{"id":321,"date":"2011-02-16T04:39:52","date_gmt":"2011-02-16T04:39:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/?p=321"},"modified":"2011-02-16T04:39:52","modified_gmt":"2011-02-16T04:39:52","slug":"the-right-place-at-the-right-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/?p=321","title":{"rendered":"THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\"\"<\/a>\n\t

Pheasant Risotto with Scotch Whiskey<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAndrew, what do you want to do tonight?\u201d I inquired, thinking that he would want to see a movie or something else fun on this Saturday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to stay home, watch a video, and eat a big tub of ice cream,\u201d came the reply from behind the bathroom door where he was luxuriating in a big tub of warm water.<\/p>\n

Perfect.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what do you want to have for dinner?\u201c I prodded, hoping for some inspiration.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm, can we have pheasant risotto?\u201d he asked without a hint of how absurd this would sound in any other home.<\/p>\n

Man, I love this kid!<\/p>\n

Risotto is my comfort food and my fast food all rolled up into one big creamy heap of all that is right and good in the world.<\/p>\n

I got started in the kitchen and 40 minutes later (see recipe on how I pull this off), I was serving two big bowls of steamy pheasant risotto; each bite is like a big kiss and hug from an Italian grandma.<\/p>\n

Tonight we decided to eat in front of the TV, and I managed to sway the movie choice from action to drama.\u00a0 We started with an old Steve Martin movie, \u201cL.A. Story,\u201d that is about a man who receives personal messages and clues from a freeway signpost that tell him the direction his life should take.<\/p>\n

The movie is very funny, especially if you know an Angelino and are old enough to remember the late eighties:\u00a0 Open season on the freeways, driving two doors down the street to visit your neighbor, high colonics, and all the rest of L.A.\u2019s craziness is lovingly portrayed with a lemon twist.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s that signpost that gets me every time.\u00a0 It touches me in a way that a signpost shouldn\u2019t be able to.\u00a0 I think I get it though.<\/p>\n

Life is complicated and there are so many decisions that we have to make.\u00a0 Each one, no matter how mundane, can have huge life-changing implications.\u00a0 If you have ever had a car accident, you will remember thinking a version of: \u201cIf I had just not gone back in the house for my coffee mug.\u201d\u00a0 I have often made a last minute decision to buy a lottery ticket, imagining my interview with the nightly news, \u201cI almost didn\u2019t buy it, but decided at the last minute\u2026\u201d\u00a0 You get the idea.<\/p>\n

As we watched the movie, I looked at Andrew and thought about all the decisions that I had to make to have been in the right place, at the right time, to be his teacher during the year his mother passed away.<\/p>\n

The year I met Andrew was my first year at the school.\u00a0 I had been teaching at another school for ten years, when I made a quick decision to change schools after a friend\u2019s phone call with an off -the-cuff remark about an opening at her school.\u00a0 What if she hadn\u2019t called?\u00a0 What if they had put me in a different grade?\u00a0 What if?<\/p>\n

That \u201cwhat if\u201d is why Steve Martin\u2019s signpost can bring tears to my eyes.\u00a0 Too much of our lives seem to be directed by chance and I often wish I had a mystical, but clear, sign to point me in the right direction.\u00a0\u00a0 It would be so much easier.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not the way life works.\u00a0 Signposts don\u2019t send messages.\u00a0 Still, I continue to look, to listen, and to search the world for signs.\u00a0 I often find them.\u00a0 They don\u2019t come in showy displays of Moses-like revelations; I\u2019ve never seen a burning bush.\u00a0 But I have been directed.<\/p>\n

More often than not, they have come as an opportunity:\u00a0 An opportunity in which I have to make a leap of faith, or not.\u00a0\u00a0 The important decisions are always scary.\u00a0 Do I leave California and move to Oregon to buy my first house? Do I leave Oregon and move to Mexico to start a restaurant?\u00a0 Do I leave the safety of my school district and move to the charter system?\u00a0 Do I apply for that principal\u2019s position after only one year of administrative experience?\u00a0\u00a0 Do I bring an orphan home?<\/p>\n

Each life-changing decision came as an open door.\u00a0 The choice was whether I would walk through it or not.\u00a0 I can honestly say that I have never regretted any time I have answered, \u201cyes.\u201d\u00a0 Each one of those \u201cyes\u2019s\u201d has led me to where I am today.\u00a0 Each one was a steppingstone to the best decision so far: to be Andrew\u2019s dad.\u00a0 Without any one of those choices, I wouldn\u2019t be writing this blog today.<\/p>\n

At the end of\u00a0 L.A. Story, Steve Martin is asked by Victoria Tennant what he will do if she decides to get on the plane and leave.\u00a0 He tells her, \u201cAll I know is, on the day your plane was to leave, if I had the power, I would turn the winds around, and roll in the fog.\u00a0 I would bring in storms, and I would change the polarity of the earth so compasses couldn’t work, so your plane couldn’t take off.\u201d\u00a0 She does decide to get on the plane, but this is Hollywood, and the signpost takes over and the winds change and the fog rolls in.<\/p>\n

