Three Months Later, Still Cooking

Apparently, there is only one part of my life that I'm passionate enough about to write about: food.

Sidenote: Why is it that us theatrical types love food so much anyway? I know no fewer than 3 theater artists who have pursued professional cookery in some manner or other. Probably would be more if I asked around. I imagine it has something to do with the combination of simplicity and sensuality. My dinner this evening was immensely pleasurable, created inexpensively in the comfort of my own home, and -other than patience and the tiny bit of ingenuity necessary to decide to try it- required no special skill or equipment. What other activity compares?

I don't know what I would call this dish... Italian Chicken maybe? I stewed some chicken thighs (4 for about $2.50!!) in what could pretentiously be called a tomato reduction. Ready? Easiest 1 pan hearty meal ever:

Trim the fat and skin off the chicken thighs. This is the hardest part of the whole endeavor, but still, there's no reason to eat all that glop.

Coarsely chop about 1/4 of a large onion, about 1/2 a green pepper, and 4 cloves of garlic. Saute them in some olive oil for a few minutes, just to get the oil nice and flavorful.

Now the chicken goes in the pan. Season it with oregano, basil, paprika, and a little red pepper, and give it a few minutes on each side to brown.

Once the chicken has browned slightly, pour a can of crushed tomatos over the whole thing, give it a little stir, cover, and reduce the heat. Let it simmer for a good solid hour, or more, checking every once in a while (maybe every 20 min? I always have to force myself to leave these things alone and not constantly poke at them, because I get so excited... but you really don't need to bother it while it cooks.) and turning the chicken so it gets sauce on both sides.

Make some pasta and a salad, and you have a full delicious meal!