea as it sounds because his Scottish Farm manager, James Anderson, had experience distilling grain in both Scotland and Virginia. The existing crops at Mount Vernon, abundant water, and the large gristmill that was already on the farm made it an ideal place to start a distillery. In short order, it was constructed in 1797 as one of the largest distilleries in the nation. You can read more about it here.
Whiskey was not aged back then; it was barreled and sold and as thus was immediately profitable. Records show that the distillery was in the black, and that Washington paid taxes on his profits.
George Washington died in 1799, but the distillery continued until the building burned down in 1814. And that was the lifespan of the distillery until the Mount Vernon Ladies Association took it upon themselves to excavate the property and found the site of the original distillery. Although the building was no longer, detailed records of the operation were in Washington’s writings. Using these records as a guideline, the distillery was rebuilt and opened in 2007. Thank you Ladies!
I’ve visited twice since it opened and it is well worth a visit if you are in the D.C. area. Today the distillery makes rye whiskey—using Washington’s original recipe, apple brandy and peach brandy and if you visit, you can take home a bottle or buy online. They also have a rare house-made rum, and as only 330 bottles were made, this would make a great gift for your favorite American history buff.
AU: That is fascinating stuff! Who knew so much history was in a bottle of booze?
NOW LET’S MAKE A DRINK…
EK: This winter I have become obsessed with the Hot Toddy and discovered that by using herbal teas, I can make a hot toddy in a myriad of flavors that satisfy my mood. In honor of President’s Day and Washington’s infamous cherry tree, I’ve made a “medicinal” Cherry Hot Toddy with Uncle Nearest whiskey. If you like this drink, check out more variations in my article for Forbes
EK: Uncle Nearest is also an historic whiskey. Uncle Nearest is a new brand of Tennessee whiskey that was launched in 2017 and is distilled in honor of the enslaved man named Nathan “Nearest” Green who taught Jack Daniels how to make whiskey. It is a very smooth sipping whiskey and I personally like it better than JD.
Uncle Nearest still has lots of family in the Lynchburg, TN, area and the master blender is his great-great-granddaughter, Victoria Eady Butler. You can read more of the story and a bit about Fawn Weaver, the real estate investor and author who researched the story and has created this new spirit. Incidentally, it was the most awarded American bourbon or whiskey in both 2019 and 2020—quite an accomplishment for a brand that is 5 years old.
I love the history and the stories behind the bottle, but buy it because it is a great drink. I like to sip it, and it also melds into my cherry herbal tea in this toddy as if they were made for each other!
Cherry Hot Toddy
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients:
1 cup hot water
1 Rosehip, Hibiscus & Cherry or other favorite cherry tea bag
1 tablespoon honey
1-2 ounces Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey
Method:
Make tea in your favorite mug by pouring boiling water over tea bag.
Let steep 5 minutes. Add honey and whiskey and stir to combine.
Enjoy it while it's hot!
WHAT’S 4 DINNER?: THE BEST AND EASIEST CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS!!
AU: Alright, Imma level with you. This is SO good. You may look at this brownish bowl and say, “Eh. Not interested.” Trust me, you are. Or you should be! This is a rich chicken stew that’s incredibly savory, and yet still light and bright with flavor. Even if dumplings aren’t your thing, make the stew by itself!
EK: Or you could make the stew and add cooked gnocchi to your bowl...
AU: Genius! Or even simple egg noodles would be great. Like most things that are worth doing well… this recipe does have a few ingredients, but I’ve streamlined the entire process, so it’s easier than other Chicken & Dumpling recipes. Not that it’s a competition (but can I still win?).
First—the vegetables are easy by design. I bought pre-sliced mushrooms, and I’m not doing any fussy knife work with rest—everything can just be roughly chopped. I didn’t even peel the carrots (just give ‘em a good scrub!). Elizabeth and I are big nerds, because we called each other recently to talk about what a huge difference mushrooms make in a chicken soup/stew. If you are mushroom-averse (who hurt you?), you can skip them, and instead substitute a teaspoon or two of soy sauce, tamari, or Maggi Seasoning. Add some frozen peas and plenty of lemon at the end, and I swear it will remind you that Spring is near.
