Month of December: “Eat” Recipe: Roast Chicken Pho

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” Robert Louis Stevenson

I talked about Abby yesterday with Dr. Grace Klein, my emotional guide and downright lifesaver. Grace runs the Center of Human Encouragement here in my hometown. I talked with her about how safe I always felt with Abby and wondered what it was about her that brought out that elusive feeling within me. I discovered it was raw honesty and complete emotional openness.

Abby was genuine and she was always honest with me. Never have I ever come across another soul who was so willing to be real about themselves no matter how difficult. I absolutely cherished that about her and I absolutely miss that about her. It is a rare find in this world and I realize more and more as I dig deep into my past just how damn lucky I was to stumble upon her on a tree planting site in no man’s land Texas all those years ago.

Ingredients: chicken thighs, rice noodles, dark soy sauce, honey, fish sauce, mirin, ginger, lime juice, star anise, chicken stock, chile, greens

Mix a tablespoon of dark soy sauce with a tablespoon of honey, a tablespoon of fish sauce and mirin and a chopped red chile. Pour into a small roasting pan, add 4 chicken thighs and turn them over in the mixture until lightly coated. Roast in an oven heated to 400F for about 25-30 minutes, occasionally turning the thighs over in sauce until dark and sticky. In a saucepan, heat 3.5 cups of chicken stock with 6 coin sized slices of fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 3 star anise. As it approaches a boil, add a small handful of shredded greens or chard, leaving them to cook for only a minute or two. Put 3.5 ounces of wide rice noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave them to soak for a couple of minutes until they are soft and silky. Drain the noodles and divide between the 2 deep bowls. Slice the chicken from the bones, and add to the noodles together with the greens, then ladle the stock on top.