Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

AMUSE BOUCHE Ginger's green chili chicken
Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times
by Ames Hawkins
2010-06-30

This article shared 2944 times since Wed Jun 30, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Though I have been known to search online for particular recipes, clip tasty looking dishes from the pages of magazines, and peruse cookbooks for menu ideas, most all of the recipes I repeatedly make have come to me through personal relationships and lived experience. Time spent in other countries, as well as in other people's homes right here in the United States, have been my most fruitful sites of recipe collection. Even if all I've done is adopt ( and usually adapt ) a recipe someone else clipped from a newspaper, one made for me and my family at their dinner table, the fact is that rather than actively looking for recipes, I wait for them to come to me.

What this means is that, for me, recipe collection is somewhat unexpected, an unanticipated magical moment when I feel compelled to transition a particular gesture of hospitality from someone else's table to my own.

Last fall, I traveled to Albuquerque as a way of creating time and space to write. The friend I usually stayed with had acquired new roommates and while there was still room for me at her house, new roommates, boyfriends and girlfriends had converted what I had once experienced as a quiet space into more of a dormitory situation. So, I asked Ginger, someone I knew through this other friend, if I could stay with her.

For me, Ginger's green chili chicken is noteworthy principally because, for Ginger, the meal we ate was nothing more than a way of converting leftovers into dinner. The ingredients used were chosen by lot, not by design. She had an onion, a mexican zucchini ( a squash that is light green in color than standard zucchini, fleshier, and with fewer seeds ) , one cob of corn, and the remains of a grocery store rotisserie chicken.

She began by chopping and frying the onions and zucchini; then she added the corn. I looked into the fry pan and was sure it'd be fine, but I also know now that were it not for the next ingredient, I would never have remembered, let alone reproduced, this dish. "Here's what I always use to make things taste good," she told me as she removed a can of medium-hot green chili enchilada sauce from her cupboard. "You really can pour this over anything and it'll make it better."

She added the can of sauce and the chicken to the vegetables, turning the heat to low, stirring until the veggies were soft and the sauce thickened. We ate the stew-like concoction with tortillas.

I have to admit, I rarely cook with this little of a plan in mind. Recipes may come to me as unforeseen miracles, but the meals I make are planned. Perhaps it is a reflection of my type-A personality—my needing to know what I am doing each night, to be sure I have the ingredients I'll need, to not leave the feeding of my family to chance. Certainly, this is one reason why I have codified her miraculous refashioning of refrigerator odds and ends. I wanted to be able to repeat the experience, to bring the flavors and textures of the meal into my own life on a regular basis.

But there's something else at work here, too. Each time I make this recipe, each time I invite other people to our table to share this food, I think about Ginger. I recall our time together, the meal we shared, the city of Albuquerque and all of the friends I have there.

Admittedly, you may not have any connection to Ginger, or Albuquerque, or me. But what you do now have, in addition to the recipe, is the story. And what I know is that recipes and stories sustain much more than our bodies. They enrich our lives. I could tell you that you want to make this dish because it is easy, economical and delicious. But, really, I encourage you to give this a try, invoking the same spirit in which the recipe came to me: one friend's hospitality to another.

Ginger's green chili chicken:

—1 to 1 1/2lbs of already cooked chicken—I have used roasted chicken and grilled chicken breasts

—1 large sweet onion ( if available )

—1 larger "Mexican" zucchini—but regular zucchini with the seeds removed will work

—Corn removed from 1-2 cobs

—½ tbs of olive oil

—1 can of green chilis

—1 can of green chili enchilada sauce

—Queso fresco and chopped cilantro ( optional )

1 ) Dice onion and zucchini; cut corn ( can be cooked or uncooked ) from cobs.

2 ) Heat a pan with olive oil.

3 ) Add onions to the hot pan first, for a few minutes before adding the zucchini and corn. Cook until the onion is translucent.

4 ) Add the can of green chilis, the green chili enchilada sauce and the chicken.

5 ) Cook for 5-15 minutes—until you're satisfied with the doneness of the vegetables and the and consistency of the sauce.

6 ) Serve with tortillas or over rice ( as shown in the photo ) ; add queso fresco as a topper/garnish.


This article shared 2944 times since Wed Jun 30, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

SAVOR Easter roundup for 2024 2024-03-24
- Easter is a time to celebrate rebirth, spring, life—and brunches. Chicagoland restaurants will be out in full force on Sunday, March 31, offering Easter meals—some with their own twists (including ...


