Report from the Twit Army Mess Hall - Chicken Stew, Cajun Style

Ingredients:

3 lbs of bone-in chicken parts (I use thighs & legs)
Kosher salt
3 tbl vegetable oil
1/2 c. flour
1 large celery rib, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
3 c. water or chicken broth (I use the broth, adds more flavor to the gravy)
1/4 tsp cayenne or cajun style seasoning (I use 1/8th of each again it adds more complexity to the gravy)
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preparation:

Wash & salt the chicken to taste. In a dutch oven (preferably cast iron) large enough to hold all the chicken, place 1/2 the oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Brown the chicken in batches (about 5 minutes per side) and place in a bowl to catch all the drippings. Add enough additional oil to the pot to make up about 1/4 cup of oil in total, add the flour and scrape, not stir, for about 15 minutes until the flour is the color of a milk chocolate candy bar. Add the vegetables and cook until the onion is soft but not browned scraping the pot occasionally (don't stir), about 8 minutes. Add the broth, or water, and bring to a boil. This will look really strange (the roux will look like curdled lumps sticking to everything at first) until it comes to a boil when the roux will melt into the broth, just have faith & keep stirring. Add the chicken, partially cover the pot & cook for about 30 minutes until the chicken is done. At this point you can take the pot off the heat and either refrigerate it until the next day or just let the pot keep it warm for up to 1 hour. Right before serving add the cayenne & other seasonings, reheat until just below the boiling point, add the green onions & serve over rice.

Serves 4.

Sanity returns and a Schedule Update

Now that the exam is over (at least until January 27th when I find out the results) I can relax somewhat and let things get back to normal. For now my schedule is:

1) Finish up an editorial review of a submitted article for a peer review journal I'm on the review board of (Due next week)

2) Party with the girl friends this Saturday at Where Victoria's Angels Stitch (wvas.net) in Clifton, NJ for our annual Metrostitchers' holiday party (Metrostitchers are a group of greater NY area needleart crafters, things like cross stitch, knitting, canvas work, etc. who also include designers). Good food, good friends, good stitching & a gift swap.

3) Lecture at a hospital in Medford, MA on emerging trends in nutritional support (my area of medical expertise). January 27th.

4) Head to New Orleans for the annual ASPEN meeting (American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition) January 29th thru Feb 4.

More to come as more things are scheduled