Holding cooking classes has shown me a few ways that some people perceive what goes on in the kitchen and also how some interpret recipes. Some of the people I have had in my kitchen are very literal, if they don’t have say the bone in pork chop they only have boneless on hand; they just move on to another recipe. It asks for chicken breast and they only have thighs. Some the ingredients throw them off either they don’t know what it is or have it on hand so they just bypass it. I try to give them a little more in control of what they are making. I personally am not in love with mushrooms but I have been buying and using them more. They do add a lot of earthiness to some recipes. And one of the best beef gravy I have ever had was mushroom based; and I didn’t even make it.
My point is I would love people to feel more comfortable in their kitchens and I hope I help them out a little bit one class or blog at a time. I was chuckling to myself on my short commute (less than 10 minutes) home yesterday I must have considered about 8 meals I wanted to make. It could be the weather but I am pumped to get back in the kitchen versus grilling; I have 3 soups in mind, and I am going to throw one of the 4 meals I thought about in the crockpot for tomorrow so it is ready for when I get back from my day in Boston.
OK so I had to rush around this morning and wasn’t able to finish my blog, I do apologize and hope that you find this recipe yummy enough to make. My house smelled awesome and it tasted great to boot. I will be making this again! It asked for quick polenta; which I have never made and didn’t find at the store; I did find regular polenta and made that; again for the first time and I kind of liked it; it kind of reminded me of cream of wheat; so I guess if you didn’t like that growing up; you might not care of creamy polenta.
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, mixed
5 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1 2/2 tsp dried
1 TBS tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 anchovy fillet, I used anchovy paste cuz that’s what I have on hand
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 TBS all-purpose flour
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar – I used Honey Ginger Balsamic Vinegar; what I had on hand
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomato, drained – I used 28 ounce plum tomatoes again; what I had
1/2 chicken broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 bay leaves
12 bone in skinless chicken thighs
6 ounces swiss chard, stemmed and leaves sliced 1/2 inch thick
Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, thyme, tomato paste, garlic, anchovy, and red pepper flakes and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in vinegar, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps: cook until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes and transfer to slow cooker.
Stir tomatoes, broth, wine and bay leaves into slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place chicken into sauce. Cover and cook until chicken is tender 4 to 6 hours on low.
Gently stir in chard, cover and cook on high until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken
