Food - Recipe for Sandy

This is a very tasty stew - surprising (to me, at least, because it's not spicy) but nutritious and delicious. You can freeze this, and I would recommend that you do, because it makes an enormous quantity. Put it in four-serving size containers and it should last for a month or so. You can use leftover cooked rice, pasta, or any other grain.

Chicken Vegetable Stew

1 stewing hen, cut up
2 onions
1 bunch celery
8 carrots
8 parsnips
2 large leeks
4 tomatoes
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch dill
4 cloves
4 large cloves garlic
2 cups brown rice (or whole wheat pasta)
1 cup dried beans
10-12 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. Drain, rinse, and pick out any stones. Wash the chicken. Halve (but do not peel) the onions. Smash the garlic (do not peel) in a mortar, or with the side of a knife blade. Cut 6 stalks of celery, 4 carrots, 2-3 parsnips, 2 tomatoes, in large chunks. Cover the chicken and the cut vegetables with water, add cloves, 4 sprigs of parsley and 4 sprigs of dill, and the smashed, but unpeeled garlic, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for approximately 1 hour, skimming off any foam. Make sure that the water covers the other ingredients, adding water as needed. When the chicken is done, turn off the heat, take the chicken out of the pot and let cool. Remove the skin, and shred the meat. Strain the broth. Save the bones and vegetables for stock, if you wish, or discard them. Refrigerate the broth overnight, then skim any fat off.

Cut off the green part of the leeks and discard. Wash the remaining white part thoroughly, soaking if necessary to remove sand. Chop the remaining vegetables (carrots, parsnips, celery, tomato and leeks) in bite-size pieces, and mince the parsley and dill. Place the strained chicken broth in a soup pot and add beans, vegetables, and rice (if using pasta, add right before cooking time, i.e., 6 min). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook about 45 minutes or till vegetables are tender. Add shredded chicken and herbs, stir, then add coarsely crushed pepper and salt to taste. Stir, and serve. If using precooked rice or pasta, add with the cooked chicken.

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