Dark Days week 7

In early winter I picked up a stewing hen from (I think) Keene Organics at our neighborhood farmer's market.  It was tiny but a bargain.  It lounged in the chest freezer and made it on the list of "things to use soon" on my post-holidays perusal of the contents.  I consulted my 1960's cookbook and the Joy of Cooking for tips, and ended up giving it a long, gentle stew with some carrots, onions, garlic and celery for several hours. I deboned the meat and strained the stock, and put it all back in the pot with a fresh batch of chopped veggies and simmered until they were tender.  When ready I cooked some fresh egg noodles in the mix, and added some frozen homegrown broccoli at the very end, as it seemed like it needed a little color.

Served with homemade wheat sandwich bread and apple sauce. 


I  should add that this the first time I cooked a first stewing hen, and I was impressed by the flavor, even though there wasn't a ton of meat.   And for being so small, she went a long way--I also made a separate stock from the bonier pieces (wings and back, plus neck and liver etc) and that went into two more dishes: chilaquiles, and potato squash soup.