I Posted these recipes Nov. 6th but I decided to post them again. Several of you are asking for them! You can send me comments by typing in the comment space at the bottom of the blog. :) Have a good day!
Bertha's Chicken and Dumplings
Self Rising Flour
Buttermilk
Vegtable oil
Large Hen
3 Stalks of chopped celery
1 large yellow onion
salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, stainless dutch oven is best, cook a large hen, salted and covered with water, with 3 stalks of celery, and 1 large onion chopped. Cook for 2 hours on medium low heat. Watch the hen and when the legs and thighs begin to separate from the breast it's done. You want it to hold together while you take it out of the water, so don't over cook it. Let the hen cool and then remove from the pot and remove the skin, and bones, pull the breast meat apart and reserve for later use in the dressing and the giblet gravy. At this point it's best to make your dressing. When you have the dressing almost cooked return the broth to stove and bring to a boil. Make sure the pot is about 1/2 full of broth if not add some water, this would be about 4-5 qts of broth.
In a bowl of self rising flour make a well and put 3 tablespoons of vegtable oil, and about 1 cup of buttermilk in the well. With your hand flip the flour from the sides of the well into the buttermilk and mix it until you have a dough ball big enough to make about 10 to 12 biscuits. If you need more just add more buttermilk and flour.
When you have a ball that is thick enough you can pick up, transfer it to a floured surface. Kneed until it is soft and smooth. You may need to add flour to get it smooth and not sticky. Then flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a thin sheet, 1/8" thick or less. Take a knife and cut the sheet of dough into strips about 1 1/2 inches wide, about the width of lasagna noodles or a little less, then cut them again into pieces about 2 to 3 inches long. You can lay the long strips in stacks and then cut the whole stack into the smaller pieces.... it's a little faster.
Pick up a stack of the cut dumplings and lay the dough in the boiling broth in single layers. After you add each layer of dumplings sprinkle the top of each layer with black pepper until you have added all of the slices. Do Not Stir!!!! Press dumplings down in broth with the back of a spoon. (Very Important). Cook only for 1 or 2 min. and then turn the heat off and let the pot sit for at least 5 min. on the cooling eye of the stove. Remove from the eye and let stand or serve DO NOT COVER WITH LID and DO NOT STIR.
Corn Bread Dressing with Giblet Gravy
3 cups of medium grind corn meal
10 pieces of white bread for bread crumbs
2 tsp. of salt
3 eggs
2 1/4 cup milk
3 Stalks of celery sautee until tender in 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 large onion chopped
7 eggs boiled and chipped (reserve 3 eggs chipped for gravy)
Hen meat previously cooked with celery and onion, deboned and shredded
For Cornbread:
Heat oven to 450
Pour 1/4 cup vegtable oil in 10" cast iron skillet set aside.
Mix cornmeal, salt, 3 eggs and milk. Place in skillet in 3 pones. With a spoon take the oil that comes up the sides of the pan and dab the tops of the pones. Bake in 450 degree oven for 30 min or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool. You can make cornbread the night or day before and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before crumbling.
Toast the white bread until crunchy. Let cool and roll toast with rolling pin into fine bread crumbs.
Ok now you are ready to combine everything and make your dressing. At this point you can refrigerate everything and assemble the next morning.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine crumbled cornbread with sauteed celery and onions, 4 sliced and chopped boiled eggs, ( chop eggs into slices about 1/4 inch thick or less and then cut in half. You don't want to smash the eggs or cut them too small they will break up when you start mixing it all together), add the bread crumbs, and reserved chicken and season with black pepper. Pour some chicken broth into the cornbread mixture and mix with spoon until well blended. The dressing should appear wet and pour easily into a 13 x9 baking dish. Bake 45 min at 400 degress until golden brown.
Giblet Gravy
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons of flour
3 to 4 cups warm chicken broth
2 cups dark meat chicken diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
3 chipped boiled eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in skillet and add flour stir until brown add warm broth and season with salt and pepper, add celery, onions, chopped chicken and chipped boiled eggs. Cook on medium for about 10 to 15 min. until thickened. If too thick add more broth. This gravy should be medium to thin....not thick.
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