Clucking Lovely Chicken Stew

Tempted by the rustic photograph and chilled by the bitter winter winds outside I decided to make Dahl's Chicken Stew with Green Olives. The stew seemed a little different from the traditional recipes that I was accustomed to. The ingredients were light and Mediterranean in style thus formulating a summery stew, maybe not as warming as I had wished for a meal on a cold day, but even still the recipe was appetizing and a little intriguing.

So after banishing everyone from the kitchen and claiming it as my own territory I began...

First I heated the cauldron sized pot on the hob, adding a touch of olive oil. When the oil was to a sizzling temperature I dropped in the fresh chicken breasts; with a hiss they started to fry. I wanted the chicken breasts to go golden, so I left them to brown for a while. I had to be careful though, because with the attention span of a goldfish I have the high probability of leaving food to burn. However, much to my own criticism the chicken cooked successfully and even with my cat consistently meowing and glaring at my feet, drawn by the strong aroma arising from the hob, the chicken was complete and in one piece ready for the next stage of the recipe.

After removing the chicken and placing the pieces on a plate to cool far out of the reach of my cats licking lips, I chopped and prepped the fennel and garlic. I then tossed the fragrant veg into the still hot pot. The smell from the frying vegetables was instant and really set my tummy rumbling. After the fennel and garlic had been frying for a time, I added a large cup of white wine, along with a tin of chopped tomatoes. As the cauldron had now got to an astronomical heat I moved the pot to another section of the hob, switching the heat to a lower temperature to allow the ingredients to simmer. After a quick cup of tea and little dance around the kitchen I added the chicken, popped the lid on and let time and heat do its job.

The stew couldn't have been easier to make. It was a simple task of chucking in the correct ingredients at the correct time, and leaving the concoction to bubble on a very low heat for a very long time. When my parents got home from work, I made a fluffy white rice to accompany the stew, added olives and basil and served my meal with the remaining white wine. Apart from the minor error of using stoned olives instead of pitted, the dinner was a hit. The rice made the stew more suitable for a winter's day and the crusty white bread I had bought  (definitely not made, I'm not that good!) soaked up the sauce... and the two bottles of wine!

Once again, Dahl's recipe had been easy to follow and the discourse informal, chatty and friendly. I don't know what all the fuss is about this cooking malark...it's easy *wink wink*.