Chicken Stew with Cobbles

Dinner last night was a rolled turkey leg roast, which should have resulted in plenty of leftovers. (What can I say? We didn't have lunch!!!) Amongst the options for the leftovers was a cooked meat version of this stew, which I invented one day when I wanted a stew with dumplings but not the calories. So I decided to put a cobbler top on instead.

Then I decided to cook it all in the crockpot and, amazingly, it worked! I’ve put an oven-cooking method at the end. For a cooked meat version, follow the oven version and skip the first hour in the oven. Use 300g cooked chicken or turkey.

Weight watchers points-wise, the stew costs 3 points, the cobbles another 2.5 each. The stew serves 4, whilst the dough makes 8 cobbles.

This is one of the few recipes I cook which uses margarine. Normally, I can’t stand the stuff but when you cook kosher, there are times you have to use it.

Ingredients

500g/1lb cubed chicken breast
200ml/1 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons corn flour
1 chicken stock cube
1 large onion roughly chopped (or use 1-2 large leeks sliced)
150g mushrooms sliced
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tablespoon tomato puree
4 carrots chunked

For the cobbles

50g/2oz margarine or butter cut into small cubes
175g/6oz self raising flour
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
10 grinds of black pepper

Crockpot Method

1) Rub the margarine into the flour, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the herbs and the black pepper. Add sufficient water to make a firm dough. Form dough into a roll and cut into 8 equal slices. Set aside whilst you prepare the stew.
2) In a jug, combine the corn flour with the white wine. Make up to 400ml with water.
3) Layer all the other ingredients into the crock pot, starting with the meat and ending with the mushrooms and onion. Level off the ingredients.
4) Pour over wine mixture. Position the cobbles evenly around the stew. Cover and cook slowly for 10 hours.
5) Serve with a green vegetable.

Oven method

1) Preheat oven to 180 C/gas mark 4/350 F.
2) In a jug, combine the corn flour with the white wine. Make up to 400ml with water.
3) Combine all the other stew ingredients into a flame proof/oven proof casserole dish. Pour over wine mixture. Position the pot over a medium flame; bring the stew up to simmering point, stirring occasionally.
4) When the stew is simmering, cover the dish and place in the oven for an hour.
5) In the meantime, make the cobbles. Rub the margarine into the flour, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the herbs and the black pepper. Add sufficient water to make a firm dough. Form dough into a roll and cut into 8 equal slices.
6) After an hour, remove the stew from the oven and give it a good stir. Add additional liquid if necessary (use boiling water). Position the cobbles on top of the stew and return it, uncovered, to the oven.
7) Cook for another 30-45 minutes, until the cobbles have browned, and serve.

- Pam

PS: Cobblers are so called because the scone topping resembles cobble stones in a road way.