Order Up

So begins what we hope to become a series of on-the-fly recipes whose conception began the second we stepped into the grocery store or our pantry. No planning. No preparation. Just foodstuffs at our fingertips and our improvisation that led us to a great meal.

I'd finally made my way to the grocery story after months -- yes, MONTHS -- of having hardly a cracker at my culinary disposal. But, the economy being what it is, I figured it was the perfect time to not only save a little money, but also resharpen by impromptu cooking skills.

My shopping trip wasn't guided by any means -- just me simply grabbing stuff I love and know how to work with: chicken breasts, basmati rice, an assortment of vegetables, cheeses, and -- of course -- chocolate. The latter doesn't come into play in the following recipe, but bet your pork butt it will.

Back home I assessed what I had against the varying melange of spices and oils I have. And this is what I came up with. Order up, kids:

You'll need:

1 whole chicken breast, cleaned
1 cup of basmati rice
1 whole red bell pepper
10-12 spears of asparagus
3 pinches of salt
2 pinches of pepper
3 pinches of curry
2 pinches of paprika
1 pinch of chili powder
A gloop or two of sesame oil
A slice of butter

To start, get your rice going. You can boil it in a pan if you want, but I prefer a rice cooker. So load your cup of rice into the rice cooker and get that bad boy going. Also, start a pot of boiling water to blanch your asparagus.

While the rice cooks you can rub down your chicken. Mix all the dry ingredients in a small bowl and give it a toss, then coat your chicken in the mixture, cut the meat into strips or cubes or whatever you want and let it sit. Heat your pan with the butter and sesame oil mixture, letting the butter brown and the oil boil a little to get those earthy flavors out. Oh, the delight! Once the butter/oil mixture has nestled in your nostrils, throw the chicken on, reduce to low/medium heat and watch magic happen.

Now throw your asparagus into the boiling water for about 3-4 minutes just to give them a little color and soften them up a bit. Keep and eye on them -- you don't want soggy asparagus in your dish. Feel free to cut up your red bell pepper now into medium sized strips. Then half those strips. Keep them fresh, as their crispness is key to the ultimate texture of the dish. Don't forget to turn your chicken throughout the prepping, so it doesn't burn.

Once your chicken looks just about done, toss in the asparagus and red peppers and let it all get nice and coated in the sauce. Your rice should be done by now, so begin to fold it in with the chicken, asparagus and peppers until it's all become a delicious potpourri if pleasure in front of you. Divvy up and serve.