Under the Weather

Been feeling a little under the weather lately. Apparently too much time harvesting Pearl Grass in the New World. Apparently just because you can breath under water, doesn’t mean you should spend hours at a time under the water :P.

But, this time laid up as brought me back to younger years and a memory of my father. Me curled up in his bed, swimming in the furs and belts he had there… He would smile at me “My little rogue.” He would say. Always made me smile. Days like these, he’d leave the ship in the care of Griggs or an overeager lieutenant full of too much piss and vinegar for his own good. Nothing like command of 50 men on a ship where a hundred things might go wrong at any moment to give a bullheaded officer some perspective. And while the rigors of a pirate’s life was making men out of boys, my father would tend to me. Story books and maps of what he called ‘The Old World’, and treasures from places he promised he’d take me back to, one day.

And for lunch? His chicken soup.

Chicken And Mushrooms

• Chicken Thigh or Leg, deboned.
• 5 medium sized Mushrooms, the darker the better. Slice to 1/4 ilm thickness (don’t worry, they’ll shrink as they cook).
• 2-3 tablespoons of Butter.
• 2 Celery Stalks, chopped.
• 1/2 an Onion, diced.
• 1 Garlic clove, minced.
• Salt and Pepper to taste.
• 1-2 cups of Chicken Stock or Bone Broth (water also works)
• Rice or noodles are optional, just add a few extra minutes at the end and for every 1/2 cup of rice you add, add 1 cup of water.

1. Start by getting your chicken chopped up into bite sized chunks, and put a tablespoon of butter in a pan on medium to high heat.
2. When the butter begins to sizzle, gently place the chicken in the pan with a little salt. We want to make sure each side is thoroughly browned and leaving those delicious brown bits for deglazing later.
3. Once the chicken is browned, deglaze with stock, broth, or water. About 1 cup.
4. In a pot or sauce pan, heat two tablespoons of butter in the pan until it begins to sizzle, then add medium sliced mushrooms and diced onion.
5. When the mushrooms are browned on both sides, add the celery and continue to cook and reduce.
6. When the celery has started to become translucent add garlic and cook until fragrant, then add our meat and deglaze from the pan.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste, and more broth/stock/or water to desired consistency.

Great for colds, and just days you want to spend with your father in bed reading about distant worlds.

((In all seriousness, sorry for not continuing “Thine Brother’s Keeper”. I have an ear infection and concentrating on editing just wasn’t happening. For example, a second ago that said “Cellery, chooped”, I shit you not. I hope this comes as a welcome repas. We’ll hopefully be back to our summer story next week!))