Soulful Stew (2/25/12)

FEEDS 10 TO 12 (If double, which we usually do, make in a big soup pot, not a dutch oven)
Adapted from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, An American Roadhouse by John Stage and Nancy Radke. 

• 10 ounces fresh baby greens (spinach, beet, and kale)
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• ½ cup flour
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 ¼ cups chopped green pepper
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 jalpeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 pound baked ham, diced
•  4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup chicken broth or stock (to make own, see page 168)
• 1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 cup Mutha Sauce (page 165)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 can (15 ounces) black-eyed peas, drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) corn kernels, drained
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• Tabasco sauce

Roughly chop greens; set aside.

Cut the chicken into 1 by 3/4 -inch strips. Season the flour with salt and pepper, and toss the chicken in it. Set a large Dutch oven on the stove and heat 6 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high. Add the chicken in batches and brown lightly. As the chicken gets done, scoop it out of the pot into a bowl. Set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot if it looks dry, and toss in the onions, green peppers, celery, and jalapenos, seasoning them with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the ham and garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Dump the chicken back in, along with its juices. Add the bay leaf, broth, tomatoes, Mutha Sauce, Worcestershire, and carrots. Cover the pot and bring everything to a boil; then crack the lid, turn down the heat to low, and simmer til the carrots are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

Uncover the pot and throw in the black-eyed peas and corn.  Season the stew with the cumin, thyme, and oregano, and let everything simmer for another 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Take out the bay leaf and taste the stew to see if it needs some salt and pepper; then spice everything up with Tabasco. 

Portion out the spinach into containers.  Spoon the stew over the spinach and freeze.