The weather in west Torrance is lovely at this time of year, if somewhat varied and unpredictable. Spring rains are abating rapidly, but gusty coastal winds and bouts of cloud cover can result in unseasonably cool temperatures (especially indoors, with all the breeze and none of the sun). Gradually, however, the days are warming. Temperatures aren’t likely to peak until the month of August, but they are expected to rise into the high 70s or low 80s by July. So Tyler and I are finishing the end of Spring cuisine with a warm, hearty meal—the likes of which we’ll probably not revisit again until the end of this year or the beginning of the next.

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My usual procedure for developing a new recipe is something like this:

1. Research
2. Draft Recipe
3. Experiment
4. Reflection
5. Revision, Revision, Revision

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Week 2 is already finished, and my plans are on schedule. Among other culinary trips (see the new beef stroganoff and updates to cranberry orange bread), this week’s accomplishments include smoked ham-vegetable stock, peanut butter milk chocolate bark, candied orange zest, dark chocolate bark with said zest, potato rosemary rolls with roasted garlic, brown roux, and a test run on roasted chestnuts.

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Sweat was flowing down my back, and I was still catching my breath after running on the treadmill. My husband, returning to the gym room with the weekly grocery ads, turned to me and grumbled, "There’s no special on turkeys this year." "Huh?" was my articulate response. I looked and indeed, there was barely a nary a mention of the holiday bird. I shrugged and said, "So?" He eyed me somewhat blandly and said, "Thanksgiving is next week." I gaped at him. I stuttered. I vehemently denied. And then I realized I was speaking with the family’s resident encyclopedia of doom, and I thought, ‘He must be right.’

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Occasionally I get the urge to cook what no sane, modern man or woman should ever try. Take today for instance—I thought, "Wouldn’t it be great to make Mom’s Japanese curry, but without the help of roux from a box?" Ha bloody ha-ha. Okay, so maybe starting this the day after the cioppino was not my brightest idea. Starting this after finishing a fish stock, a molten cake, a cioppino, and a pesto while also working on two loaves of bread was truly the pinnacle of brilliant scheduling. But like you, I thought, "I just need to make a roux. How hard could it be?" I’ve made roux thousands of times and killed thousands of roux babies. I eat roux for breakfast (okay, not really). But still!

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Meat, in terms of both quality and variety, is an unfortunate casualty of the modern grocery mega-mart and the demand for cheap. Unless you know a good butcher or shop at a higher-end chain store, certain cuts or types of meat are virtually impossible to obtain. Don’t believe me? Try buying fresh rabbit for an authentic paella. In Los Angeles county you can supposedly buy rabbit from Bristol Farms, but the prices at said store are very steep and cater to the wealthy rather than the everyday cook. What about fresh (not frozen) cornish hens? Or more esoteric ingredients, like goose liver or sheep’s stomach? Good luck.

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The cool weather in northern Pennsylvania was a good excuse to revisit this wonderful, rich and hearty soup. There’s not much in the way of broth—at least when I prepare it—but if thick and chunky isn’t your style, you can easily change the consistency by adding more milk, cream, and roux. This recipe is easily one of my all-time favorite comfort foods.

5-7 pieces of thick cut bacon
2½ lbs chicken breast
1½ lbs chicken thigh, with skin and bone
2½ tsps salt + extra
fresh ground pepper
1 white onion, chopped
6-8 stalks of celery, chopped

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