COVID-19, man. What better excuse to start writing some recipes again?

We’re all struggling. No need to get into all the ways. I had a big birthday on March 25th, which happened to be the same day the US officially became #1 in the world for infections, and New York, my birthplace, became the #1 tinderbox in the nation. Let’s just say it wasn’t the milestone birthday I always imagined.

But let’s talk silver linings for a sec.

This shelter-in-place birthday gave me an excuse to connect over video chat with a lot of friends from different life stages dispersed across the country. The birthday sparked connections with friends that haven’t been in the same room for years, or ever. And one of those groups has been everything.

Christiane’s rehearsal dinner, circa 2008

My college girlfriends from the University of Virginia are smart, interesting, hilarious, silly, loud, and irreverent. And if there’s one thing we do well together, it’s hanging out, shooting the shit, and laughing. That’s how we became friend in the first place. We spent hours in our dorm rooms and college apartments doing exactly that. We didn’t need scenery, bars, live music, or anything superfluous to stay amused. We had each other.

And now we’re together again, splashed across the video chat gallery view, after a fifteen year hiatus.

These are the girls who made me the person I am. They gave me an immersion blender. They taught me to make real Italian red sauce. They ate my burnt attempts at paella. They taught me the joy of a perfect plate of rice and beans with a side of banana pancake. So I owe them a recipe.

Amy and Jackie and the burnt paella, circa 2002

We’re gonna do a video chat dinner party. We’ll all cook the same recipe and eat it together across four time zones, all within the confines of our pandemic reality. This recipe is designed to work for today’s constraints.

It leans heavily on pantry and freezer staples and easy-to-find ingredients, no matter where you live. It can be made with children yapping at your feet, and you can adjust the spice to make it more kid-friendly. It keeps well and tastes pretty good cold if you need to bathe a child before you eat. And it can be vegetarian if you leave out the chicken, or gluten-free if you swap in alternative pasta.

Christiane, Jamie, Jackie, Megan, Lilly, Lauren, Tawnya, Neena, and Arlene - this one’s for you.

Neena cooks dinner for the first time since she got married 😜

Chicken with Roasted Broccoli and Sicilian Orzo

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

3 Tbs pine nuts (optional)

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half so you get two thin filets per breast

Spicy chicken seasoning (I like Weber Kick’n Chicken) or a combo or salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and garlic powder

2 heads of broccoli, sliced into spears

2 garlic cloves

Olive oil

8 oz dried orzo

2-3 Tbs capers

1/4 cup black olives, pitted

Dash red pepper flakes

Handful of parsley leaves (optional)

1 lemon, zested, halved, and juiced; or 1/4 preserved lemon, chopped fine

Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Prep and toast the pine nuts (optional): Preheat oven to 425 F. Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Season the chicken with your spice blend. On the stovetop, heat a large skillet or cast iron pan (the same skillet you plan to cook your chicken in) over medium heat, but don’t add any oil. Toss in the pine nuts and toast for 5 minutes til lightly brown. Remove from skillet.

Roast the broccoli: Toss the sliced broccoli with the whole garlic cloves and a glug of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spread broccoli out (you will get crispier edges if you use two sheets). Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, til edges are lightly charred. Toss one last time to disperse the garlic flavor.

Make the orzo: Once water comes to boil, pour the orzo into the water. Cook for about 9 minutes, until tender. Drain the orzo and reserve some cooking water. While orzo is cooking, chop together the toasted pine nuts, capers, olives, red pepper flakes, parsley, and lemon zest or preserved lemon. Once orzo is cooked and drained, return it to the pot and toss with the caper mixture. Add a splash of cooking water, a drizzle of olive oil, half the lemon juice (if using), and season with salt and pepper.

Make the chicken: While orzo is cooking, heat a glug of olive oil in your skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken breasts, turning once, about 10 minutes total.

Plate the chicken with the roasted broccoli and orzo. Spritz with the other half of the lemon and serve.