Still no answer for Ferdinand A. I am about to go to work across an ocean, so change is nuts B. No idea sounds like a sure bet so C. I’ll keep working on it and distract myself with the much easier question of what the heck to do with the chicken.
A lot of people, including almost everyone I have ever worked for, insist on breast off the bone. I am a believer that skin and bone are some of the best flavor boosters you are going to find when it comes to chicken, and before I knew what it meant to seriously have no time, when finding time to brush your teeth is an issue, then I’m all for naked chicken. One of the best things you can do is make brodetto.
Cut the breast into equal pieces, each a cube of about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Lay them out flat (not in a bowl) and season with kosher salt, until well coated. Now toss them with flour, just enough to coat. Heat up a little butter and olive oil, or only olive oil in a heavy pan until hot, but not smoking. Add the chicken, in a single layer, no overcrowding–it’s better to do it in batches. Brown on all sides and remove from the pan. Add a little bit more butter, just a knob, and then finely sliver about four cloves of garlic for 2 whole breasts. Add those to the pan and get them golden, along with a sprig of rosemary and a sprig of sage or thyme. Get the chicken back in the pan and give it a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Add about 1/2 cup of dry delicious white wine and about 1/4 cup of your own stock. Let this simmer gently until the chicken is JUST cooked through. Check a piece to see if it is no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken. Cook the sauce a bit more if it’s too thin, and then off the heat, swirl in one more tab of butter. Give it a grind of black pepper (go easy) and about a tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley. Taste. Swirl the sauce around the chicken and serve with toasted pignoli.
Not to add to your guilt, but could your impending trip be the cause of his reluctance to go to school? You’re his security blanket and maybe he thinks if you’re away, he won’t have you to go to if a conflict or problem occurs (be it teacher or classmate, or who’ll make his lunch or breakfast, or pick him up if he gets sick, etc…)I’m not a phsycologist, nor do I play one on TV, but this was my first thought.
I love your blog, by the way, and your recipes are inspiring.
Take care.
You are absolutely right about my going away. It is always a stress for all of us. The thing is, I have been going away for the same amount of time for the past five years, and though he is stressed, he has never responded the way he is responding now. He is also older this year though and could have a clearer idea of exactly what it means to have Mom be gone for nearly 3 weeks before he comes along to Italy, but the behavior in school has been since the beginning of the year. It is hard to blog about because I would never want the teacher to think I don’t have the utmost respect for her so I leave out what could come across as complaining. I think it comes down to personality–in the same way that one person’s absolute best fit of a husband could drive another person to the edge. And of course, everybody needs to know that life is about figuring out how to cope, but I really believe that there are some situations where it is best to just try again with someone else.