Cookbooks&Textbooks: Chicken in a Pot.

The series of pictures you're about to see tells the story of a simple dish that I now love so much, not only because of its simplicity, but because of the spices that bring this simple chicken dish to life. When I tried this, it brought me back to my childhood in the Middle East, living in a building with a culturally diverse tenant population (mostly Indian), and constantly getting a whiff of the strong, lingering smells of curry and garam masala in the hallways and stairwell. This dish was something I concocted after my boss said, "Here's some chicken, we want it in some type of soup or sauce, and we want some vegetables in there. Okay, see you later!"

So, here's what I came up with: we already had the chicken, so then I quartered a few potatoes, sliced a couple onions, peeled some fresh cloves of garlic, opened a pack or two of baby carrots, defrosted about a cup of green peas, made chicken broth with chicken stock, and opened a can of diced tomatoes.

BUT, here are the most important elements: a couple of bay leaves, a teaspoon each of cumin, curry powder, and paprika, and less than a teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder. Don't worry, my bosses and the kids are really big on these spices too. About 2 to 3 times a week on average, I usually end up cooking something with curry, cumin, paprika, thyme, or "zahatar" seasoning, which is a Middle Eastern blend of herbs and spices.

Okay, let's begin. Olive oil goes into the heavy Dutch oven. Dutch ovens are so wonderful and I like them a lot. Anyway, back to the process. Are you ready? Here you go: DUMP ALL THE INGREDIENTS IN THERE. Easy enough?

First the chicken (which can be browned first), then the spices and the onions and garlic cloves...