There were many obstacles in the way for me to take Andrew.\u00a0 It would have been so easy to just \u201cget on a plane\u201d and leave the decision behind.\u00a0 In desperation, I looked for my own signpost and prayed, \u201cI hear you God, loud and clear.\u00a0 I know that I\u2019m supposed to be Andrew\u2019s dad.\u00a0 So much stands in the way, but if you open the door, I will walk through it.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s because I live in Hollywood, but I believe it\u2019s because I was ready to walk through that door:\u00a0 The winds turned around, the fog rolled in, the storms came, the polarity of the earth changed, and three days later I was a dad.<\/p>\n

Now as I look at Andrew and contemplate what the future has in store, I stand ready to walk through many more doors.\u00a0 I just hope I have the insight to recognize them as they are opened.<\/p>\n

___________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Now I understand that most families can\u2019t go to their fridge and pull out pheasant; however, with all of my family living in Utah, I always have a freezer full of game: elk, venison, quail, duck, and pheasant.\u00a0 Still, game is not a daily staple and I usually consult a cookbook for guidance.\u00a0 Recently I saw a recipe for pheasant that was served with a \u201cCumberland sauce\u201d which sounded interesting:\u00a0 Scotch whiskey, shallots, thyme, orange zest and juice.<\/p>\n

Using that as my inspiration, I came up with Andrew\u2019s pheasant risotto. This recipe is exceptional.\u00a0 So good, in fact, that I had to share it with neighbors who, Weight Watcher\u2019s aside, couldn\u2019t stop eating it.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure it will work with chicken or any fowl, but if you have a hunter in your life, definitely try it with pheasant.<\/p>\n

Serves 4<\/p>\n

2 full pheasant breasts (or any fowl) (about 2 cups shredded meat)<\/p>\n

2 tablespoons olive oil<\/p>\n

1 onion, chopped fine<\/p>\n

2 small shallots, chopped fine<\/p>\n

3 ounces pancetta, diced<\/p>\n

1 \u00bd cups risotto<\/p>\n

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped<\/p>\n

\u00bd teaspoon crushed red pepper<\/p>\n

1 cup Scotch whiskey\u00a0 (A peaty\/smoky one is best.\u00a0 Trader Joe\u2019s has a nice one for $17 that\u2019s perfect for cooking.)<\/p>\n

5 cups chicken stock<\/p>\n

\u00bd cup orange juice<\/p>\n

Zest of one large orange<\/p>\n

\u00bd teaspoon pepper<\/p>\n

Salt to taste<\/p>\n

3 tablespoons parsley, chopped<\/p>\n

2 tablespoons butter<\/p>\n

\u00bc cup Parmesan cheese<\/p>\n

Place the pheasant (or fowl) in 6 cups of chicken stock (homemade if you have it) and bring to a boil.\u00a0 Let simmer for about 15 minutes and check for doneness.\u00a0 Remove the breast from the stock and shred or chop the meat; set aside.\u00a0 If the stock has scum from the breast, strain it and put it back on the stove over a low flame to keep it warm.\u00a0 You want to have at least 5 cups of stock.<\/p>\n

Heat the oil over medium heat and when hot, add pancetta.\u00a0 After the pancetta renders some fat and begins to brown, add onions and shallots.\u00a0 Allow to saut\u00e9 for about 5 minutes.<\/p>\n

Set a timer for 18 minutes:\u00a0 This is an optional step, but if you are new to risotto it helps to keep you on track and know approximately when the rice will be done.<\/p>\n

Add the risotto and start timer if using.\u00a0 Stir over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.<\/p>\n

Add the Scotch and scrape up all the brown spots on the pan. When absorbed, add 1 cup stock and add the both red and black pepper, thyme, and zest.\u00a0 When absorbed, add another \u00bd cup and repeat one more time.<\/p>\n

At this point, add the orange juice and cook until it is absorbed.\u00a0 Continue to add broth at \u00bd cup increments.\u00a0 Around the 15-minute mark, add the meat and some salt, but go easy and add more at the end if needed.\u00a0 Continue to stir, adding stock until it is gone.\u00a0 Around the 18-minute mark, test for doneness.\u00a0 You want it firm, but creamy.\u00a0\u00a0 Turn off the heat and stir in the butter, parsley, and cheese.<\/p>\n

Serve in a pasta bowl with a salad and warm, crusty bread.<\/p>\n

Provecho!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAndrew, what do you want to do tonight?\u201d I inquired, thinking that he would want to see a movie or something else fun on this Saturday night. \u201cI want to stay home, watch a video, and eat a big tub of ice cream,\u201d came the reply from behind the bathroom door where he was luxuriating […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recipes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=321"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":329,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321\/revisions\/329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}