Welcoming a New Baby

(pictured is the recipe below, doubled for 2 families)

Our friends just had a beautiful little girl and I cooked this dinner to feed the family during their babymoon.  The month after a baby is born is a busy, sensitive and magical time while the family gets used to a new routine.  The new mom is recovering from the birth and taking care of a new baby, a more than full-time job!  Now add in a four year old and a new family has their hands full.  During this time it is a wonderful gift to receive food from your family, friends and community.  I know it was a blessing when I had my second child!  Here is the recipe I made yesterday.  Clay pot chicken is great for this kind of thing because you can easily cook enough for 2 families.  

  

Coconut, Ginger and Fennel Chicken Thighs in a Clay Pot 
with Cauliflower
Serves 4-6, or a small family for 2 dinners 
Cooking time: about 1.5 to 2 hours

Full Menu: with a side of baked Polenta and Asparagus, side salad and dessert of Strawberry and Blackberry Crumble.  For recipes, scroll down.
Ingredients for Chicken Thighs:
2 packages of chicken thighs, or about 3-4 pounds.  Take skin off before cooking.
1 can of coconut milk
1 fennel bulb with top, cut into about 1/2 inch thick rounds. 
large piece of ginger root, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut it into 4 large pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Soak your clay pot for 10 minutes in water.  This will help prevent it from breaking.  When done soaking, pour coconut milk in the bottom of the pot.  Peel and chop the ginger.  I slice it into quarter inch rounds.  You will be cooking the chicken for a long time so the ginger pieces do not need to be really small.  Remove the skin from the chicken thighs.  This way the chicken will be less greasy and more coconut-flavored. 

Mix the chicken thighs and ginger with the coconut milk.  Really roll the chicken around so it is covered with the coconut milk. Salt and pepper to taste and mix again.  Place thickly chopped fennel bulb and cauliflower on top of chicken-coconut mixture.  If you find that the fennel and/or cauliflower is overcooked, chop it into larger pieces next time or add it later in the cooking process.  Cover with clay lid and place in oven on 350 Bake.  Do not preheat the oven as it could break the clay pot.  Cook for about 1.5 to 2 hours; check chicken to make sure it is thoroughly done cooking.

 Above: chicken, right after it is finished cooking with lots of fennel!  Fennel is coming up in the garden, so it is the perfect addition to the recipe.

Asparagus Polenta

9-inch pie dish
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup dry polenta
3 cups water
olive oil
10 pieces of asparagus

Bring 3 cups of water to boil, add bouillon cube and mix thoroughly.  Slowly add dry polenta stirring continuously to prevent clumping.  Turn heat down to med-low and stir for a minute.  Cover and let cook for another minute.  Turn off heat, set aside.  Pour 1 TBS olive oil in pie dish.  This is mostly for flavor as polenta will not stick to the pan.  Spoon polenta into pie dish smoothing it as you go.

Heat pan on medium.  Add cooking oil and asparagus.  Stir fry asparagus until it is almost done; it should still be stiff enough that if you hold it up it won't wilt over.  Decorate polenta with the asparagus.  At this point you can refrigerate it for cooking later or you can eat it as is.  It is excellent heated up later, and a beautiful color combination.

Too Many Strawberry-Blackberry Crumble
makes 1 pie

Crumble: (top layer for 1 pie)
1 cup oatmeal, whole grain
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup of butter melted

Mix the oatmeal and brown sugar then mix in the butter.  Set aside to crumble over the fruit.


Berries:
2 cups of frozen, dethawed blackberries
2 cups fresh, sliced strawberries
3 TBS flour
2 TBS lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix all the dry ingredients (flour,sugar,nutmeg,cinnamon).  When thoroughly mixed add to the fruit, mix again.  Add lemon juice and spoon into the pie pan.   Next, cover the fruit mixture with the oatmeal crumble.  Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes, making sure not to burn the crumble layer.  I usually check in on the pie, paying attention to the smells.  This pie is more watery because it is only berries, so it is less likely to burn and can therefore be cooked a little longer to evaporate some of the water.  As the pie cools it will harden.  It is best eaten after it has cooled.  Serve with thick Greek yogurt.   

Too many Berries?  Is it possible?  Pictured strawberries and blackberries.

The Crumble, before cooking