Pita's Comfort Dinner

You know that saying, a picture is worth a thousand words? Yeah, that’s it. Yum x 1,000. This meal is my favorite carb-laden vicetastic (yes, viceTASTIC) dish of pure indulgence.

Mashed potatoes now, jogging later.

What you’re currently drooling over—what? Oh excuse me, that was me. Let me get a napkin.

…

Okay, I’m good now. What you’re seeing is panko fried chicken, basic mashed potatoes, and sautéed zucchini and mushrooms. And I’m going to show you how to make it all!

First things first:


Basic Mashed Potatoes

These are just your run-of-the-mill delectable mashed potatoes. Nothing overly fancy and that’s because I’m kind of a purist when it comes to mashed potatoes. And stuffing. Putting things like nuts and cranberries and apples into wholesome savory stuffing is the worst idea in the world. If you do that well…go away right now. Just kidding. But seriously.

ANYWAY. Potato purity, people. Potato purity.

And while I’m here I may as well discuss gravy. Pictured, you see tasty chicken gravy FROM A PACKET. I’ve long gotten over my shame. I cannot cook gravy from scratch. My mother is a gravy-cooking queen who can take an empty pan and make amazing mushroom gravy appear much like Mrs. Weasley and her cheating wand (Oh yes, Harry Potter reference for you nerds. I love you all.) I, unfortunately, was not given gravy-making genes. I accept this.

If you can make delicious smooth scratch gravy, then go for it. Just know that I loathe you.

3 Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled if desired and sliced into even chunks)
4 tbsp butter
¼ cup milk
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Add potato chunks to a pot of boiling water and boil until fork-tender, about 7-8 minutes or so. Drain and place into a sturdy bowl. Add butter and mash until butter has melted. Add milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, mixing thoroughly.

Serves 2



Panko Fried Chicken

Panko, how I love thee. Let me count the ways. Something like that. Panko, for those of you unfamiliar, are Japanese bread crumbs. They can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store and some regular bread crumb brands have started offering “Panko-style” crumbs as well. I prefer to get the authentic kind but we’re all on a budget these days so do as you will.

Unlike traditional bread crumbs, panko crumbs are light and fluffy and stick well during frying or baking.

I like pan-fried chicken, but I LOVE panko fried chicken. And like everything else I make, it’s easy-peasy.

2 thinly-sliced chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
½ cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Mix garlic powder, pepper, and salt into panko crumbs in a flat dish. Dip chicken breasts into egg wash, then into panko crumbs. Fry until golden-brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Serves 2



Sautéed Mushrooms and Zucchini

And in order to cordon off the guilt of mashed potatoes, I make this vegetable dish which tastes even more decadent than the potatoes. This dish is one of my mother’s signature vegetable recipes. This used to be the only way I would eat zucchini because it’s really just that good.

2 zucchini, sliced into coins
6-8 oz mushrooms
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
Salt and pepper

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium-heat. Add all ingredients, stirring only to blend spices. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring 2-3 times so that zucchini gets browned but doesn’t burn. If you prefer softer vegetables, cook for another 3 minutes or so as they will be otherwise still firm.

Serves 2

And there you have it: a great meal for a winter evening. Or comfort sustenance when you have 20 pages of Japanese grammar to study in one night.

--Jirafa