Tuesday Try A New Taste – Chicken Barley Stew with Herbs & Irish Soda Bread

Chicken Barley Stew With Herbs
From University of North Carolina Recipes

Comment: This is originally an Anglo-Saxon recipe. The original calls for rabbit, but chicken is just as good.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 LB chicken breasts on the bone
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 LB leeks (3-4 large ones, 4-5 little ones) thickly cut. May substitute onions
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 6 oz barley
• 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 3/4 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tablespoon dried sage

In a large Dutch Oven, melt the butter, then fry the leeks and garlic in the butter. Add the chicken and brown. Add remaining ingredients, reserving the sage. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove chicken from pot and let cool. Remove meat from bones and add back to the pot. Add sage. Stir well and serve. Leftovers freeze well.
Serves 8.

Irish Soda Bread (Cuz stew needs biscuts!)
From The Website of Ireland

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour -- unbleached, enriched
• 1 1/2 cups Whole wheat flour -- stone-ground
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups Buttermilk

Set the baking rack in the center of the oven and place a baking stone (if available) on the rack. Preheat the oven to 375. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix to incorporate. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk. Mix quickly to incorporate the milk evenly. It may be easier to mix with the hands than with a spoon. Form the dough into a loaf shape and place in a nonstick 8 1/2-x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2" loaf pan. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, until well browned and a skewer inserted in the center comes out dry. Remove from the oven and the baking pan. Place on a wire rack to cool.

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