Comfort Foods and "Foods"

My hot garbage

Recently, due to a greater abundance of spare time, I’ve been listening to a lot of videos and audiobooks on Tudor England. Now, I have some experience self-educating on this time period (late 1400s-1603). Though I read books and studied Shakespeare at age 10, I primarily attribute the interest to Showtime’s The Tudors, which my parents watched a couple years later. I was enchanted by the glittering jewels, lush music, brightly colored and regal costumes, and two actresses in particular, Natalie Dormer (Anne Boleyn) and Sarah Bolger (Mary Tudor). I watched the series through once I was older, and it quickly became a guilty pleasure. To this day I tell people, “Everyone has their own guilty pleasure entertainment. The Tudors may be some hot garbage, but it’s my hot garbage.” And the show led me to read/view many more (shall we say) historically accurate accounts of the Tudor period. I love exploring this fascinating time, and I can always learn something new, no matter how many books I read.

One could describe my interest in Tudor history and culture as comfort food. It’s usually what I go back to in free moments, or use to keep me company as I do my dishes or clean the bathtub. And, during this time of greater stress for the whole world, it’s not surprising that I’d dive back into the 1500s. A large part of history is making some sense out of past events, finding a reason for why things happen. I generally feel the drive for this sort of sense-making interpretive act. After all, music theory’s overarching purpose, at least in my understanding, is to work out ways and reasons music makes sense, or is meaningful to us (or not). Perhaps I feel that urge more during these uncertain times. Or maybe I’m just happy to have more time to pursue my many other interests.

Before

In any case, comfort foods of all kinds create a sense of security and familiarity. They’re everything from a special treat, to a form of structure. My recipe for chicken with green beans and potatoes is one of my favorite comfort food recipes, though it’s not one I’ve had a long time. It’s mostly made of things I love: lemon, olive oil, potatoes, green beans, and a load of garlic. It’s incredibly easy, as it cooks in the Crockpot and doesn’t involve a lot of intense prepping. And on a chilly night, what could be better than a warm dinner with a nice, tender texture packed with flavor?

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to enjoy this dinner and start re-bingeing The Tudors.

After

Chicken with Potatoes and Green Beans: Serves 4

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ lb. green beans, ends trimmed and snapped in half

1 large russet potato, peeled and diced (may also use 2 cups of potato with skin on, such as Yukon gold or red)

⅓ cup lemon juice

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. onion powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

Start by placing the chicken breast(s) in the center of the Crockpot. Next, add the green beans on one side of the chicken, and the potatoes on the other side.

In a medium bowl, whisk or stir together the lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil, onion powder, and garlic cloves. Pour this mixture evenly over the meal in the crockpot, cover, and cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4).