The Next Jamie?

I've been very behind lately -- same excuses, same apologies -- but I've got a little bit of time now, so why not write my heart out.

April 4th marked 5 years of wedded bliss for me and Rafa. Ok, well maybe not bliss, but I haven't killed the guy yet, so I guess that means I love him a whole lot. :)

We went away for the weekend to the Pocono Mountains up in Pennsylvania. It was a surprise, and it was awesome to get away from everything, and to finally remember what relaxation is all about.

When we got back, my mom came over with cake and cookies to congratulate us on our anniversary. I asked her to stay for dinner, and she did! A rare thing. My parents don't usually hang around my apartment that much. Which is as much my fault as is theirs... but anyway. Rafa made dinner. Another rare thing!

When we lived in England, he used to make a chicken in white wine and garlic sauce. It was fabulous. Of course, it's something he adapted from his childhood in Spain.

I completely disagreed with his method, but forced myself to stay out of the kitchen and to stop being controlling for once in my life....

So I wasn't there to notice the method of madness, but here's a rough copy of the recipe...

Put a little bit of olive oil into a large stock pot and add any cuts of chicken you like. Add salt, whole garlic cloves, spanish paprika (it must be pimenton), and a whole bottle of white wine. Leave to get to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and let cook for 30-45 minutes.

I was convinced that the skinless breast of chicken we had in there would dry out completely, but it didn't. After about 30 minutes, the breast was still floating in there, and the sauce had reduced a bit, though there was still a lot of it. We were all hungry, so I suggested we thicken the sauce by adding cornstarch that had been mixed into some water. After 5 minutes, that did the trick. And what we got was a delicious plate of aromatic, gorgeous flavored chicken.

You could really detect the paprika, which is not really flavorful unless you get a Hungarian or Spanish one, in my belief. And the garlic cloves had melted into the sauce, making it even thicker still. We ate this with oven fries, some buttery corn, and a few pieces of garlic bread. A few days later, my sister had told me how my mom raved about the dinner.... She said the meal was delicious, flavorful, and done under 30 minutes. I think she should be writing ads for the Food Network.... Well I obviously haven't given my galloping gourmet of a husband enough credit. You'd think I'd learn after 5 years....