The Great Experiment Part Five: Hominy & Other Good Stuff



Homi whatey?  I've heard of hominy before but I honestly had no clue what it was so when I decided to make Chicken Tortilla Soup and follow this recipe which called for hominy I didn't know exactly where to look.  Hominy sounded like a bean to me so I stood in the bean section of the grocery store trying to locate it but eventually I found it next to the cans of corn.  You can't see it on the can but it really appeared to be on a cob...so in my mind, I thought hominy was white corn.  When I tasted it though, it bore no resemblance to corn in taste or appearance.  It was definitely weird but the good news is that in this soup it was really nothing more than a filler.  I'm not sure if it's possible to buy hominy in Niger but it would be easy to substitute something else in it's place.    

 

So without further ado, here's the recipe with the modifications I made based on one of the reviews on allrecipes.com .

Chicken Tortilla Soup (8 servings)

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs olive oil

2 boneless chicken breast halves cut in bite size pieces

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

4 cups chicken broth

1 can water

1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked

1 cup white hominy

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

crushed tortilla chips

sliced avocado

shredded Monterey Jack cheese

chopped green onions

In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic and chicken in oil until cooked. Stir in lime juice, cumin, garlic, chili powder, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans and cilantro. Simmer for 1 hour. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and chopped green onion.

 

Next up is Chicken Fricassee.  I made this a couple of years ago when I was at my brother's house using his Better Homes & Garden cookbook and it was delicious but I didn't copy the recipe down thinking it would be in my Better Homes & Garden cookbook.  But it wasn't.  So now I'm recording it on the old blog and will have access to it any time (...the electricity & internet are working).  It's a Niger friendly recipe so let the cooking begin!

 

Chicken Fricassee
(Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook)

1/4 cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 to 2 1/2 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, drumsticks)
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 cup halved fresh mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped greeen or sweet red pepper or celery
1/3 cup sliced green onion
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried basil, marjoram, oregano or thyme, crushed
1/4 cup light cream or milk
1 Tbsp flour
2 cups hot cooked noodles

In a plastic or paper bag combine the 1/4 up flour, paprika, salt & pepper.  Skin chicken if desired.  Rinse; pat dry.  Add chicken, two or three pieces at a time to the bag, shaking to coat well.

In a skillet cook chicken in oil about 15 minutes or till lightly browned, turning to brown evenly.  Remove chicken; set aside.

Add mushrooms, green or red pepper or celery and green onion to the skillet.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Stir in chicken broth and basil, marjoram, oregano or thyme.

Bring to boiling, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.  Return chicken to the skillet.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or till chicken is tender and no longer pink.

Transfer chicken and veggies to a platter; keep warm.  Measure 3/4 cup of the pan juices an return to the skillet.  Stir cream or milk into the Tbsp of flour.  Stir into pan juices.  Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir for 1 more minute.

Spoon sauce over the chicken.  Serve with hot noodles.

And last but not least I finally tried one of the very first recipes I pinned - Buffalo Chicken Garbage Bread but instead of buying store bought dough I made my own using this recipe.  If you love buffalo chicken wings you'll enjoy this and I have to say that the leftovers might just have been tastier than the first time around. 

 

Here's hoping you feel inspired to get into that kitchen and try something new!