Talking SCHOP! New Ragu For You

This week’s “thank you” goes to you, our readers, just for being you right now, in this moment. Continue to stay present and to know your personal power. Wield it when needed, refine it when you do not.

You must try that vegetable rosti trick from last week’s Talking SCHOP! Use those vegetables in a warm salad, over pasta, as a sandwich condiment or just a side dish for a weekly dinner. It is sure to become your go-to inactive cooking recipe.

The second cooking tip I mentioned comes from a client favorite for chicken white bean ragu. It is like making a crust-less chicken pot pie with all of the feels and a little less guilt.

Total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, rinsed, pat dry

1.5 tablespoons poultry seasoning

1.5 tablespoons adobo seasoning

Freshly cracked black pepper

4 fresh thyme sprigs, stripped and roughly chopped

2 fresh rosemary sprigs, stripped and roughly chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pint sliced mushrooms

4 stalks celery, chopped into ½ inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped into ½ inch pieces

5 medium carrots, chopped into ½ inch pieces

Kosher salt

3 teaspoons chicken bouillon base

3 cloves garlic, smashed, roughly chopped

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, with liquid

2 cups water, or more as needed

2 medium bay leaves to season the chicken,

Instructions:

Heat a large, 14-inch, non-stick pan over a medium flame. Add remaining olive oil and butter. Once melted, add mushrooms and stir to coat and spread them out in a single layer. Let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. They will release their liquid before they begin to brown.

Once the mushrooms are brown, add celery, onions and carrots. These three aromatics together are known in cooking as the mirepoix. Season them with a healthy pinch of salt. Sauté for 8 minutes.

To the pan, add bouillon and garlic. Stir to combine and add prepared seasoned chicken thighs. Stir to combine all ingredients, spread out to an even layer and let cook for 6 minutes or until the edges of the chicken become opaque. Stir and spread out to an even layer again and let cook for another 6 minutes.

To the pan, stir in beans and their liquid. As needed, add water to rise to half way up the height of the ingredients. This is known in cooking as braising. Submerge bay leaves into the liquid.

Bring pan to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Should there be too much liquid for your taste, simply remove the lid in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Serve over egg noodles or rice or with fresh biscuits.

Stay safe, wear a mask, eat well and thanks for reading!

Kysha Harris is a food writer and editor, culinary producer, consultant and owner of SCHOP!, a personalized food service in NYC for over 15 years. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @SCHOPgirl, on Facebook, /SCHOPnyc, and her blog, www.talkingSCHOP.wordpress.com. Questions? Comments? Requests? Feedback? Invitations! Email AmNewsFOOD at AmNewsFOOD@SCHOPnyc.com. Follow on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @NYAmNewsFOOD and tag us with #SoAmNewsFOOD with your food finds!