Overheard at 42nd street station.
Suited-Guy – My daughter is a crazy person. Totally Bat Shit.
Younger Suited-Guy – Really? How so?
Suited Guy – She just sent me an email telling me I gotta start eating baby food.
Younger Suited-Guy – Baby food?
Suited Guy – Yeah. Baby food. She’s trying to get me to be healthy. She’s a health nut. She’s eating jars of baby food because she runs marathons and all that shit. So now I gotta eat it too? No way am I eating that shit. I’m telling you. I’m not eating no Goddamn baby food.
Younger Suited-Guy – Why baby food?
Suited Guy – She says, with all the rich food around the holiday, it’s good for the digestion. Baby Food! I kid you not. See. Take a look at this.
Younger Suited-Guy – Um. That says Kale.
Suited Guy – Yeah. Kale. What of it.
Younger Suited-Guy – Well, that’s Kale. Kale’s not baby food.
Suited Guy – No?
Younger Suited Guy – No. It’s a vegetable. At least, I think so.
Suited Guy – So I should eat it? She’s probably got a point.
Younger Suited-Guy – Yeah. Probably.
Calming, restorative chicken stew with feta and kale (serves 4)
Stew in half an hour. Totally possible. You can add more water and a handful of ditalini pasta to make it minestrone soup, or serve it thick and delicious as it is with bread. This is the kind of gentle, comforting food you want to eat for dinner the day you finished up the New Year Eve party leftovers and ate chocolate rum trifle for breakfast.
The lemon and feta give it a tangy kick. Plus anything with kale just feels like it has to be doing you some good.
4 – 6 chicken thighs 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 large onion (optional – 4 strips of bacon) 1 clove garlic 1 can chick peas 3 cups chopped kale (or greens or savoy cabbage) 1 large can of crushed tomatoes or a jar of pasata 2 tsp tomato ketchup (or 1 tsp sugar or honey) 1/2 cup feta (in large crumbles) salt and pepper Â- Dice the onion and cook on a medium heat in a splash of olive oil (with the diced bacon if using) until it starts to soften. Season well
- Meanwhile, dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces, season and let sit in the lemon juice while the onion cooks (about 5 mins)
- Add the chicken to the onion and brown for a few minutes
- Grate in the garlic, add the tomatoes and ketchup or sugar. Add about a cup of water and simmer for 20 mins until the chicken is cooked through
- Add the drained, rinsed chickpeas. Shred the kale and add to the stew. Put the lid on and let the kale wilt for a few minutes
- Take the lid off, sprinkle the feta on top of the stew, and broil / grill or bake for another couple of minutes until the cheese has melted
- Serve with a light drizzle of good olive oil, and some bread for dipping
2 Responses to Restorative, quick and easy Chicken Stew with Feta and Kale – Kale, the panacea of health.