Chicken Barley Stew

This recipe is from Clean Eating Magazine, September/October 2009. This was part pantry-cleanout, part convenience (our running group meets on Tuesdays, so it's nice to have dinner ready when we get home), and part cooking-rut buster. As such, it met every expectation. And it tasted good, too. :)

Chicken Barley Stew (serves 8)

32 oz low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth (I used four packets Trader Joe's stock concentrate)

8 oz water

1 tbsp garlic, minced (I used about 3 cloves)

1 tsp garlic sea salt (I used regular sea salt)

1/2 tbsp thyme (I used 1/2 tsp dried)

1/2 tbsp basil (again, 1/2 tsp dried)

1/2 tbsp cilantro (left it out)

1/4 tbsp dill (I used 1/4 tsp dried)

2 bay leaves

1/2 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed (uncooked)

1/2 cup uncooked black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked through

1/2 cup barley

1 medium sweet onion, cubed (I diced it)

20 oz potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used two large ones and did not peel)

10 oz carrots (3 large), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices

8 tbsp low-fat sour cream (optional)

Fill a slow cooker with broth, 8 oz water, garlic, herbs, and pepper. Add chicken, peas, and barley, then layer onion, potatoes, and carrots overtop. Liquid should just cover vegetables. Do not stir. Allow to simmer overnight or at least 4-6 hours. Remove bay leaves and stir before serving. Spoon 1 cup into each bowl and top with 1 tbsp sour cream, if desired.

Review: Too much pepper! I will decrease it by about half next time, and bump up the amount of dill. The H said he couldn't even taste the dill, but definitely noticed the pepper. This stew had a very rich, buttery texture. The H said it tasted like it could be the appetizer course of a big holiday-type meal. I would never make this thoroughly-autumnal recipe in the spring or summer, but it was perfect for mid-October. It may even make an appearance on our Thanksgiving table.

I loved the simplicity of the slow cooker for this recipe. It was a far cry from the chicken-rice-and-beans we've been doing in the CrockPot lately. I'm experimenting with freezing a single portion since it makes quite a lot; if it works, this would be great to have on hand for work lunches. Even the baby (who is walking! So I guess he's a toddler now) ate his entire bowlful, carrots and everything. The dog couldn't wait to lick the high chair. If you have this issue of the magazine, please note that my stew looked just like the one in the picture. Overall, a success all around.

Squashy success

My first attempt at cooking spaghetti squash can now be classified a success! It wasn't write-home-to-Mom amazing, but it was pleasant and surprised both me and The H. I love that it was a bit "al dente" and not a mushy, pasty mass like most autumn squashes I've had in the past. Its color was a rich golden that reminded me of a hay bale. There was no need to slather this squash with butter and brown sugar and slam it down before it got cold, as I did so often during my childhood. I did, however, use those very seasonings (well, SmartBalance "butter"), just less of them. The H even took more than one serving, which I have not seen him do with any cooked vegetable other than green beans.

The rest of dinner was a delicious accompaniment; I laid balsamic-marinated chicken breasts on top of the squash and served a completely from-scratch (as in, not even a recipe) spinach-barley risotto that I am most proud of. That is the recipe I'm going to share, since it's my very own and I am so pleased with how it turned out. Measurements are approximate, as that is how I cook, so adjust to your own tastes.

Spinach Barley Risotto - serves 4 - approx. 45min cooking time

Oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup quick-cooking barley

4 cups broth or stock (I might use some wine next time)

4 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1 large chard leaf, chopped

Lemon zest

Lemon juice, optional

Salt and pepper to taste

Add 1-2 Tbsp oil to a deep pot (I used my pressure cooker without the lid) and saute the garlic until fragrant. Add the barley and toast, stirring often, until slightly brown. Add a bit more oil if the barley starts sticking to the bottom of the pan. Slowly add about 1 cup of the broth and stir; season with salt and pepper. Stir almost continuously. Let the mixture bubble over med-high heat until most of the broth is absorbed. Add another cup of broth and repeat. Don't forget to keep stirring! Repeat until all broth is used, adding the chopped greens with the last addition of broth. Add zest and/or juice and more salt and pepper just before serving.

This came out creamy and flavorful; I could not have done better if I'd had a family recipe staring me in the face. The addition of the chard was a last-minute inspiration when I was in the fridge for the lemon; we are going out of town again soon and I want to use as much of our fresh produce as possible before then. The chard was so buttery when we had it with eggs last week, I thought it might contribute to the creaminess of this dish. I was not disappointed! This risotto was the only portion of our fantastic fall dinner that the baby would even consider swallowing. He was eating it by the fistful. I'd consider that a good review, wouldn't you?

Now *this* is fall!

The weather here today is nothing short of blustery. Tree-whipping, raindrop-slinging, shutter-shaking blustery. And I love it. This weather inspires a menu based around comfort foods. So long, cold salads. See you next year, outdoor grill. Bring on the CrockPots and roasting pans! To be fair, I do use my slow cookers year-round, but nothing says "fall" quite like a big simmering crock of chili and a pan of cornbread in the oven (too bad I made that last week, when the cooling temps suddenly jumped to 80 and humid...)

In keeping with my newest endeavor of local clean-eating whenever possible (it only seemed a natural progression) I picked up a few new things at the farmers' market last week. Selfishly, it's nice to see the crowds starting to thin (much easier to push a stroller and keep track of a sticky-fingered small boy while juggling my bags), though I know that means people aren't supporting the local farmers as much as they do the summer. I don't want to be just another fair-weather supporter, so I'm currently trying to get The H to let us join the local co-op.

Anyway, one of our latest pleasures has been enjoying palm-frond sized leaves of chard as a "nest" for farm-fresh eggs. I first tasted chard at our anniversary dinner a few weeks ago at a local-food restaurant, and I loved it. Amazingly, it was not hard to reproduce that great flavor and buttery texture at home. I love the guy who sold me the chard; he has consistently given me great advice regarding how to prepare his produce (he's the one who gave me sorrel for free a few months ago, simply because it would complement the dinner I told him I was planning) and the portions he sells are a remarkable value. The eggs, from another local farm, were a wonderfully creamy addition.

Tonight I will attempt to cook a market-bought spaghetti squash to go with our balsamic-marinated roasted chicken breast. This was supposed to be last night's dinner, but a too-long trip to the grocery store necessitated other plans. It's just as well; the howling weather outside much more perfectly matches the fall feel of this meal. I'm planning to stir up a spinach-barley risotto for another side. And tomorrow, it's off to the market again to get more eggs and whatever other treasures are there.