1    (5 1/2-to-6 lb) stewing hen
-or capon,
- cleaned and dressed
2    Whole bay leaves
2    Stalks celery (include tops)
2 qt Water
2 lg Yellow onions; peeled
- coarsely chopped
2 lg Sweet green peppers; cored,
- seeded & coarsely chopped
2    Garlic cloves
- peeled and crushed
1/4 c  Olive or other cooking oil
1/3 c  Minced parsley
1 c  Dried currants or raisins
1 tb Curry powder
1 ts Cayenne pepper
1/4 ts Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 ts Dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 ts Ground cloves
2 ts Salt
2 cn (1 lb, 12 oz) tomatoes
- with their juice
3 c  Reserved chicken stock
1 c  Toasted slivered almonds
-(topping)

REMOVE ALL BODY FAT from the cavity of the bird, then place the bird and
giblets in a large kettle. Add the bay leaves, celery and water, cover, and
simmer 10-to-15 minutes; remove the liver and reserve. Re-cover the chicken
and simmer 1-to-1 1/2 hours or until tender. Lift the chicken from the
kettle and cool, strain the stock and reserve. In the same kettle, stir-fry
the onions, green peppers and garlic in the oil 8-to-10 minutes over
moderate heat until the onions are golden. Add all remaining ingredients
except the almonds and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes, stirring now and
then. Meanwhile, skin the chicken, remove the meat from the bones, and cut
in bite-sized pieces; also dice the giblets and reserved liver. Add the
chicken, giblets and liver to the kettle and simmer, uncovered, for 15
minutes. NOTE: At this point, you can cool the mixture to room temperature,
ladle into 1-quart freezer containers, filling to about 1-inch of the top.
Snap on the lids, label and date, then set in a zero-degree freezer and
freeze until firm. The Country Captain can be made several weeks–even
months–ahead of time. When ready to serve, place the blocks of frozen
Country Captain in a large, heavy kettle, set over low heat, cover and
bring slowly to serving temperature, stirring now and then, taking care not
to break up the chunks of chicken. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Serve
the Country Captain over fluffy boiled rice (you can cook the rice while
the Country Captain reheats) then sprinkle each portion with some of the
toasted slivered almonds. Makes 6 to 8 Servings