Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound sausage, such as kielbasa or andouille, sliced
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced OR 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 dashes hot sauce, optional (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, deveined
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• Lemon wedges

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the kielbasa and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside. Add the butter, onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno or cayenne, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya to steam for 15 minutes before serving.

Garnish with the scallions, parsley, and a dash of hot sauce, if desired. Serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings
Adapted from the Food Network

Balsamic-Dressed Roasted Beets

A simple sweet-and-sour dressing complements earthy roasted beets. Its bright flavors make this dish a fitting accompaniment for roasted meats.

• 3 medium beets (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 star anise
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Leave root and 1 inch of stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Wrap beets in foil. Bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool beets to room temperature. Peel and cut each beet into 8 wedges.

Combine juice, vinegar, sugar, and star anise in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half. Discard star anise. Combine beets, vinegar mixture, salt, and pepper; toss well.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Adapted from Cooking Light

Barley Casserole

• 4-5 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 cup pearl barley
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 cups beef or chicken broth

1. Melt the butter and sauté the onions and mushrooms until soft. Add the barley and brown it lightly. Pour into a buttered casserole. Before you pour the broth over the barley, taste the broth for seasoning. If it has enough, the casserole will need not additional salt or pepper.

2. Pour 1 cup of broth over the barley in the casserole and cover. Bake in a 350° oven for 25 to 30 minutes and then uncover and add the second cup of broth. Cover and continue cooking until the liquid is absorbed and the barley is done (i.e. soft and a little chewy), about another 30 minutes.

- serves 4 -

Adapted from The James Beard Cookbook by James Beard.

yummy celeriac, apple & fennel bake

• 1 large celeriac, sliced
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced
• 1 apple (sharp variety such as Granny Smith), sliced
• 180ml whipping or double cream
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 125g grated cheese (optional)

Serves: 4

1. Preheat oven to 190C/Gas mark 5 and steam the celeriac and fennel for 5 minutes to soften slightly.

2. Put a layer of celeriac into a buttered gratin dish and season. Then layer the apple slices over the top and sprinkle with salt. Next, spread a layer of fennel on top of the apple.

3. Repeat step 2 with the remaining celeriac, apple and fennel. Season and pour the cream over the bake.

4. Bake for about 35 minutes until soft. If adding cheese, finish the bake off under the grill until the cheese bubbles.

Recipe by Amy Brooks, a box customer from Reading. This 'yummy' bake was the winning recipe of our 2009 recipe competition held at the Field Kitchen in Devon.

Celeriac Gratin

• 1 medium celeriac, peeled and sliced
• 6 potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 leek or onion finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed with a teaspoon of salt
• brown bread crumbs, tossed with a drip of olive oil (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 carton double cream
• grated cheese
• freshly ground black pepper

Lay sliced potato and celeriac in a large flat dish, put a little of the salt garlic mix between each slice, pour over cream, grate cheese over and add black pepper.

For a change you can add the crispy topping - best made using onion, wholemeal or seeded bread for the crumbs whizzed in a blender.

Bake at 160 degrees C for a couple of hours under foil and then remove to crisp topping. If your in a hurry you can steam/boil celeriac and spuds first and bake for 1/2 hr in a hotter oven!

(Parsley to garnish)

Fesenjen Chicken (Chicken with Walnuts and Pomegranate)

• 2 lbs of chicken thighs (about 8), skin and excess fat removed (I bought them boneless and skinless and they were fine. )
• 3 cups of walnuts
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup of pomegranate molasses (I used about half of this)
• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds or dried barberries, for garnish

Put chicken thighs in 4-Quart Slow Cooker.

In a large skillet, toast the walnuts over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Transfer the walnuts to a food processor and finely chop them. Add the walnuts and bay leaf to the cookers. Pour in 1 2/3 cups water (I used chicken stock to compensate for the lack of bones) and cook, covered, on the low setting for 3 to 4 hours.

Using tongs, remove the chicken thighs to a board and put the meat off the bone in large chunks. Set aside.

Turn the cooker to the high setting. Stir the sugar and pomegranate molasses into the sauce and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour until the sauce is thickened. Return chicken to slow cooker and cook until heated through. (You can speed this up and get a thicker sauce by pouring the slow cooker juices, molasses and sugar into a large saucepan, bringing it all to a boil over high heat, boiling it for 25 minutes, then adding the chicken to heat through.) Discard the bay leaf. Serve hot, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.

