Hi friends. Well this has been an interesting and shocking week to say the least. I haven’t historically been one to get too wrapped up in politics, at least when it’s not an election year. And I’ll never be able to eloquently summarize the feelings that so many have shared across social media, or amongst our community. But it feels odd to write about only food without commenting on this noisy time.
Over the last week I’ve felt myself operating in a surreal haze, a bit on autopilot like when you don’t get much sleep. I have been troubled with fear and sadness. And have felt pain for others who are afraid. But…and there is a but…it’s also been a strong reminder of the core values that are so important, like the simple act of being kind, loving thy neighbor regardless of beliefs or race or gender. I picked my son up from school one day last week and he used the words that “XX can’t play with me. I don’t like him”. I explained to him that we should include everyone in school. Now of course he is still young and he will grow up to have his own core group of friends. And I’m sure he will have classmates he doesn’t prefer. But I caught myself this week thinking about how we are always teaching our children to be kind, inclusive, respectful, and to exercise empathy. And so, we should expect that of adults too. We all come from different walks of life. And we all have a story that led us to where we are today. And nobody can know what is truly driving a person all the time. Having differences of opinion is ok and what makes us a democracy, but we should always treat everyone the way we teach our kids, with respect. We will still have heated arguments from time to time and battle for our beliefs, but we should also take time to try and walk in another’s shoes.
Ok, that is my little soapbox. And for those of you doing some stress eating or needing some comfort, here’s the recipe for the comforting meal we ate on election night. It’s a one pan dish which in itself is comforting right?
I came up with the marinade kind of randomly. I was testing out some pumpkin wontons and while I liked them, the flavor kept reminding me of my favorite five spice chicken banh mi sandwich I get at SF ferry building.
And then I was seriously craving something I could pour over rice because rice is probably the most comforting thing for me.
I loved that when I cooked the chicken the marinade of pumpkin, coconut milk, lime juice, and five spice became this rich soupy sauce…perfect for rice! And it’s something that can be drenched with sriracha if you like. The only thing that was missing for me was some pickled radish or veggies on the side so I’ll have to do that next time.
- 12 chicken drumsticks
- 2 cups of Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
- 1 can pumpkin
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons five spice powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- Pat dry the chicken with paper towels and place in a large bowl or plastic freezer bag
- In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, coconut milk, lime juice/zest, soy sauce, five spice powder, salt, and pepper. Stir the mixture.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour (can marinade overnight).
- After marinating is complete, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large roasting or braising pan, add the quartered potatoes. Then pour in the chicken with all the marinade.
- Cover and place in the oven, and cook for 35 minutes.
- Then uncover, increase the temperature to 375 and cook for another 20 minutes (so the outside of the chicken browns).
I hope you enjoy friends. And whichever side of the fence you were on this week, let us all go forward trying to maintain a presumption of good faith in one another…that we are all working toward the same goal and that we all just want what’s best for our family, friends, and country.
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