Foods, their selection and preparation

The browned pieces then are transferred to a casserole. For a four-pound stewing chicken, chop 3 or 4 carrots, 3 or 4 pieces celery, 1 me¬ dium-sized onion, and a green pepper. Partly cook the vegetables in the fat in the frying pan. Then transfer them to the casserole with the chicken and add about a cup of hot water or chicken stock (from cooked gib¬ lets). Cover closely and cook in the oven at 300° F. until tender, about three hours. When done, remove the pieces of chicken and drain off the liquid. Thicken the liquid, add the vegetables, test for seasoning, pour the vegetable sauce over the chicken and serve from the casserole. There are endless variations of braising methods for poultry, especially of casserole dishes. Many different vegetables may be used. Corn is always a favorite with chicken. Rice also may be used. Look up recipes in a cookbook for additional suggestions. In all braising, degree of doneness is de¬ termined by tenderness, which is tested with a fork. It is well, however, to do as little piercing with a fork as possible, since this lets out juices. But with braising the lost juices are retained in the gravy, and gravy is an es¬ sential part of any braised-meat dish. Stewing. Old birds need long, slow cook¬ ing in water to cover, to soften the large amount of tough connective tissue. Birds cooked by this method lose flavor and food value to the stock, but these are saved when the stock is made into a gravy or sauce and served with the meat, as in creamed chicken, chicken pie, or turkey a la king. Old birds may be stewed whole or in pieces. For stewing whole, which is the simplest way when the meat is to be removed from the bone, draw and groom an old bird as for roasting. Barely cover with water, hot or cold. Add salt, pepper, and a few seasoning vegetables such as an onion, a carrot, and a piece of celery, and two or three whole cloves and peppercorns. Cover the kettle and sim¬ mer, never boil, until the meat is tender, two to four hours or longer depending upon the age and kind of bird. An old rooster or an old Tom turkey will take the longest time. It is done when a fork can be inserted easily to the bone in the thickest part of the thigh. Any meat cooked in liquid is juicier if al¬ lowed to cool and chill in the broth than if served at once. If possible, therefore, stew a bird the day before it is needed and let it stand in the broth, breast down, overnight — in the refrigerator, if possible. If storage space does not permit this, let the bird cool in the broth for an hour or so, in a cool place. A timesaver in stewing old birds is the pressure saucepan, which is available in various sizes. In using a pressure pan for stewing chicken or other poultry, follow the directions furnished by the manufacturer. The stewed chicken or other poultry is ready to be made into many attractive dishes. When stewed in pieces, it may be served as chicken and dumplings. The dumplings are added to the stewed chicken (see pages 271 and 274), being kept on top of the broth, and the kettle is covered tightly for 20 minutes until the dumplings are cooked. Then the broth may be drained off, thickened for gravy, and served over the chicken and dumplings.