Serves 4, Or 2 Big Eaters

Adapted from Secrets of Slow Cooking

Easier Chicken and Dumplings

STEW

• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed (about 1/2 tablespoon)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3/8 cup dry sherry
• 1/6 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 ounces frozen peas (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoon minced parsley

DUMPLINGS

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

1. FOR THE STEW: Bring broth to a simmer in Dutch oven over high heat. Add chicken and return to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent loosely with foil. Transfer broth to a large bowl.

2. Return empty Dutch oven to medium-high heat and melt butter. Add carrots, onion, and salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Stir in sherry, scraping up browned bits. Stir in reserved broth, cream, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until stew thickens, about 20 minutes.

3. FOR THE DUMPLINGS: Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in cream until incorporated (dough will be very thick and shaggy).

4. TO FINISH: Discard bay leaf and return stew to a rapid simmer. Shred reserved chicken and add to stew along with any accumulated juices, peas, and half the parsley. Shape dumplings by dividing into 9 equal pieces and rolling each into a ball. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve.

serves 3 to 4

adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Winter Vegetable Soup

• 4 slices bacon in 1-inch piece
• 4 tb unsalted butter
• 2 c diced leeks
• 1 1/2 c diced onions
• 1 c diced celery
• 1 1/2 ts dried tarragon
• 1/2 ts dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 5 c chicken stock (homemade preferred)
• 2 1/2 c diced potatoes
• 1 lb rinsed spinach 1/8 inch slivers
• 1 1/2 c sliced carrots*
• 1 1/2 c shredded cabbage*

1. In large soup pot, cook bacon till fat is rendered (5 min), remove & discard.

2. Add butter, then leeks, onion and celery. Cook over low heat till wilted (15 min). Season with tarragon, thyme salt & pepper. Stir well.

3. Add stock, potatoes & carrots. Simmer till tender but not mushy (15 min).

4. add half the spinach and the cabbage, simmer 1 minute.

5. Remove from heat. Puree half the soup in a food processor or blender & return to pot.

6. Simmer over low heat and add the remaining spinach and the cream. Heat well but don't boil. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Serving Size : 6

Recipe found in “The New Basics” cookbook Lulins/Rossi *ingredients added by me! Mark in NJ

Wheat Berry, Lentil, and Kielbasa Salad

I improvised this one. I liked it warm for dinner, but should work well at room temp for lunch. The orange flavor from the infused olive oil was especially nice. Next time try adding sections of orange for serving. Was not a hit with husband or toddler.

• 1 cup cooked green lentils
• 2 cups cooked wheat berries
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 bag baby spinach, chopped
• olive oil
• light or turkey kielbasa
• orange olive oil
• white balsamic vinegar
• feta cheese

Cook onion and carrots in olive oil until softened. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Add cooked lentils wheat berries to warm. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cook kielbasa until browned and warmed through. Combine all ingredients and dress with orange olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle feta cheese on for serving, if desired.

[To cook lentils: Place in slow cooker with water to cover by 1 inch. Cook on high setting for 2 hours. Drain and season to taste with salt.

To cook wheat berries: Place in slow cooker with water (1:4 ratio). Cook on high setting for 4 hours. Drain and season to taste with salt.]

Roasted Root Vegetables

• 1 medium head garlic
• 1 1/2 - 2 pounds root vegetables , peeled and cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion or 4 to 6 shallots, peeled
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, or vegetable or olive oil, or a combination
• Table salt and ground black pepper

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. If roasting garlic cloves in skins, simply break head into individual cloves. If you wish to roast cloves out of skins, put whole, unpeeled head in a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring water to boil, then simmer to soften cloves and loosen skins, about 10 minutes. Drain and refresh garlic head under cold water. Separate cloves and peel.

2. Put vegetables (excluding garlic) into a roasting pan large enough to hold them without crowding. Toss vegetables with butter and/or oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast, stirring or shaking vegetables every 15 minutes, until tender and evenly browned, 45 to 50 minutes. Add unpeeled garlic cloves during final 20 minutes; add peeled garlic during final 15 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper; taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot or at room temperature.

from Cooks Illustrated. Serves 4. Published January 1, 1994.