Second—the chicken. Traditional recipes will have you use bone-in, skin-on pieces that you dredge in flour, brown, and then braise. Not here, folks. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. And we’re not searing them. A little tip I picked up from producing some Jamie Oliver cooking segments on GMA (he was promoting his ABC show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution at the time): You don’t have to sear meat before making any stew. Just combine some flour, spices, and herbs with the diced chicken thighs in a resealable bag and shake! The flour will thicken the stew and the chicken will be tender enough to cut with a spoon.
Third—the dumplings. I grew up eating chicken & dumplings, and often times the dumplings were dense, heavy, and could sink an ocean liner. This was probably because I was ordering them at a home-cookin’-style chain restaurant called The Black-Eyed Pea.
But the dumplings in this stew are light, airy, and fluffy, with a slight chew. Little chive-studded pillows from heaven are easy to achieve!
Mix the dry ingredients and chives together, then whisk an egg into your dairy of choice (I used whole milk, but you can also use yogurt or buttermilk), pour the wet into the dry, and just barely mix. When there are a few streaks of flour still remaining, pour in the melted butter
The resulting dough should be very light, and almost spongey looking…
Then either use two spoons or a cookie scoop to drop tablespoon-sized dumplings into the simmering stew to cook.
Once cooked, the dumplings become gorgeously light and airy inside, but still have a nice bite to them…
Chicken & Dumplings
Few things are as comforting as a big bowl of chicken soup. But the one thing that is more comforting? Chicken & Dumplings! My version doesn’t require any searing or shredding of the chicken, and the dumplings are light, fluffy, and studded with chives (unlike the lead balloons you may have had before). No need to chop things too perfectly here; this is a rustic stew.
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken Stew:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces cremini or shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1” pieces
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried herbes de provence (or other herb blend)
2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
4 ribs of celery, sliced ¼” thick
2 large carrots, diced ¼”
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1-2 sprigs each: fresh thyme, rosemary, sage (tied together with kitchen twine)
1 cup frozen peas
1 lemon
⅓ cup finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
Dumplings:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¾ cup whole milk, yogurt (not greek), or buttermilk
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup finely chopped chives
METHOD:
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a 5-quart dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Once oil is shimmering and butter has stopped foaming, add mushrooms. Give them a quick stir to coat in fat, and let cook undisturbed until deeply browned and crispy on one side, about 4 minutes. Stir mushrooms and continue to cook for another 2 minutes (you can stir occasionally). Remove mushrooms from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
While mushrooms brown, add cubed chicken to a resealable bag. Sprinkle in flour, paprika, herbes de provence, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Seal bag, and shake to coat chicken pieces evenly. Set aside.
Once mushrooms have been removed from the dutch oven, sauté the other vegetables: Make sure you have about 3 tablespoons of fat left in the pan. Add onions, garlic, carrots, and celery and a big pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions become translucent and start to brown at the edges, about 8-10 minutes.
Add the contents of the resealable bag (the chicken and flour mixture) to the pan, and stir to combine. Let flour-coated chicken cook for a few minutes, then add white wine to deglaze. Let the wine simmer vigorously until reduced by half. Use this time to really scrape up any fond on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add chicken stock, and zest the lemon into the pot. Tie rosemary, sage, thyme together with kitchen twine, and nestle into the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let cook for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the dumplings: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and chives—stir ‘til evenly distributed. In a measuring cup, whisk egg and dairy (milk, yogurt, or buttermilk) with a fork. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until a few flour streaks remain. Then add melted butter and mix until everything is just combined (do not overmix).
Remove the herb bundle (for easy serving) from the soup, then drop tablespoon-size dollops of dough into the simmering stew, using either a small spring-loaded cookie scoop, or two spoons. Distribute dumplings around the entire surface of the stew, trying to give them space (they will expand!). It’s okay if some are touching. Cover pot and cook for 18-22 on a low simmer.
After 18-22 minutes, remove a dumpling from the pot and cut it in half to see if it’s cooked through. The interior should be light and fluffy with some air bubbles. If you see any dry or dense spots, cover the pot and continue cooking for about 5 minutes more. Once dumplings are cooked through, stir in frozen peas, cooked mushrooms, parsley, and the juice of the zested lemon. Check stew for seasoning, and adjust if necessary. Spoon into bowls, top with additional parsley, and enjoy!
That’s it for this week. As always, if you make our recipes, tag us on the ‘gram (@kitchensitch & @elizabethkarmel), and use the hashtag #whats4dinner. Happy cooking!!
Programming note: No newsletter next week… But we want to know what you’d like to see from us in March and beyond. Let us know by clicking the button below and leaving in the comments.