Bill Scott of Cape Fear Seafood Company
(from Bill Scott)
ALLISON POTTER
62 october 2022
WBM
“THIS sounds fancy but is pretty easy,
especially if you’ve precooked your
chicken,” he says.
For convenience, Scott recom-mends
baking several meals worth of chicken thighs at a
time so they can be used in a variety of different recipes.
“Just rub them with a little oil, salt and pepper, bake
in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven until the internal
temperature reaches 165, then refrigerate or freeze until
needed. Chicken thighs are always a little pink inside
so use a thermometer to be sure,” Scott says.
Chicken thighs are also very flavorful pulled straight
out of the package and placed onto a hot grill with a
little salt and pepper. They are also the perfect base for
chicken adobo.
Sweet Potato, Kraut
& Bacon Chowder
Serves 6 (2 cups each)
From Vivian Howard’s 2020 cookbook “This Will Make
It Taste Good”
INGREDIENTS
12 ounces bacon, cut into
bite-size 1-inch squares
2 leeks, light green and
white parts only, sliced
into ½-inch rounds
3 stalks celery, sliced (1
cup)
2 Tbsp minced fresh
ginger
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 pounds sweet potatoes,
peeled and cut into 1-inch
cubes (6 cups)
1 pound white potatoes,
peeled and cut into 1-inch
cubes (3 cups)
3 cups sauerkraut, home-made
or store-bought,
drained
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
PREPARATION
In a six-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, render
the bacon until crispy or until it’s the way you enjoy it on
top of soup. Remove the bacon but leave the fat. Add the
leeks, celery, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper flakes. Sweat
over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes, white potatoes, kraut, chicken
broth, cream and milk. Cover and bring to a hard simmer.
Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are
beginning to fall apart, then uncover and simmer for
another 10 minutes. Working in batches, put the soup
in a blender or food processor and carefully blend until
smooth. “If you don’t feel like breaking out your blender
or you’re happy with the consistency of the soup as is, use
a potato masher or a ladle to encourage the potatoes to
break up,” says Howard.
Add the blended mixture back into the pot and stir to
incorporate. Serve warm with lots of bacon on top.
Coq au Vin
INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp oil
2 to 3 slices bacon cut up
(optional but adds to the flavor)
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs,
precooked
Salt and black pepper
1 large yellow onion, roughly
chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 1 ⁄2 cups red wine (cheap is
great)
2 1/2 cups water and 3 bouillon
cubes (or chicken stock if you
have it)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1⁄2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 large carrots, peeled and cut
into chunks
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
PREPARATION
In a large pot on medium to high heat, add oil and bacon and sauté
until crisp. Add garlic and chopped onion and cook until the vegeta-bles
are soft. Add mushrooms and continue cooking for a few minutes.
Push the vegetables to the side of pot. Add the precooked chicken
thighs, skin-side down, and heat on medium high for a few minutes.
Add the red wine and reduce to allow the alcohol to cook out for
three to four minutes, using caution as it might flame a bit. Mix in the
carrots, chicken stock, sugar, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf. Cover
and simmer until the carrots are tender, usually about 20 minutes.
Season with salt for taste.
Use roux to thicken if necessary. Roux can be created with four
tablespoons butter and four tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Melt
butter in a small pan and add flour. Cook on low for three to four
minutes. Bring sauce to a low boil and whisk the roux into the sauce.
Cook for two to three minutes to thicken.