Americans live their lives in perpetual gear, always moving
forward as if shifting into neutral would mean the end of
everything.
Americans live their lives in perpetual gear, always moving forward as if shifting into neutral would mean the end of everything. We live by sayings like, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way” (Big Dog) and “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there” (thank you, Will Rogers).
But I have noticed that if you never stop and look in the rearview mirror, you’re missing an awful lot. When I chaperoned my daughter’s school trip to Yosemite, I remember the ranger telling the students to always look back after they’d packed up their things, just to make sure they hadn’t left belongings or, worse yet, trash on the beautiful forest floor.
Looking back can be as simple as reality-checking your backside in the mirror and as complex as ruminating about a failed relationship and what caused it. If we don’t pause to look at children and appreciate them, they’re on to a new stage and we’ve missed something that can never be regained.
In a car, of course, you can use your rearview mirror to see what others are doing. But if you want to see yourself clearly, you have to stop moving forward and take a long look. You have to pause, wait, spend a second or two, or the rearview cannot be seen at all.
I think other cultures may be better at “stopping to smell the roses.” I remember being in Italy at 3 p.m. and not being able to eat lunch because the restaurants were closed for a few hours. We could eat gelato or have an espresso, because that’s what everyone else was doing. Sitting, chatting, smoking and relaxing at small iron tables all around the squares.
We saw this in Mexico, too, driving down Baja in our dusty blue Bronco with all the girls sweating in the back.
The small towns would grow quiet at siesta, with everyone taking their daily pause. Conversations became more quiet and personal. Some people just sat alone and took in the view, fanning themselves in the afternoon heat, thinking about who knows what.
Have you ever noticed how, when you actually give yourself a chance to think, you can come up with some very good ideas? Or solve a dilemma. Or dream up something you want to try.
But this can only happen if we slow down and give ourselves time to think … time to wonder … time to dream … before we switch back into “drive.”
• Choice chicken: Mary Swan sent in this recipe that she’s used with great success. You can use fresh tomatoes if you have some or a high-quality canned chopped tomato. Serve over orzo pasta with a salad on the side.
Chicken Saute with Tomato-Basil Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 shallot, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon drained capers, 1 teaspoon brine reserved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Heat olive oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken breast halves with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and cook until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.
Add chopped shallot to same skillet; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, white wine, capers, and caper brine. Boil until tomatoes release juices, about 4 minutes. Stir in chopped basil. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
Return chicken to skillet. Cook until warmed through, spooning sauce over chicken, about 1 minute. Transfer chicken with sauce to 2 plates.
• Rice for a crowd: Jan McLoughlin of Hollister asked for a party-sized side dish that she could take to potlucks that she attends. She wanted something healthy, to help her avoid other, more dangerous, side dishes. This one is from Bon Appetit and should fit Jan’s request very nicely
Wild Rice and Roasted Vegetable Salad with Thyme-Sherry Vinaigrette
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sherry wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
30 oz. wild rice, rinsed and drained
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 pound carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces
6 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds crimini mushrooms
3 large red bell peppers, quartered
1 large red onion, cut into 6 wedges
Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook rice in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, adding more water as needed, about 1 hour; drain well. Place in large bowl. Add half of vinaigrette to warm rice; toss to coat.
Position racks in bottom third and top third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Toss carrots with 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil in medium bowl to coat; sprinkle with salt.
Transfer to 1 prepared baking sheet. Toss mushrooms with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in medium bowl to coat; sprinkle with salt. Transfer to second prepared baking sheet.
Roast carrots and mushrooms until brown and tender, stirring twice, about 30 minutes.
Transfer to large bowl and cool.
Spray same sheets with nonstick spray. Toss peppers with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in medium bowl to coat; sprinkle with salt. Transfer to 1 prepared sheet. Place onion wedges, rounded side down, on second sheet.
Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt. Roast peppers and onions until brown and tender, about 30 minutes. Cool.
Cut all vegetables into 3/4-inch pieces. Transfer to bowl with rice. Add remaining vinaigrette and toss to coat. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
Makes 20 servings.
• Grandmother stew: Gilroyan Lacy Little has a granddaughter who loves this dish. It’s now called “Grandmother Stew” around Lacy’s house.
This is a true peasant dish, earthy and warm and homey. It can be served thick, like a stew, or as a soup, thinned with additional broth. Try it with some crusty French bread and maybe a nice glass of chianti.
Winter Vegetable Potage
3 tablespoons butter
4 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), thin sliced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
4 cups leftover cooked vegetables (such as broccoli and carrots and other root vegetables) or frozen thick-cut stew vegetables
2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes
2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Additional butter
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks, onion and garlic; cover and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups broth, cooked or frozen vegetables, potato, cabbage and rosemary. Bring soup to boil.
Reduce heat; partially cover pan and simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Thin soup, if desired, with additional broth.
Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each bowl with a thin pat of butter and freshly ground pepper.
Serves 4. Great leftovers.
Tip of the Week:
Manners: Melon — whether honeydew, cantaloupe, casaba or Persian — is eaten with a spoon. Only when it is skinned and served in wedges is a fork used.
The skinned wedge, often accompanied by prosciutto, is eaten with a knife
and fork. If melon balls are served, with or without syrup, use a dessert spoon.
Notes from Jenny’s Kitchen
If your homemade chicken broth seems wimpy, it may be the bird. …
Begin with an over-the-hill free-range hen. Load the pot with chunked vegetables: 2 large carrots (no need to peel), 2 large celery ribs (include tops), 2 large leeks (white part only), 1 quartered large yellow onion (no need to peel), 1/2 cup diced celery root, 2 to 3 large sprigs flat-leaf parsley. Add enough cold water to cover all by 1 inch. Simmer gently, uncovered, about 2 hours.
Remove and reserve chicken for another use. Strain everything else through a colander lined with cheesecloth; discard solids. Skim off fat and season broth to taste with salt and freshly ground white or black pepper. Makes about 6 cups.
Note: If the broth still seems insipid, simmer uncovered until reduced by about a third. Or even easier, add a couple of chicken bouillon cubes.
~ From “!,001 Secrets of Great Cooks,” by Jean Anderson
• End notes: “Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained …”
~ Lao-Tzu