Gay News

SAVOR WhiskyX, an Easter soiree, a pizza-making class and more 2024-03-24
- I'll drink to that: On March 21, I was invited to check out dozens of whiskeys, rums, tequilas and other spirits at WhiskyX, which took place at the Chicago venue Morgan MFG and which hundreds of ...


Gay News

SAVOR REVIEW Sushi By Bou 2024-03-19
- Going into a sushi restaurant, I didn't expect to hear a 1920s version of the Carly Rae Jepsen hit "Call Me Maybe" emanating from the speakers. However, that and other Great Gatsby-like flourishes can be found ...


Gay News

SAVOR Gemini Grill opens, 'Rick Bayless Day' and more 2024-03-17
- —And I quote: I'm not crazy about reality, but it's still the only place to get a decent meal."—Groucho Marx —Pop life: Don't forget my other Substack: "Pop-Eds: My takes on pop culture." Thank you so ...


Gay News

SAVOR REVIEW La Grande Boucherie 2024-03-14
- Just a few months ago, The Group NYC—a hospitality consortium based in you-know-where—opened the Italian restaurant Olio e Piu in Chicago's River North neighborhood. You can read my review of ...


Gay News

SAVOR James Beard contest, a new Publican opens and a PAWS event 2024-02-25
- Contest: You have a chance to be in on all the action during the chef-studded James Beard Award weekend of June 8 in Chicago. Among other things, the grand prize winner will get a three-stay in ...


Gay News

SAVOR Green City Market; Sofitel's 'Un-Tea' time 2024-02-24
- For those who wonder about the lack of a farmers' market in Chicago during the winter months, I point you toward Green City Market (GCM) Avondale, taking place on Saturdays at 8 a.m.-1 p.m. through March ...


Gay News

SAVOR A new Sushi By Bou, a seafood boil class and James Beard scholarships 2024-02-18
- Pop life: Don't forget my other Substack: "Pop-Eds: My takes on pop culture." Thank you so much to the people who've already subscribed. The latest entry (Feb. 17) features Beyonce, Zendaya and my Oscar predictions. Subscribe ...


Gay News

SAVOR At Willies 'n Waffles, sexuality is on the menu 2024-02-12
- Having written about Chicago's culinary scene for at least 15 years, this writer has covered all sorts of spots—from Michelin-starred upscale establishments to those so-called "holes in the wall" that can serve some of the best ...


Gay News

SAVOR 'The Bear,' new pizza lounge, Chicago Black Restaurant Week 2024-02-11
- "Bear" necessities: The third season of the Chicago-set series The Bear will debut in June, per Variety. FX chairman John Landgraf made the announcement during the network's presentation at the Television Critics Association's winter 2024 press ...


Gay News

SAVOR Taylor's Tacos' Chef Taylor Mason on being part of the Vegas event 'Pepsi Dig In' 2024-02-08
- On Feb. 8-10 (Super Bowl weekend), Taylor's Tacos Chef Taylor Mason and wife/co-owner Maya Mason will be showcasing two exclusive dishes at the Pepsi Dig In: Brunch with the Best takeover at Delano Las Vegas, giving ...


Gay News

SAVOR Jean Banchet Awards, new Black-owned spots and free pizza 2024-02-04
- Congrats!: The winners of the Jean Banchet Awards—which honor Chicago cuisine—were recently announced at Venue Six10. Longtime Chicago Tribune critic Phil Vettel was (justifiably) honored with the Culinary Excellence of ...


Gay News

SAVOR Chocolatier Uzma Sharif on being part of World of Chocolate 2024-02-03
- AIDS Foundation Chicago will hold its annual World of Chocolate event on Friday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. at Union Station, 500 W. Jackson Blvd. Attendees will embark on a global tour of chocolate—but there will ...


Gay News

SAVOR Valentine's/Galentine's Day offerings for 2024 2024-02-01
- Love is in the air—until it isn't. While some couples will be getting ready to celebrate their closeness (and all that other mushy stuff) on Valentine's Day, others will get together to celebrate Galentine's Day (celebrating ...


Gay News

New Survey: Unstable housing most cited reason for food insecurity among LGBTQ+ youth 2024-01-30
--From a Williams Institute press release - A new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that 85% of LGBTQ+ youth programs surveyed said unstable housing was the main reason LGBTQ+ youth had inadequate access to food. The programs ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.