Good morning. I had this idea that I was going to cook fish sticks with peas (above), on account of how excellent the recipe is. It retains the look and feel of a classic meal of my childhood, while allowing for adult tastes: turmeric in the fish batter for warmth and hue; mint, lemon zest and red pepper flakes in the peas for pop. (Make this outstanding tartar sauce to go with it.)
But the fishmonger had closed for the day. I had no backup plan. I returned to my kitchen to stare into the fridge and wait for a muse to alight on my shoulder.
I had some boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Heavy cream. Butter. And, in the back of the liquor cabinet, a dusty bottle of sherry. I thought: All right. Here’s a no-recipe recipe for freestyle chicken à la king.
Cube the chicken and sauté it in neutral oil with a healthy spray of salt and black pepper. You’re looking to get just a bit of crust on the meat, some coloration. It should be barely cooked through. Dump that in a bowl and set it aside.
Wipe out the pan and pour in about half a cup of sherry. Let it reduce by half, then add a cup of cream and a half cup of chicken broth. (For this application, I make that with Chinese “chicken powder,” which is like dry bouillon and monosodium glutamate.) Cook that over fairly high heat, stirring often, until it reduces by half. Slide the chicken into the sauce to heat through, and serve over buttered toast.
As for the rest of the week …
Monday
This lovely summer pasta with zucchini, ricotta and basil tastes pretty good with supermarket ricotta. But if you can lay in some seriously fluffy Italian artisanal cheese shop ricotta? Holy cats!
Tuesday
Here’s a recipe for snapper escovitch, developed by Millie Peartree. It’s for whole fish but you can make it with fillets and, if you do, you can follow Millie’s advice and serve them as sandwiches, with mayonnaise cut with lime juice and perfumed with cilantro.
Wednesday
It’s always good to have a container of frozen cooked rice in the freezer, so you can make this exceptional fried rice with tomatoes that cook down and coat the grains, which get a kick from Thai chiles and a camphor sweetness from basil.
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