Date I made this recipe:
April 18, 2016 – belated observance of National Library Week
Tables of Contents –
Recollections and Recipes from The New
York
Published by: Crown
Publishers, Inc.
ISBN: 0-517-59093-X; © 1993
Purchased at Barnes and Noble Used Books – Roseville , MN
Recipe: Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice) – p. 72 –
from the Mambo-themed fundraising dinner hosted by Deborah and Peter
Krulewitch, Gillian Jolis, and Andrew Goldstein
I love books. I love
libraries. I like books about
libraries. I love library books.
I love cookbooks so much that I have a huge collection,
better than most public libraries and many of them were, somewhat hilariously, acquired
at used library books sales.
I also love New
York . And I
love the lions named Patience and Fortitude gracing the front of the New York Public Library located at 5th Ave
and 42nd Street . Not that the other New York Public library
branches are not nice – I've stepped inside a few – but this is the best,
especially if you like architecture...and lions. (To read more about the lions, go to this
website: http://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/library-lions)
So when I read that last week (April 10-16) was National Library Week, well then kids, I
knew I had just the cookbook – Tables of
Content - published in 1993, recapping all kinds of dinner party benefits
hosted by some of New York City 's
best and most importantly, wealthy library patrons. Although the Twin Cities libraries have their
own fundraiser (St. Paul 's is called Opus and Olives), I think New York has probably
had a lock and load on this gig for a long, long time.
I've often said that cookbooks are a snapshot into people,
cultures, time and space and the "Who's Who" from this 1993 cookbook
is vastly different from the modern day's "2016 Who's Who" list. Still, the one thing that never changes is
that the people who attend these events have money and usually prestige as well. I have neither so suffice it to say that I
cannot afford to live in NYC, never mind attend a single one of these events.
In fact, and I hate to say this, looking through this
cookbook is rather depressing. My little
abode here in Minneapolis
is nothing like the huge apartments these folks own that are big enough to
house the Queen Mary never mind host these "intimate" gatherings of
100 or so people. I don't have "people"
nor do I have money to hire "people," and I sure don't have evening
wear such as displayed here on these pages.
Not that I don't have a evening gown or two in my closet, I do, but not
one that came from say, Barneys New York (I stopped in one time and
looked just for fun but most things were out of my price range...not that I
have a price range) or a Vera Wang
original. (Does it count if I've walked by her store several times?) That said, I had a gown made by Kristen, The Dressmaker, that I wore when I was
gala chair for the 2008 Arc Greater Twin
Cities fundraising gala. (Arc is a nonprofit agency providing
advocacy and support to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities
and their families.) The dress may not
have had that NY "sniff sniff" factor (i.e. turned up nose) but it
was a fabulous dress, designed based on a drawing of a 1950's dress of similar
design and it was in the color purple, one of my favorite colors. So take that Park Avenue !
This cookbook is all about benefit dinner "themes"
and so each chapter contains a recap with some recipes from the menu du jour. The late actress, Elaine Stritch, was a
notable guest at the "Dinner at the Round Table" fundraiser, while
author and humorist, Calvin Trillin and his late wife, Alice (subject of his
hilarious book, Alice Chinatown restaurants in takeout boxes,
natch. Love.
"A Literary Feast" featured dishes from famous
books such as Babette's Feast by
Isak Dinesen (Loved. That. Movie.) and Portrait
of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. "The Moderns" featured dishes named
after famous modern artists such as Georgia O'Keefe and Man Ray and my theme
dinner – Mambo – centered on the book, The
Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijelous.
Incredible edibles on that menu featured "Spiced Crab
Cake with Papaya Chutney," "Sausage Empanadas," "Sweet
Plantain Soup," "Rum Mousse" – alas, recipes not included, and
"Arroz con Pollo" (Chicken and Rice) and "Black Beans with
Tomato and Onions" – recipes were
included. And although I almost always
make black beans when I make arroz con pollo, this time around I made just the
chicken and rice and that was plenty.
