A Hazy Braise of Autumn

I'm sitting at my dining room table, watching a strong November wind whip a chilly Santa Fe rain all-but-sideways. This can only mean one thing: It's time to warm up the house with some home-baked bread and a slow, rustic dish prepared on the stovetop.

Rifling through the kitchen booty, I find a substantial cooking bird; shelled walnuts from my father-in-law's Washington state tree; fresh parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (insert earworm here); and a bottle of 2011 Le Champ des Etoiles Pinot Noir, which, when my husband discovers it missing, will be the end of my access to the good stuff. Let's heat this casa up:

Wine-braised chicken with vegetables (serves 6-8)

• 8 bone-in* chicken pieces (two legs, two thighs and two large breasts cut in half), skin-on
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large yellow or white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 cup peeled carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 cup peeled parsnips, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ cup tomato paste
• ½ 750 ml bottle Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône or pinot noir
• 6 cups chicken stock or broth
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, etc.; dried is fine, but reduce to ¼ cup)
• 2 russet or red potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• vegetable oil for sautéing
• salt and pepper

Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Dust pieces evenly all over with flour. Do this in two batches: In a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-high heat, swirl in a tablespoon of oil. After a minute, add chicken pieces, skin-side down, and sauté until skin is nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and cook another 3 minutes. Move chicken to a plate and set aside. In the same pot and using the rendered chicken fat, sauté onions, carrots and parsnips until slightly browned on the edges. With the vegetables still in the pot, spoon off all but a tablespoon of the fat. Add tomato paste and garlic and cook another three minutes, stirring frequently to combine well. Deglaze the pot with the wine, stirring constantly and scraping with a wooden spoon to get all the tasty bits off the bottom. Add stock, chicken pieces and herbs. Stir well, cover and bring to a low, slow simmer. After an hour, taste for seasoning, add a little salt and pepper if desired. Add potatoes. Continue simmering, covered, another 1½-2 hours or until the chicken is tender and almost falling off the bone. Season to taste and serve in bowls with a side of hearty, crusty bread.

(*Be watchful for small bones before serving)

Sage-Walnut bread (makes 2 large loaves)

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 5½-6½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1 cup of warm water with the sugar until yeast "blooms," or expands. Mix 1 cup of flour into the yeast mixture until well blended. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir in the other cup of water, salt, sage and walnuts. Stir in flour in 1-cup batches, until a dough ball forms. Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed. Dough should be smooth and elastic after kneading. Oil a clean bowl, add the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size. Punch down dough, form into two loaves and place them on sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Let rise, covered with a clean towel, for 1 hour. Bake in a 425-degree oven until golden brown (30-35 minutes), and cool on wire racks. For a crisper crust, brush loaves with water every 3 minutes during the first 9 minutes of cooking.

Extra Sauce

Heroes all, no capes required: The local Cooking with Kids in-school culinary program celebrates its 20th anniversary with a dinner and wine pairings at 6 pm Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Santa Fe School of Cooking (125 N Guadalupe St., 983-4511); the volunteer chef lineup looks amazing, with the likes of Juan Bochenski (Anasazi Restaurant), Andrew Coop­er (Terra at Four Seasons Resort Encantado), Renee Fox and Sancho Soeiro (Loyal Hound), Ahmed Obo (Jambo Café), Martín Rios (Restaurant Martín), Joseph Wrede (Joseph's of Santa Fe) and John Vollertsen (Las Cosas Kitchen Shoppe and cooking school). Tickets: cookingwithkids.org

Eat pie, feed the hungry: Holiday Pie Mania, an annual fundraiser for the Food Depot, is back for its fourth year at Builders Source Appliance Gallery (1608 Pacheco St., 982-5563) from 1 to 4 pm on Saturday, Nov. 14. Watch 17 local chefs make their favorite holiday desserts, have a taste of each and bid on a pie to take home or pick up for your holiday bash. Tickets are $10 (advance tickets are available for $7) at the Lensic box office, 988-1234.

Santa Fe Reporter