Nothing Pretty About Stew

Not exactly a photogenic dinner dish. But this chicken stew, flavored with bacon and white wine, was just what today's early winter weather demanded -- and simple. I started with chopped carrots, onion, celery and plenty of thick chunks of double smoked bacon sautéing in hot olive oil. I added in the chicken (I used bone in leg and thighs)  to brown a bit and then tossed in about 2 cups of white wine, around a pound of diced tomatoes (I used yellow ones from our garden), 4 sprigs of thyme and brought everything up to a boil. The stew simmered for about an hour and a half until the meat was tender. I took the chicken off the bone and returned it to the pot along with a good quantity of cut up potatoes and shredded kale. After about 10 minutes I added in fresh green beans cut into about 2 inch pieces and let everything simmer together until the potatoes and vegetables were cooked through. Nothing much to look at but warm and tasty and right to eat by the fire.