The repast at this library benefit was accompanied by a mambo exhibition
done by trained professionals and then after that, anyone could join in. Sounds like my kind of party!
Unlike most of the chicken and rice recipes I've made in the
past, this recipe calls for you to cook the rice separate from the chicken so
that was new. And not that this is a
spicy dish but I was surprised that what little spice was used – cayenne
pepper, paprika and bay leaf – was used in the marinade and that was it. The dish was delicious but I was expecting
more. That said, arroz con pollo is one
of those dishes that varies by country or region in the same way that other
dishes, such as pasta sauce, vary by country, region and family.
I was also intrigued by the "dry rub" marinade of
chicken, onions, cayenne pepper, paprika and bay leaf. I couldn't help but think we were missing a
liquid like olive oil or juice or something.
And no mention was made about oil or even butter for browning the
chicken. Finally, the recipe calls for
boneless chicken breasts but said nothing about getting "skinless" as
well. I used boneless, skinless chicken
breasts and that was fine and frankly, if I'm at a dinner party, I do not want
to deal with chicken skin so I think my method was better but as always, it
would have been nice to know.
Once the marinating time is over, you prepare the rice, then
prepare the chicken and then serve it up, one of top of the other and top it
with strips of red pepper (and chopped parsley if desired). Done, done and done!
For the curious, the last several pages of this book (p.
172-179) list all the volunteer hosts and hostesses for these shindigs,
starting in 1983 and ending in 1993.
Honestly, I felt like I should genuflect or something because there are
some big names. And for the sake of the New York Public Library and libraries
everywhere, let's hope they gave big money to keep these institutions
afloat. Say what you will about e-Books,
but you can't exactly cozy up to a smart phone on a rainy day, getting absorbed
in the yarn in front of you, and it goes without saying that you cannot dog-ear
the last page you read on a phone.
Long live libraries!
Arroz con Pollo
(Chicken and Rice) – serves 6 to 8
Ann's Note: you need to marinate the chicken for at least
four hours or overnight if possible.
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut in quarters (Ann's Note: it doesn't say whether or not to use
boneless, skinless, breasts but I
did. Also, you may want to cut the
chicken into smaller pieces.)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large onions, diced (Ann's
Note: divided)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon saffron
2 cups white rice
4 cups chicken broth
Salt to taste
2 cups white wine
*2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced plum tomatoes (Ann's Note: see directions below for peeling tomatoes)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 10-ounce package frozen peas
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in strips (garnish)
Chopped parsley (garnish)
*To peel tomatoes, cut an "x" in the top and
bottom of the tomato. Place in boiling
water for about a minute or until skin starts to peel back. Place tomatoes in cold water/ice water bath,
then peel and seed.
Marinate the chicken breasts with the garlic, half the diced
onion, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, and paprika for at least for hours, or
overnight if possible.
In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium
heat. Add the saffron. Sauté about a minute, then add the rice and
sauté until all the rice is separated. Add
the chicken broth, lower the heat, and let it simmer until all the broth is
gone. (Ann's Note: about 20 minutes or longer.) The rice should be cooked by then; if not,
add about ½ cup hot water and let it cook off.
Salt to taste.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté the chicken
breasts (2 or 3 at a time) for about 5 minutes on each side, or until they are
light brown. Set aside in the same
saucepan. Sauté the remaining diced
onions for 5 minutes, or until translucent.
Then return the chicken breasts to the pan, add the white wine, chopped
tomatoes, and green pepper, and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Ann's Note: because today's chicken breasts are of the
gargantuan variety, I suggest cutting the quarters down into bite-size pieces
so they cook better. You may also need
to cook them longer than 15 minutes to ensure the pieces are done. Add the frozen peas and cook for an
additional 5 minutes.
Place the chicken breasts on top of a bed of rice in a large
serving bowl. Garnish with the strips of
red pepper and the chopped parsley.
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