It was a long weekend of domesticity at the Hen House, filled with episodes of Mad Men; wedding planning; cleaning the kitchen; annoying the cat.
It’s nice to have a break, even if like me, you’re a little Type-A-Minus. It’s cause for a slightly louche brand of celebration, one that’s champagne cocktails in the middle of a Monday and Moroccan Week takeout from Little Bear (my favorite new restaurant in Atlanta), in lieu of what’s in the refrigerator.
Another reason for celebration? I’ve been publishing this extended monologue for 10 weeks, and y’all seem to like it. Thanks for being here, thanks for reading, and thanks for sending me little notes of encouragement.
(I don’t know who needs to hear this right now, but Mad Men is allegedly leaving Netflix in June. Queue it up!)
IN HOPES THAT THE INCREASED NUMBER OF LINKS WON’T SEND THIS EMAIL TO YOUR SPAM FOLDER
Easy listening for working or cooking: this mix of vinyl cuts of soul, r&b, and jazz, “Grapefruit Moons & Black Balloons.”
Pompeii was a city of elegant villas and handsome public buildings, open squares, artisan shops, taverns, brothels and bathhouses. It also invented recycling.
Is it culinary gentrification, or is it “spicing up American food”?
“Smiles are innate, not learned. Social smiles use only the mouth muscles. True smiles, known as Duchenne smiles, cause the eyes to twinkle and narrow and the cheeks to rise.”
The latest in validating your quarantine emotions: allostatic load and the Dutch concept of niksen.
SALT IS THE DUST OF THE SEA, AND A NECESSARY COMPONENT OF PESTO CHICKEN PASTA
I made a whole mess of pesto this weekend, and needed to use up some chicken tenders. I’ll say with no small amount of pride that it made Adrian light up with joy like a Christmas tree. It was so perfectly, brutally good. So AllRecipes-level simple, and even better when you’ve made the pesto yourself.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes, max
Total time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the pesto:
1-2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup of nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, who cares)
½ cup olive oil
½ cup parmesan (or other salty, grating cheese)
2 cups of fresh herbs (you really can use whatever you have, mix ‘em up, say yes to life and love and mint in your pesto)
Half a lemon, salt* & pepper (*please use Maldon sea salt. Do it. Buy the bucket.)
For the dish:
~2-3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded to even thickness
½ cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 tsp. minced garlic
⅓ cup green pesto (directions below)
⅓ cup chicken broth
⅓ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated parmesan
Big Spaghetti Noodles
S&P to taste
WHAT TO DO:
Make the pesto:
There are many schools of thought with regard to pesto. Mine is that pesto is a palate exercise, not a prescription.
So, the only rule is there are no rules, but if you are the type who has to have rules, then use this one: 1 part nuts, 2 parts oil, 2 parts grating cheese, 8 parts leaves or herbs, as noted in the ingredients above.
Throw garlic in a food processor until it’s finely chopped. Then, add herbs, nuts, olive oil, and pulse all together until combined. Add parmesan and pulse again. Then, add juice of the 1 lemon, salt, and pepper and pulse again, and taste until it’s to your liking. DONE.
Make the rest of dinner:
Heat and grease a large sauté pan and cook chicken over medium heat, approximately 10 minutes on each side (or until browned on the outside and cooked through). Transfer to a plate to rest.
Add garlic and mushrooms to pan over medium heat, resisting the urge to move them around too much. Cook until mushrooms have browned and softened (and until the garlic has brownt, not burnt), about 5 minutes.
Add pesto to the pan and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir to combine with pesto. Whisk in cream until sauce is smooth, stirring constantly so nothing sticks or curdles. Add parmesan and stir until fully combined. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed, though exercise caution here per the salt levels of your pesto, lest you feel like a salt pillar in an hour’s time.
Return chicken to pan and toss in the sauce to coat. Use a wooden spoon to break up the chicken into manageable pieces, then cover over low heat.
While this is resting quietly, cook up some pasta noodles in a separate pot. The big, fat noodles are the best kind here. Don’t mess around with spirals or shells or angel hair (get out of here). Spiralized zucchini noodles would also be a fine substitute, but I’m not here to argue about what is “pasta” and what isn’t.
Garnish with fresh basil and serve.