Rustic Cabbage Soup

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• a big pinch of salt
• 1/2 pound potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 5 cups stock (see head notes)
• 1 1/2 cups white beans, precooked or canned (drained & rinsed well)
• 1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
• more good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 5 minutes - it's o.k. to uncover to stir a couple times. Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for another minute or two. Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit. Now adjust the seasoning - getting the seasoning right is important or your soup will taste flat and uninteresting. Taste and add more salt if needed, the amount of salt you will need to add will depend on how salty your stock is (varying widely between brands, homemade, etc)...

Serve drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a generous dusting of cheese.

Serves 4.

from 101 Cookbooks

Notes: Made 9/08 with boxed chicken broth. A bit bland. Would benefit from better stock and some herbs. Be sure to cut the cabbage into fine ribbons. Makes way more than 4 servings.

Sweet Braised Winter Greens

J'nene Wade makes two versions of this cool-weather side dish - one with Swiss chard, dried sour cherries, and pecans and this one, with collard greens, raisins, and pine nuts.

• 2 pounds collard greens
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red onion (about 8 oz.) peeled, halved, and thinly slivered lengthwise
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• Salt and pepper

1. Rinse collard greens and tear leaves from center ribs; discard center ribs and stems.

2. Pour oil into a 12- to 14-inch frying pan over medium-high heat; when hot, add onion and garlic and stir frequently until onion is limp, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, raisins, pine nuts, and collard greens. Stir frequently until greens are slightly wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until greens are very wilted and tender to bite, about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste; serve at once.

Yield: Makes 6 side-dish servings

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 144(54% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 1.2g); PROTEIN 3.5g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; SODIUM 24mg; FIBER 4.2g; CARBOHYDRATE 16g

J'nene Wade, Sandpoint, Idaho , Sunset, NOVEMBER 2002

Italian Wedding Soup

• 3/4 lb Meatball Mix for Spaghetti and Meatballs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 3/4 cup chopped white onion
• 3/4 cup chopped carrot
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 small can whole tomatoes, drained and halved
• 1 can white beans
• 1 cup orzo
• 2 cups shredded kale or spinach
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

Prepare Meatball Mix according to recipe. With damp hands, shape into small balls. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrot, celery, salt and pepper and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, water and tomatoes. Cover and cook 10 minutes over medium heat or until soup comes to a boil.

Add meatballs, beans and orzo to the boiling soup and stir to make sure they are fully submerged. Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes over medium heat. Stir in kale or spinach. Test a meatball and a piece of orzo to ensure that they are fully cooked. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan, if desired.

Combined recipes from Food Network, Whole Foods, and Epicurious, 3/08.

Mushroom Barley Soup

Variation of Zingerman's Ann Arbor Mushroom and Barley Soup from Epicurious. I loved it -- not Peter's thing.

• 1 1/4 cups whole, hulled barley
• 1 oz. dried mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large or two small onions, thinly sliced
• 2 ribs celery with leaves, diced
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound fresh button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
• 2 quarts beef broth or water (Better Than Bouillion works fine)
• sour cream for garnish

1. Soak the barley in 6 cups water for several hours (I did 6 hours). Add more water if necessary and parcook for 45 minutes.

2. Soak the dried mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for a half hour. Strain through a filter. Reserve the water. Coarsely chop the dried mushrooms.

3. Melt the butter in a stockpot and sauté the onion, celery, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, carrot, garlic, and all the mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes.

4. Lower the heat and add the flour, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until thick.

5. Heat the broth or water. Add a cup of at a time to the mushroom mixture in the pot, stirring.

6. Turn the heat to high, and add the reserved mushroom water and barley. Stir well.

7. Simmer, covered, for about an hour or until the barley is tender and the soup is thickened, stirring often.

8. Add additional chopped parsley, mix thoroughly, and adjust seasonings.

9. Stir in a bit of sour cream at the table.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Pasta with Chicken Sausage, White Beans, and Spinach

Semi-improvised on 2/6/08:

• 1/2 box gemelli
• 4 chicken sausages, sundried tomato flavor, sliced on a diagonal
• olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 6-oz bag baby spinach
• 1 can cannelini, rinsed
• about 2 ounces part-skim low-moisture mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350. Put water on for pasta. Cook chicken sausage in grill pan. Saute onions in olive oil with a little salt. Add spinach in bunches and cook until wilted. Meanwhile, cook pasta to doneness. Combine all ingredients in large ovenproof skillet, adding pasta water as necessary (about 1/2 cup) to moisten and combine. Heat, uncovered, until cheese is melted.

