Go Organic, With Chef Michel Nischan
Michel Nischan is a best-selling author and renowned chef who creates delicious and healthy dishes without cream, butter or processed sugars.
Nischan's organic food caught the eye — or should we say, palette — of Paul Newman. With a little help from the legendary actor, Nischan just opened a restaurant, "The Dressing Room," next to the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut.
As part of The Early Show's weeklong "Culinary Inspirations" series Wednesday, Nischan prepared his version of chicken and dumplings — a very tasty and healthy version, at that!
Nischan's inspiration for healthy cooking comes from two sons who have diabetes. Nischan says that was his wakeup call on his approach to his own health as well as that of the customers he was feeding.
"It's really the processed food that can really harm us," he told co-anchor Julie Chen.
To watch the segment,
CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS RECIPE
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 cup large dice carrots
1/2 cup large dice celery
1/2 cup large diced onions
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1-1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tbsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp plus hot chicken stock
1 tbsp plus 1tsp grapeseed oil or chicken fat
3 cups pulled cooked chicken meat such as left over fried, roasted or rotisserie chicken.
Heat the oil in a 2 quart sauce pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook about 2 minutes or until soft and clear. Add the carrots and celery. Cook one minute more or until the vegetables smell fragrant. Add the stock and increase to high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are just done. Set the pot of stock and vegetables aside but keep warm.
For the dumplings, combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, blend the egg, chicken stock and oil and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir with a fork until just mixed together. It is important not to over mix the dough or it will become tough. Transfer the dough to a well floured cutting board and spread the dough out as thin as you can by hand. Keep your hand and fingers well dusted with flour so the dough does not stick. Lightly flour the surface of the dough and finish rolling to a thickness of about 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch.
Return the stick and vegetables to the stove and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cut the dough into noodle shapes the size you like and drop them into the simmering stock. Be careful to drop a few at a time and to stir the stock to prevent the dumplings from sticking together. Cook 6 to 8 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through and tender. Add the pulled chicken meat and cook one minute longer. Turn off the heat and let stand 3 minutes before serving.