Nouveau Ragout

Rain fell all afternoon and evening yesterday. The last traces of snow disappeared, revealing tulips, daffodils, narcissus and oriental poppies several inches high. Although my rain-starved soul rejoiced, a trip to the grocery store on a rainy afternoon had no appeal.

Instead, I stayed home, listening to raindrops on the roof, watching raindrops roll down the windows and figuring out what to make for supper using ingredients at hand. I had a bunch of kale, three poached skinless, boneless chicken thighs and several kinds of cheese.

What I came up with was surprisingly good! In fact, I’ve written down the recipe so I can make it again. If you enjoy the tang of feta cheese and want to eat more kale, you may want to try it yourself.

Nouveau Ragout

2 tablespoons flour

½ cup half and half

1 bunch kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1 ½  cups chicken broth or water with chicken base

3 or 4 cups cooked chicken, diced

2 tablespoons butter

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Stir the flour into the half-and-half and set aside. Steam kale in ½ cup of the chicken broth until tender. Add remaining broth, diced chicken and butter. Bring to a low boil. Stir in the half-and-half and continue to cook until slightly thickened. Stir in 3 ounces of the feta cheese.

Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, polenta, or even toast. Sprinkle each serving with some feta cheese.

Next time I'll try adding mushrooms.

Copyright 2013 by Shirley Domer