SC - Apricot Chicken Recipe

[L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt]

My apologies if this is a repeat. I lost power at the end of typing this out
before, and it was gone when I finally got back on 6 hours later.

Apricot Chicken:

I have found recipes for what is basically the same dish in several
places...Russian Cookbooks, Mid-east cookbooks, even Martha Washington IIRC.
The Brain is going, must be senility. I'm sure someone will correct me if
I'm wrong!

Here's what you do:

Take one cut-up boiler/fryer or equivalent favorite parts in weight. Brown
it in olive oil or butter in a large kettle with 1 very large onion, cut up
into large squares.Onions need not be completely soft.

At this point, decide whether this is a stove-top, fireplace, or oven dish,
and put it in an appropriate pot. Add water or chicken stock to cover and a
pound of dried apricots, halved if very large. Add more if they are the
very-moist variety. Simmer on the stove top, over the fire, or bake in the
oven, all covered, for about an hour. Add salt and white pepper to taste.
Some heretics have been known to add white wine to the mix with the stock.

This looks very fetching with green garnish of sliced spring onion greens or
parsley, and we like to serve it with something that will sop up the
incredible juices, such as noodles (with parsley or herbs for color
contrast) or in bread bowls.

I was delighted to find a Rev. War re-enactor, who just "discovered" the
SCA, cooked Apricot Chicken over the campfire for his turn at our camp meal
at Pennsic. Along with it he served roasted onions: Cover whole onions
(slice off only the top. leave on the brown skin layers) with foil and place
in the coals until soft. To serve, open the foil, carefully (hot!) squeze
the brown skin and the onion will pop right out onto your plate. Serve with
butter or salt and pepper, or plain if desired. Amazingly simply and
incredibly good. For some reason it doesn't work in the oven at home quite
as well. 

Hope you enjoy it! It all tastes far more complicated than the recipe would
indicate!

Aoife 

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