Canadian Tire's Boxing Week sale boasted a Kitchen Aid cast iron dutch oven, bright shiny red and porcelain-coated, for 70% off. This meant the normally $100 pot was $30. After much convincing, I managed to drag my dad to Trail's Canadian Tire location, a store normally mostly empty. I assumed in this area, not renowned for it cuisine, that I'd have my pick of pots and that it wouldn't be necessary to get there early in order to obtain the pot. Not so. A skid in the kitchen wares section was empty...except for one last pot, sitting out on the skid with its box discarded onto the skid next door containing a pile ridiculously cheap Black & Decker toaster ovens. I inspected the pot and it was fine. I put it in the box and proceeded to the checkout (well, actually, I proceeded to also obtain the last high-backed office chair that was on sale for 50% off, but that's another story). The cashier told me I was lucky to get the last one; she said the pots had been flying out of the store at an alarming rate, some people buying two or three of them.
So what do you do with a cast iron dutch oven? Well, I decided to do some braising to break in my new piece of kitchenware. Chicken thighs were on sale at my local overpriced grocery store. I had half a bottle of white wine kicking around.
Braised Chicken Thighs
10 chicken thighs, bone in, skin removed
2 tbsp flour combined with a bit of salt & pepper
2 large onions, sliced
2 large carrots, peeled & sliced
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups white wine
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 large cloves garlic, grated
1. Put the flour, salt & pepper in a plastic bag and add the chicken, in batches, and shake to coat the thighs.
2. Add a bit of oil to the pot and heat to high. Brown the chicken in batches and set aside on a plate.
3. Add onions and carrots and saute in the pan until soft. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, and garlic, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and cilantro and reduce the heat so the liquid just simmers. Cook until the chicken done. Serve over rice.
Voila! Enjoy!
