Casserole comforts

Its been a chaotic few weeks already this year. Work had been absolutely exhausting mentally, with some really long stressful days. Large boy has started cubs, husband’s eczema is flared up, all three males have been poorly one way of another. Oh and I’m running almost every day. With all that and the first anniversary of losing boy3 next Friday looming large, I’m in need of some comfort food.

Roll out a hearty, warming, scrumptious casserole – delivered in short order after a 6.30pm meeting finish courtesy of the slow cooker.

Recipe

• 6 chicken thighs, chopped up a bit
• 4 large carrots, peeled and chunked
• 3 parsnips, peeled and chunked
• 1 onion, chopped small
• Half a swede, peeled and chunked
• A chicken stockpot
• 1 pint apple cider
• Sage
• Large teaspoon spicy mustard
• Plain flour to coat chicken

Brown the chicken and put in the slow cooker, throw in a couple of spoons of plain flour to coat it all and stir well. In the same frying pan, brown the onion. Add the onion to the chicken and wash out the frying pan with some cider. Add the carrot, swede, and parsnip to the slow cooker with the rest of the cider. Put the stockpot jelly thing in too and some sage, along with a generous spoon of some spicy mustard*. Leave it all on high for 4 hours then turn down to low until you’re ready to eat.

* If you can tell me where to get Dragon’s Breath mustard these days I would be SO grateful!

• 6oz self raising flour
• 3oz vegetarian suet
• Some milk
• Rosemary

Mix the dumpling ingredients together, shape into balls.

Transfer for the casserole into an oven proof dish (probably the slow cooker dish would be fine but I like my big ceramic one), put the dumplings on top and put the lid on. Bake in the oven for 15mins at 180°C/gas 6, then take off the lid and carefully flip the dumplings over. Back in the oven for 15mins more and and voilà!

Honestly, it was absolutely amazing. Really delicious and filling, just what we needed.