"In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."
So said Dwight Eisenhower- you know, the guy who was at the head of a few major allied victories in World War II.
And maybe it's one of those observations that holds true, no matter the scale of the battle it's applied to.
Because on Friday, I woke up with a migraine like this.
So, into the fray went this gentle cook. An insipid little warrior, on a minuscule battlefield, determined to coax a weekend's worth of comfort food out of what was on hand in the kitchen.
And you know what?
It turned out okay. Bodies and souls have been comfort fed and rested back to health. Here's what happened:
I had leftover chicken breast that had been rubbed with curry seasoning, remember? And a can of coconut milk. And some rice.
I chopped and onion and carrot, sauteed it a bit, added the chicken, some rice, a little more curry powder, then some chicken broth, and let it cook till the rice was done, About 10 minutes.
Then I stirred in the can of coconut milk and....Thai (ish) chicken soup.
and the proof of that pudding?
Errrr....pudding.
or, more precisely, custard. For this man, coconut custard.
"You know", I said the to dog that night "I think that generally, custard is one of the world's great comfort foods. Let's make some"
A thought which birthed a truly horrible pun, that I can only hope to get out of my brain by inflicting it on others:
"you poor guy- be comforted. I made you a general custard"
Sigh. didn't work. That pun is going to stay as stuck as a song lyric for the foreseeable future.
You'll see the best, fastest and most versatile custard recipe I've found on a separate page.
The red sauce did turn into soup today, but not a creamy one. I sauteed onion, carrot, bell pepper and a little cabbage, added the red sauce, and enough chicken broth to get it soupy.
Beef broth is great in there too, as are navy beans and green beans. In the days before cholesterol was a consideration, I'd have added slices of smoked sausage or meatballs.
It seemed that a loaf of homemade bread would elevate this soup from comforting to downright healing, so I tried a "no-knead" recipe I found online. The smell of the loaf in the oven? bliss.
The end result? well... soggy, gummy and flat were among the nicer adjectives that came to mind.
I know that great no-knead recipes are out there- I made one last winter. Now....if I can just remember where I found it....
And of course I'm wondering what counts as comfort food in your own tummy, and that whatever it is, I'm hoping you have some of it inside of you soon. Just because you deserve a hug from the inside out too. Even if you're not sick. Even if it's not a horrible day.
More (sorta) indispensable planning and (most likely) useless plans on Wednesday!
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