68 March 2015 www.womanthismonth.com LIFESTYLE | food Making the Most of March James Claire shows a soft spot for the month of his birth with recipes for honest comfort food, break out the cream, wrap up warm and enjoy… 60mls canola oil 750g chicken breast sliced pinch salt pinch cracked black pepper 100g plain (all-purpose) flour 2 white onions, finely chopped 2 medium carrots, diced 2 tbspns capsicum, diced 2 cloves garlic 2 sprigs thyme 1 tspn salt 2 tbspns tomato Herbed Dumplings 125g plain (all-purpose) flour 1 tspn baking powder 1⁄4 tspn salt pinch cracked black pepper 1tspns chopped chives ½ tspn chopped fresh thyme ½ tspn fresh rosemary, finely chopped 2 tbspns olive oil 125mls milk • Preheat an oven to 185°C. • Spread the chicken on a chopping board and season with salt and pepper. Coat each piece lightly with flour. • Heat the oil and fry the chicken, browning on all sides, then remove and place in a casserole dish. • In the same frying pan used for the chicken, sauté the vegetables for about 4 minutes. • Add the tomato paste, salt and thyme and a little of the water to deglaze the pan and pour this over the chicken. CHICKEN CASSEROLE WITH HERBED DUMPLINGS I was born in March and so the month holds a special place in my heart. I am also a born foodie, as you may well tell, and for that reason even more the month of March is dear to me because throughout history it has been a powerful month. March celebrates Peanut Butter Lover's Day and Toast Day , a match almost made in heaven. In 1912 Oreo Cookies went on sale for the first time, pancakes were first made in 1882 and Coca-Cola was invented four years later in 1886. And for lovers of green food and beverages with a twist of the Irish, the month is also the celebration of St Patrick’s Day. Packed full of special days, March is just a perfect month, following Valentine’s and prior to Easter, to celebrate in any way you feel fit. Enjoy March and eat healthily. • Add the remaining water and cook in a covered casserole dish for 1 1⁄2 hours during which time prepare the dumplings. • Combine all the dry ingredients for the dumplings together in a bowl. • Add the milk and oil and using fingers bring the mix to a dough. • Break the dough into pieces and place on top of the cooked casserole. • Return the dish to the oven for 20 minutes. • Serve immediately.
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