Chicken Vegetable Stew with drop Cornmeal Dumplings Recipe

• ___ Stew finishing vegetables
• 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3 stalks celery, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 6 summer squash (zucchini or mexican) peeled and diced into 3/4 inch cubes
• ___ Dumpling ingredients
• 3/4 cup corn meal
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 egg, whisked (optional)
• Milk, as required
• ___ Stock ingredients
• 2 stalks celery
• 3 Tbsp parsley, fresh
• 1 yellow onion, cut into quarters
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 tsp thyme, dried
• 1 whole chicken, cut at joints and breast/ribs split or 2 lb chicken thighs and breasts, bone-in
• 1/2 tsp table salt

1. To prepare the stock, first remove the skin from the chicken parts. In a large pot cover the chicken, salt, onion, carrots and thyme with water and bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes or until the breasts are just done, then remove. Cook 15 more minutes or until the dark meat parts are just done, then remove. Let cool, separate the meat from the bones, then add the bones Back to the stock. Simmer for one hour, cool the stock, strain off the bones/veggies and discard. If you chill the stock overnight in the fridge, you can remove any ‘excess’ fat. Shred the chicken into bite size (1 inch) pieces.
2. Prepare the dumplings by mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl, then adding the egg and oil until incorporated. Add just enough milk to make the dough pliable but not too soft. Form into 1 inch balls and chill in the refridgerator.
3. Bring the stock to the simmer, add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for ten minutes until barely tender. Check for seasoning and ‘body’ – you may want to thicken the stew with a little cornmeal and flour slurry. Add the squash, shredded chicken and bring the stew back to a barely bubbling simmer. Float the dumplings on top, cover and cook for about 10 minutes.