"When you have your health, you have everything."

“When you have your health, you have everything. When you do not have your health, nothing else matters at all.” -Augusten Burroughs, Dry

I quoted only the first half because I do not totally agree with him. Food matters. Very, very much.

During the past couple of months, I have been volunteering to provide meals for a person who has cancer. He stopped with the chemo treatments because they were not helping and he is allowing the disease take its course. His family is doing everything they can to make him comfortable. I was told he has six months, more or less.

Providing meals is a bit of a challenge. At first, I was preparing meals with an emphasis on fresh, organic ingredients. I prepared them mainly in the form of soup using myself as a guide. Whenever I've been sick with a cold or flu (I know, it is no comparison to having cancer) soup is what I often craved. So I would provide a variety of soups so he could choose according to what he craved at the time.

pureed cauliflower soup
assorted veggies with a tomato dipping sauce
poached and shredded chicken breast

vegetable soup with diced chicken
vegetarian split pea soup
sauteed brussels sprouts
mixed green salad with avocado and lemon balsamic vinaigrette

red lentil soup
tortilla soup with a little shredded chicken
steamed broccoli
mixed green salad with avocado and a hazelnut oil and white balsamic vinaigrette

After a couple of procedures and complications, his diet was changed to a low fiber/low residue diet for 6-8 weeks in order to slow down his digestion. I found myself researching exactly what he is allowed to eat. Initially I found it to be a challenge, but it is getting easier to work around the limitations. Food with seeds, skins or peels are off because they can clog or get caught up and cause a problem. Everything has to be cooked to a soft consistency. No raw foods or leafy greens.  More recent meals included:

pureed potato leek soup
chicken-ginger broth soup with cubed potato and carrots
provencal fish soup
chicken and rice soup with diced carrots and butternut squash
avgolemono soup
petrale sole risotto

For last night's meal, I made lamb shanks braised in a red wine sauce, smashed potatoes, and butternut squash cubes for him. I received an email this morning saying that enjoyed his meal so much that he had a second helping. Reading that really made my heart sing and put a big smile on my face. It was a nice way to start off the day.

I'm signed up for two days of "meal duty" in January. I would sign up for more, but I want to give the other volunteers the opportunity to provide as well. Otherwise, I'd be happy to cook for him exclusively.

Enjoy and love life. It is everything. Wishing you all a Happy New Year.

variation on a theme

another week, another poached chicken, another pot of soup. this one is a variation on chicken tortilla soup. why a variation? i forgot to buy a package of corn tortillas to cut into strips and fry up as a garnish. but i did buy an ear of corn and had some corn meal so i adapted with what i had.

ingredients:
olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. chile powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin seed or 3-4 turns on a burr grinder
4 cups chicken stock/broth
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 tbsp corn meal
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme

one medium potato, diced
kernels from one ear of corn
shredded cabbage

1/3 cup diced chicken meat 
1 tsp chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

garnishes:
diced white onion
shredded cabbage
chopped cilantro
sliced avocado
shredded cheese
sour cream
lemon or lime wedges

method:
heat 3-qt saute pan on medium. add the olive oil and when it begins to shimmer add the onions. stir so it doesn't burn, then add the minced garlic, chile powder and cumin seed. let it fry up a bit then add the stock, tomato paste and tomato sauce. stir and bring up to a simmer then add the corn meal, oregano, thyme, potato, cabbage, and continue to cook until the potato is tender, about 5-10 minutes. stir in the corn kernels and chicken, turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro. salt and pepper to taste.

garnish as you like and enjoy!

autumn comfort

poaching a whole chicken is one of the easiest things to do. the method i use has always resulted in perfectly cooked breast meat that is tender and juicy, not stringy, tough or dry.

fill an 8 quart pot about 2/3 of water and add some aromatics - bay leaf, onion, clove, garlic, parsley, cilantro, ginger - choose your favorites. cover and bring to a boil. meanwhile, tend to your chicken. if it is in the refrigerator, take it out and unwrap it. if the giblets are inside the bird, remove them. rinse the cavity and the outside of the bird, then drain and pat dry.

when the pot has come to a boil, i add a tablespoon or so of kosher salt. the water won't taste salty, but i like to add some anyway. take the chicken by the legs and slowly lower it into the water, letting it fill the cavity, until it is completely submerged. the water temperature will stop boiling. wait for the water to start boiling again, then cover and turn off the flame. now find something else to do for a while.

when the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the lid off the pot and tip the legs of the chicken up so you can grab hold of them. slowly left the bird from the pot, letting it drain back into the poaching liquid. remove the meat from the bones and reserve. put the bones back into the poaching liquid and simmer for a stock. you may add more aromatics to the pot, if you wish. simmer for another hour or two. afterward, i like to chill down the stock so i can easily remove the chicken fat rendered.

now for the fun part ... time for soup!

1/2 chopped onion
1 glove garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 yukon potato, peeled and diced
1-2 carrots, peeled and diced
3-4 leaves chopped chard
3/4 cup cauliflower, sliced
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 cup cooked chicken, diced or shredded


optional ingredients:
tomato sauce to taste or 1-2 tbsp. tomato paste
chick peas, cooked, rinsed and drained
fresh green beans
sprouted tofu

whatever else you like


on a medium flame, heat a pan with a bit of olive oil and saute the onion until soft. add the minced garlic and saute another minute or two, taking care not to burn the garlic. add the potato and carrots and continue to saute, then add a ladle or two of chicken stock. let that cook down until the vegetables are soft, then add the chopped chard, cauliflower and zucchini. if the soup has gotten too thick, add more stock to get the proper consistency. add a 1/2 cup or so of the chicken you reserved earlier and then season with salt and pepper to taste.

feel free to add your own favorite vegetables, meat or other proteins. if you would like to add shell, elbow macaroni or egg noodles, i recommend cooking it separately and then adding it to the pot at the end.

hotdogs and spaghetti

i have memories of mom fixing spaghetti and hotdogs for dinner. the hot dogs were sliced into thin circles and dumped unceremoniously into a pot of tomato sauce and left to simmer while she prepared the spaghetti - break the noodle lengths in half and cook in furiously boiling water until done. drain, then pour the tomato sauce over the spaghetti and mix well. take a pair of tongs, snag some spaghetti onto a plate - and don't forget the green can of cheese.

fast forward to the present ... in this dish, i use organic chicken cocktail sausages and DeCecco spaghetti #12. it's playful, quick, and easy.

.::. ingredients .::.
aidells mini chicken-apple sausages, cut in half
DeCecco spaghetti #12, broken in half
your favorite jarred marinara or homemade sauce
parmesan-reggiano cheese (if you like)

for each sausage you will need 5 strands of spaghetti. go with what your appetite calls for. i'm usually good with 5-6 sausages (10-12 halves).

poke five strands of spaghetti into each sausage half. they only need to go in about 1/4 inch or so.

while warming your jarred or homemade sauce, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the spaghetti/sausage pasta first. cook until the pasta is al dente then drain. add your sauce and a shave of your best parmesan-reggiano cheese and serve.

note: i stab the sausage and twirl until all the spaghetti is wrapped around the fork. i find it to be the perfect ratio of pasta to meat!

naked plate of pasta and sausage