SIMPLE STEW

(Serves 2-3)

I have used boneless chicken for this recipe but you can practically use any thing you like. You can even use any leftover meat.  Skip the meat if you are a vegetarian. You don’t  necessarily have to use carrots and potatoes; use eggplant, celery, beet, radish, bell pepper, mushrooms or even okras, whatever you have.  This is an ingenious way of recycling whatever may have been sitting in your fridge for days. Does not matter what you put in this stew, it is going to taste heavenly any way. The flour helps thicken the soup and gives it a nice texture and the milk lightens up the color so it looks really pretty. Use cream for a richer texture. But you can skip the flour and milk if you like. If you want the stew healthier use olive oil or canola oil instead of butter. Don’t have chicken stock? No problem! Use water. Cooking this dish does not demand a lot of attention so this can be a homework friendly recipe.  You can simply mix all the ingredients together, put it over low flame and totally forget about it, or at least until the fire alarm goes off  :)

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken: 250 grams cut into small pieces
• Butter: 2 tablespoons
• Bay leaves: 1
• Onions: 1 medium, chopped
• Garlic: 4 cloves, chopped
• Carrots: 1 cup, diced
• Green beans: 1 cup, cut into small pieces
• Potatoes: 1 large, diced
• Chicken stock: 2 cups
• Black pepper powder: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: to taste
• Flour: 2 tablespoons
• Milk: ½ cup

Method

Heat butter in a pan and add bay leaf. Add onions and garlic and sauté till translucent. After about thirty seconds add carrots and potatoes and sauté for about five minutes. Toss in the green beans and chicken and cook over medium heat for two to three minutes. Add chicken stock or water and bring the pot to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and cook covered till the vegetables are done. Reduce heat and add flour stirring continuously to avoid the formation of lumps. Now add milk and stir. Let it simmer for two to three minutes before turning off heat. Serve hot with garlic bread.