Serves 2 1/2 people for dinner with two lunch-sized leftovers

NOTES: try Parmesan instead of mozzarella. Fresh basil would be a nice addition if you have it.

Lamb Stew with Spinach and Garbanzo Beans

• 1 1/4 pounds lamb shoulder or stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
• 1 cup canned chicken broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 tsp each of cumin, coriander, cinnamon
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1 10-ounce package ready-to-use spinach leaves

Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add lamb and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Add onion, carrots, and garlic and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garbanzo beans, broth, tomatoes, and lemon juice and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer gently until lamb is tender, about 1 hour.

Add spinach to stew. Cover and cook until spinach wilts, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season stew with salt and pepper. Serve over rice or couscous.

Mulled White Wine (Vin Cuit)

• 1/2 orange
• 1 bottle white wine
• 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 6 cloves

1. Cut an orange in half and slice it. Slice the slices in half.

2. Put the oranges, wine, cinnamon stick and cloves in a saucepan.

3. Place over medium heat and heat the wine just until it simmers around the edges.

4. Remove from the heat.Remove the cinnamon stick and the cloves.

5. To serve, place a couple of orange slices in each of 4 mugs. Fill with the wine and serve hot.

Refreshing Mulled White Wine

• A bottle of white wine
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 4 tbsp of clear honey
• A couple of slices of lemon

Heat the wine. Stir in the honey. Give the rosemary a bashing with a spoon to release the flavor, add to the saucepan with the thyme. Add a couple of slices of lemon and gently heat. Allow the herbs to infuse, without letting it boil.

Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf with Brown Sugar-Ketchup Glaze

Brown Sugar - Ketchup Glaze

• 1/2 cup ketchup or chili sauce
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons cider vinegar or white vinegar

Meatloaf

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped medium
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 cup whole milk or plain yogurt
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 2/3 cup Saltine crackers, crushed (about 16), or quick oatmeal, or 1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
• 6-8 ounces bacon, thin sliced (8 to 12 slices, depending on loaf shape)

1. For the glaze: Mix all ingredients in small saucepan; set aside.

2. For the meatloaf: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining ingredients.

3. Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, and milk or yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in large bowl along with crackers, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic; mix with fork until evenly blended and meat mixture does not stick to bowl. (If mixture sticks, add additional milk or yogurt, a couple tablespoons at a time until mix no longer sticks.)

4. Turn meat mixture onto work surface. With wet hands, pat mixture into approximately 9-by-5-inch loaf shape. Place on foil-lined (for easy cleanup) shallow baking pan. Brush with half the glaze, then arrange bacon slices, crosswise, over loaf, overlapping slightly and tucking only bacon tip ends under loaf.

5. Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees, about 1 hour. Cool at least 20 minutes. Simmer remaining glaze over medium heat until thickened slightly. Slice meat loaf and serve with extra glaze passed separately.

If you like, you can omit the bacon topping from the loaf. In this case, brush on half the glaze before baking and the other half during the last fifteen minutes of baking. If available at your supermarket in the meat case or by special order, you can use 2 pounds meatloaf mix in place of the ground beef, pork, and veal.

from Cooks Illustrated

Chicken Paprikash

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and fat
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, halved widthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, halved widthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 3 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14 1/2-ounce), drained
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees. Season both sides of chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add 4 chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook without moving them until skin is crisp and well-browned, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken pieces and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer; transfer to large plate. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs and transfer to plate; set aside. When chicken has cooled, remove and discard skin. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.

2. Add onion to fat in Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add red and green peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are browned and peppers are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons paprika, marjoram, and flour; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine, scraping pot bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits; stir in tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt. Add chicken pieces and accumulated juices, submerging them in vegetables; bring to a simmer, then cover and place pot in oven. Cook until chicken is no longer pink when cut into with paring knife, about 30 minutes. Remove pot from oven. (At this point, stew can be cooled to room temperature, transferred to an airtight container, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bring to simmer over medium-low heat before proceeding.)

3. Combine sour cream and remaining 1/2 tablespoon paprika in small bowl. Place chicken on individual plates. Stir a few tablespoons of hot sauce into sour cream, then stir mixture back into sauce in pot. Spoon enriched sauce and peppers over chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately over pasta.

from Cooks Illustrated

Yield: 4 servings