Chicken and Apple Stew
The scent of this stew, rife with fall flavors, will fill your house with a delicious and comforting aroma.
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken easts, cubed (or pork)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chicken oth
Salt and pepper to taste
½ medium onion, chopped
2 apples, chopped
1 turnip, chopped
½ cup applesauce (or apple cider)
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken east, seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add remaining olive oil to pan and add in the chopped onions, apples, and turnips. Sauté until the onions start to own, scraping up any own bits left from the chicken, and then add the chicken oth and applesauce. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the bay leaf, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.
Cover the pot, reduce the heat, and let the mixture simmer for 45 minutes. Uncover the pot and let it simmer and reduce for another 15 minutes. Fish out the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. If the stew is not as thick as you would like it to be at this point, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch into ¼ cup water and add it to the stew.
Remove the stew from the heat and ladle it into large bowls. Serve with fresh whole-wheat dinner rolls or crusty ead.