Back from the Lost

Well, it's 2009 and I'm back from the lost.  I fell off the blogging wagon during the crush of new job, holiday season, and the general chaos of my life.  However, we still have to eat, so I'll get back in the habit of sharing what I'm cooking - and I'll throw in some old favorites from Now We're Cooking.

Thanks to all of you who asked about the Now We're Cooking Cookbook.  I miss the business terribly, and it's heartening to hear that some of you do, too.  Unfortunately, it turns out that it's a huge amount of work to write and publish a cookbook, and I just never got it done.  So what I can promise is that I'll publish NWC recipes here, and if I have your email address, I'll let you know when the popular ones are up.  Maybe someday it will be a book.

So tonight I'm making Chicken Paprikash, adapted from a recipe in EatingWell Magazine. EatingWell is one of my 2 favorite cooking magazines, the other being Fine Cooking. They're both creative, great sources of ideas with fresh, seasonal ingredients with a concentration on great flavor.  I highly recommend starting the new year with subscriptions to both of them!

Chicken Paprikash

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast

salt

pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 large onion, peeled and finely diced

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced

10 button mushrooms, quartered

10 baby bella mushrooms, quartered

3 Tablespoons tomato paste

2 Tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika (make sure it is not hot paprika or Spanish paprika)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 15-ounce can low sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

3/4 cup sour cream

1 heaping Tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Generously salt and pepper the chicken breasts and set aside.  In a large, heavy-bottomed dutch oven, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add the diced onion and sugar, and saute until soft and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  (You have to use the butter to get the onions to caramelize.)
   
2. Stir in the peppers, mushrooms, tomato paste, paprika, and crushed red pepper.  Let cook about 2 minutes.  Stir in the chicken broth.  Place the chicken in the mixture, pressing down.  Sprinkle the marjoram over the top.  Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and let simmer over low heat for 50 minutes, until chicken is tender.
3. Mix the sour cream, flour and salt together.  Remove the chicken from the pot.  Stir in the sour cream mixture and cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes (do not boil).  Dice the chicken and stir into the pot.  Heat about 1-2 minutes more to blend flavors.
4. Serve over egg noodles.  If desired, garnish with chopped fresh parsley or chopped fresh dill.

Wow, this was so good.  It was one of those meals I didn't want to stop eating, even after I was full.  Perfect for a cold winter night.