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2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup soy sauce

2 cups baby carrots (see savvy)

One 12-ounce can Guinness stout

1 cup chicken broth

½ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced in half

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with

¼ cup water

Chopped green onion for garnishing

sprinkle the chicken evenly with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides.

transfer the browned chicken to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onions, ginger, and garlic to the skillet and sauté until the onions are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the carrots, Guinness, broth, and mushrooms to the cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

remove the cover and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Cover and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, until the stew is thickened and the chicken is tender.

serve the stew garnished with the green onions.

serves 6–8

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carrot savvy

The baby carrots you see in bags in the supermarket aren’t really “baby” carrots at all! They are large carrots that have been put through a machine and turned into little nuggets of carrot.

Southern Brunswick Stew

Until I did a bit of research, I did not realize there are two different states that claim Brunswick Stew as their own. Many maintain that Brunswick, Georgia, is the home to Brunswick Stew, where it is made with meat rather than chicken. Others insist that Brunswick County, Virginia, is the true home of Brunswick Stew, where it is made with chicken. One thing that all agree on is that the original was probably a hunter’s stew made with game, such as squirrel or other small animals. The other ingredients have remained the same for years: corn, lima beans, tomatoes, onion, and okra; additions to the stew are determined by the cook. We will use meaty chicken thighs and ham to flavor this all-American stew. Serve the stew with spoon bread or cornbread.

½ cup all-purpose flour

Salt

¼ teaspoon sweet paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper

8 chicken thighs, skin removed

3 tablespoons olive oil

One 1-pound ham steak, cut into

1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

One 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup chicken broth

6 medium red potatoes, quartered

One 10-ounce package frozen lima beans, defrosted

One 16-ounce package frozen corn, defrosted

2 cups fresh okra, cut into ½-inch slices

6 drops hot sauce (see savvy)

Freshly ground black pepper

put the flour, 1½ teaspoons salt, the paprika, and cayenne in a large plastic bag. Add the chicken to the bag and toss to coat. Remove the chicken from the bag and shake off any excess flour.

heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken a few pieces at a time and brown on all sides. Transfer the browned pieces to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.

add the ham to the same skillet and sauté for 3 minutes, until it begins to color. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the onion, bell pepper, and thyme to the skillet and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and Worcestershire, stirring up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

transfer the mixture to the slow-cooker insert. Add the broth, potatoes, lima beans, and corn to the cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook the stew on low for 6 hours.

remove the cover and add the okra and hot sauce. Cover and cook an additional 1 hour, until the potatoes and chicken are tender.

season with salt and pepper before serving.

serves 6–8

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hot-sauce savvy

We all have favorite hot sauces, whether it’s Tabasco, Cholula, Crystal, or Frank’s, so I leave it up to you. My favorites are Tabasco, which has more of a vinegar flavor