Recipe: Chicken and Drop Dumplings (with homemade Bouquet Garni)

CHICKEN AND DROP DUMPLINGS

1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds, cut up)
6 chicken wings
1 large Spanish onion, chopped and sauteed but not browned
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
Bouquet Garni (recipe follows)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Drop Dumplings (recipe follows)

Wash and pat dry chicken. Take flange off chicken wings. Place cut-up chicken and wings into large, heavy pot and add water to cover 1-inch above chicken.

Add onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and Bouquet Garni. Season with salt and pepper. Allow mixture to simmer slowly for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool. Remove any foam that has gathered on top of the broth.

Bring broth to a slight boil, and drop heaping tablespoons of dumpling batter into pot. Fill top of pot with dumplings. Cover pot, and simmer for 15 minutes - dumplings will rise. Baste dumplings, and continue simmering for another 5 minutes. Remove cover and baste dumplings.

Serve hot on platter.

BOUQUET GARNI

3 bay leaves
8 black peppercorns
Tops from two stalks of celery
1 teaspoon margarine

Cut double thickness of cheesecloth 6 inches wide. Place bay leaves, peppercorns, celery tops, and margarine in center of cheesecloth. Pull corners of cheesecloth together, and tie with kitchen twine.

DROP DUMPLINGS

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into mixing bowl. Add butter, mixing with fingertips, then milk, until mixture is consistency of grainy cornmeal.

Makes 6-8 servings
Source: Hallelujah! The Welcome Table by Maya Angelou