Grandma Lundbeck’s Chicken and Dumplings
This recipe is from my journal entry May 4th, 2009:
Maxine, Easter 2009
Bud, Easter 2009
Brendan and I enjoyed a fabulous dinner with Maxine and Bud last night. Grandma taught me how to make chicken and dumplings. She learned this from her mother as a little girl in Delight, Arkansas.
2 whole chickens trimmed and cut into parts
1.5 cups chopped celery
1 large chopped yellow onion
1 large bunch chopped fresh sage
1 medium bunch chopped fresh thyme
3 pinches cumin seed
Chicken stock (about 4 quarts)
Put above ingredients in a large pot and cover with stock until chicken is submerged with 1 inch over it. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a low simmer and cook covered for 1 hour. Take chicken out of the broth and keep covered and warm in an oven.
2 heaping tablespoons flour
1 cup half & half or whipping cream
Re-season broth with more sage, thyme and cumin seed. Add more chicken stock if needed. Broth should have an intense chicken, herb, and salt flavor. Bring to a boil and meanwhile take 1 pint of broth and briskly whisk in 2 large spoonfuls of all purpose flour. Add mixture to boiling broth to thicken. Add 1 cup cream.
¼ cup chopped flat leaf, Italian parsley
2 ¼ cup Bisquick mix (I’d love to find a substitute for Bisquick. My grandmother swears it’s the only thing that works and I’m happy to look the other way in the meantime.)
2/3 cup whole or 2% milk
Mix above ingredients until dough just comes together. Add chicken back to pot and bring to a simmer. Spoon equal sized dumpling dough directly into the pot, about the size of a rounded tablespoon. This should make 12 or more dumplings. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Then cook covered for another 10 minutes. Serve immediately in broth. Yields 6-8 servings.
Rustic Strada*
Strada’s greatest quality might be its roomy forgiveness when you toss the recipe aside and just play, throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. If you have enough eggs, bread, and cheese you can usually make strada without a trip to the store. I use all kinds of breads – I like slightly stale sourdough or a crusty baguette the best. The key is to let soft, moist bread sit out overnight or toast it lightly in the oven. Strada is one of my family’s favorites for breakfast or a side dish. It’s become a Christmas morning tradition.
Here’s what goes into every strada. I’ll be purposely vague on measurements here because the beauty of this recipe is the not following of it. If you can just remember the basics then you never need to pull out a measuring cup or spoon, and I think that’s fantastic.
1 loaf torn or sliced bread (about 2-3″ chunks – doesn’t need to be exact)
12 eggs
1 cup cream, milk, or buttermilk (again, go with the kitchen sink idea and use what you have on hand – waste not, want not)
8 ounces sliced, shredded or crumbled cheese (cheddar, goat, parmesan, etc.)
4-8 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
1-2 tablespoons mustard (dry ground, fresh stone ground, or dijon)
Heat (1 chopped jalapeno, 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or cayenne, tabasco, etc.)
A handful of fresh chopped herbs (thyme, sage, oregano, savory, parsley, marjoram, rosemary, chives…)
1 diced onion
Salt and pepper
As for the extras, you can use all sorts of vegetables, spices and meats: sausage, white wine, goat cheese, spinach… just think of your strada as an omelet or a quiche and throw in whatever you want. A recent strada I made that was awesome had:
1 head broccoli, chopped into small pieces
3 small sweet peppers, chopped into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 crimi mushrooms, sliced
Adding eggs to broccoli cheddar strada
To assemble:
Mix the eggs, milk, mustard, heat, salt, and pepper. Set aside. In a 9×13 inch baking dish (I like ceramic) or a 12" cast iron pan layer half the bread and drizzle with half the butter. Add half your toppings, spices and cheese. Then repeat bread, butter, toppings, spices, cheese using the remainder. Pour your eggs and milk mixture evenly over the strada. The liquid should come up at least 3/4 of the way to the top of your pan. If it doesn't, mix up a few more eggs and milk to add in. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
To cook:
Take the strada out of your fridge while your oven preheats to 350 degrees.
Bake uncovered for about 1 hour (sometimes it needs an extra 15 minutes or so). The top should be golden brown and when you cut into the middle the eggs should be set, but moist. Let it sit out for 20 minutes to settle before serving. Yields about 12 slices. The leftovers, if any, will be even more flavorful for your next meal.
Remember these three important tips: use fresh herbs, stale bread, and let the strada sit in the fridge for at least 6 hours (or overnight) before you cook it.
*Also spelled "strata" – I'm sticking with my mom's original recipe which reads "strada" because I’m Californian and like butchering pronunciations.
Links to More Recipe Posts:
Grilled Mushrooms
Lasagna
Miso Butterfish
Pickled Beets
Keep checking back for more recipes.
