I had hoped to do a post on shirt collars or hats, but am having difficulty with the photos. Stay tuned, I’ll get my act in gear soon.
In the meantime, with the weekend fast approaching and everyone a bit spent with election aftermath, I thought I’d post a slow-cooker recipe. As Dean Martin would say “this is from that wonderful picture, ‘Sit Back and Read’.” Let the crock pot work away while you play.
This is an incredibly easy meal to make and seems far more extravagant and impressive than it actually is when served at a dinner party. That’s the beauty of braising, tougher cuts of meat melt and become fork tender, flavours intensify and the recipes require very little extra fat or oil and no real effort. All glory will be lauded on the chef! The recipe is just left of a tangine, really. I imagine you could add some cinnamon or all-spice and nudge it a little closer with no ill effect.
I usually braise the meat on high for 4 hours or, if I have the time, 6-8 on low.
The Easy and Elegant Life’s Chicken and Peach Dish.
1 small tin of tomato sauce
2-3 Roma tomatoes
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons of fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon of dried.
1/2 a large sweet onion, sliced thinly
1 small green pepper, sliced and seeded
1 large can of peaches, rinsed and crushed
2 small boxes of raisins
salt and pepper to taste
8 chicken thighs.
Salt and pepper the chicken. Heat a skillet over medium high to high flame and brown the chicken thighs, meat/skin side down (about 4 minutes) flip and repeat. Remove to slow cooker, skin/meat side up.
Pour out all but a tablespoon of the fat. Add the onions, peppers and garlic to the skillet and sauté for four minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
Add the vegetables to the slow cooker. You are finished with the skillet.
Pour the tomato sauce into the cooker, crush the Roma tomatoes and add them as well. Crush the oregano (or chop it up) and add to the slow cooker with the raisins and peaches.
That’s about it. You could garnish with some fresh parsley if you want to go through the last minute effort of chopping it up. Enjoy the day. Serves 4. I had some sweet potato biscuits and a salad to accompany the dish. Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling would drink well with the fruit sauce.
You’re welcome for the mention, I’ve really enjoyed your blog – especially this chicken & peach recipe, yum! What do you think about a pork chop & apple (I could even throw in some peaches!) slow cooker recipe? Would it work as well with the chops?
Also, if you’re ever looking for a good gumbo recipe – just ask, my dad has one that might just knock your socks off 🙂 We’re a-no-okra, brown roux kind of family, FYI.
Hi Arlynn, I think the chops might be tricky. I’d use a roast or the really thick cut center chops. Shanks are delicious and cheap, too.
I’m a no-okra kind of guy and once burned all the skin off the first joint of my middle finger adding in a very dark roux to the pot… I’ve since learned my lesson. Love to get the recipe. I may serve it for the big party on New Year’s Eve this year. You post it, I’ll link!
Ah, now you’ve made me hungry!
The recipe sounds great, I love the boneless chicken thighs as they’re so moist and flavorful compared to the breast meat. The mention of the sweet potato biscuits brought back not so fond memories of last Thanksgiving. I tried a recipe attributed to Thomas Jefferson and they were so dry and hard that they had to be dunked in gravy like a southern version of biscotti. I’d love your recipe.