Shovel Ready

I'm shovel ready all right but I don't think any government aid is coming my way.

What needs shoveling is my office in Minneapolis. It's become a pit of papers in anticipation of leaving. Maybe I should retrieve the snow shovels so recently stored from winter here in the frozen North and literally dig myself out.

There's the stack of post-tax filing receipts waiting to be filed, travel documents sitting on the floor waiting to be packed in my carry-on, recipe notes for an article due before I leave on Friday, etc., etc., etc. I know I'm doomed. The documents will go with me and the article work will get done but the scattered detritus will remain, patiently waiting for my return. It's no wonder that France looks so good when all the annoying bookwork comes here to the States for tending. How nice,though, to have a place to escape for a while from the inevitable, complicated business of 21st century living.

In the meantime, I'm plodding my way through what I can sort without going right over the over-load edge of detail insanity. Once out of the office, there's the bedroom, with clothing waiting to be packed, winter clothes ready to be put away, and shoes like size 8 1/2 ants, marching from bed to closet to feet and back again. Oh the shoes. The sandals are emerging, two by two, like the animals on Noah's ark, already multiplying with the advent of spring.

Gotta love 'em; gotta hate 'em, like every obsession.

With the opportunities for shoveling out the chaos seemingly endless, cooking meals seems to be getting short shrift. Since a girl needs to keep up her strength, I'm still managing to get in my three squares. Tonight, for example, I've turned to a great little recipe from my Bistro Chicken book that focuses on easy, stress-free preparation with dynamite--and very French--results. Here it is for any fellow shovelers to try:

BLANCS DE VOLAILLE BONNE FEMME
Rustic Boneless Chicken Breast Sauté (Bonne Femme)

Bonne femme translates as good woman or good wife and the term, in cooking, usually connotes a rustic, country style of cooking, often with slab bacon, onions, and potatoes. Poulet bonne femme, the more customary treatment for chicken, uses bone-in chicken pieces and cooks a bit more slowly. I’ve taken the liberty of speeding up the process using boneless, skinless breasts. Today, the good wife or good husband—the bon mari—gets dinner to the table as quickly as possible.

4 servings

2 tablespoons canola oil
½ cup diced, thick-cut mild bacon
Four 6 to 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¾ cup frozen whole baby onions, thawed
2 cups diced, cooked boiling potatoes (about ¾-inch dice)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the canola oil. When hot, add the diced bacon; sauté until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Add the breasts, seasoned with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, along with the onions. Sauté until golden brown on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, turning once, until the chicken is no longer pink in the thickest portion when cut with a knife, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove the breasts to a warm platter; top with the onions. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Increase the heat to medium-high. When hot, add the potatoes and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned; season with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in the bacon. Scatter the potato mixture over the breasts and serve immediately.

Truc: Our salt pork tends to be a bit tough when simply sautéed and not simmered so bacon is a better choice here. If time allows and for a more authentic taste, drop the bacon in simmering water for about 5 minutes and pat the diced pieces dry before sautéing. It removes some of the smoky flavor.

For cooked potatoes in a hurry, quarter 2 or 3 medium boiling potatoes and cook them in a microwave-safe covered container with a tablespoon of water on high in your microwave until barely tender, about 8 minutes. If you start them before sautéing the bacon, they’ll be slightly cooled and ready for dicing while the chicken finishes cooking. Synchronizing your timing is one of the ways to get a meal done quickly.

It's April now and the piles for France surround me once again. This year we'll have a new tablecloth. We bought cheery, cherry red fabric on closeout last fall and I brought it home for hemming. That's stacked up along with a guide book for Corsica.

You see, to bring in a bit more funding to supplement our fall cooking tour of Provence, we've listed our house on Vacation Rental by Owner http://www.vrbo.com/222704 and managed to rent the house right out from under us just shortly after we arrive. So, what were two cooks with wanderlust going to do but wander?

Last year, we'd checked into going to Corsica, the birthplace of Napoleon and a favorite vacation get away for many of our French friends. But, with the euro being exceedingly strong and our income heading the other way, we gave the island a pass.

Having maneuvered ourselves right out of our own door, we decided to use the rental money to explore this rugged piece of France that, in truth, is positioned far closer to Italy in the Mediterranean. Make money on this deal? I don't think so but we'll have fun and I'll have lots to pass on in my blog.

Right now I'm at the what needs to be dealt with before leaving stage of the trip--taxes most urgently but then bills, writing assignments, and scheduling details not far behind on the to-do list. It makes getting on the plane something to look forward to, even with the increasing inconvenience and discomfort of airline travel. Settled in my economy seat, I begin leaving the accelerated pace of US life behind and head towards the tranquility of my Mollans.