Abby's Fricasse de Pollo

Abby's Fricase de Pollo

Brian's grandmother "Abby" (short for Abuela) must've been quite the cook because our travels always include the hunt for authentic Puerto Rican food "like she used to make".  I've never seen him happier than in front of a plate of tres leches cake.  His Aunt Holly gave me one of Abby's hand written recipes - a tomatoey chicken dish that you can find simmering on my stove all afternoon about once a month.   

It's the time that makes simple Puerto Rican ingredients taste so complex, and the meat….oh, so tender.  I suspect that in Puerto Rican culture, enjoying the food takes almost as much time as preparing the food.  If my mother-in-law's house is any indication, there are hours spent ‘round the dining room table on every visit.  Even when we're not eating, it's the place where everyone gathers to chat, gossip, plan the day, or plan the next meal.  

The table is a comfortable place for us and one that has clearly been part of my husband's upbringing.  He, unlike most men I know, believes that the couch is no place to have a meal (though he doesn't mind the TV being placed so that he can see it from the dining table).    

Fricase Just Before a Long Tomato Bath

Brian's house rule for eating only at the table was a tough pill to swallow for Jesse and me, but it has been a blessing in more ways than we know.  There are so many things that I love about our life, but perhaps my favorite thing is the time we spend together at the table.