My mom used to have a big red Le Creuset pot—you know, the heavy, expensive, brightly colored cookwear sold at stores like William-Sonoma—and out of it came all of my favorite meals.
A wine-soaked beef stew, chicken and dumplings or even a quick chili—I loved them all. Some simmered for hours, on a Sunday afternoon while we worked on a jigsaw puzzle. Others were quicker, weeknight foods, things she could throw together after work.
Mom loved these recipes, I'm sure, because you could put them together, set them on simmer, and forget about them. They weren't always fast cooking, but being one-pot meals, they were quick to clean up. They were also easy to serve, needing nothing more to accompany them than a crisp salad and a wedge of crusty bread.
Le Creuset pots are pretty indestructible. Ours did die, though, in a car fire. Mom and my brother were camping in Lassen National Park when they noticed smoke coming out of our Volkswagen bus. They got out of the car and, along with a couple of park rangers, stood by the side of the road and watched it burn. Apparently, there wasn't anything anyone could do about it.
For years afterwards, we'd hunt for things around the house—a skillet, a sweater, a piece of camping gear—only to realize, oh yeah, that burned up in the bus.
There was no forgetting we lost the big red pot, though. Although I can replicate her cooking, Mom's specialties just aren't the same without it.
Serves 6 to 8
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 large garlic cloves, minced
8 to 10 ounces cooked chicken, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 to 8 ounces cooked andouille sausage, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 cups white long grain rice
Hot sauce (Tabasco, for example), for serving
In a 5- to 6-quart stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the peppers and sauté 2 minutes. Add the onion and sauté 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute.
Stir in the chicken, sausage, tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, salt and paprika. Bring to a boil, stir in the rice, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook until the rice is tender and almost all the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Serve with hot sauce for passing at the table.
Copyright Jill Silverman Hough. All rights reserved.
www.jillhough.com.