Part two: A Party at the Château, continued. Where there’s Work, there’s Lunch!

Photo: It takes a big ole machine to clean out a château attic!

The attic cleaning party (with 14 worker bees) continues…

There is something y’all should know about Nicole, the keeper of the castle. She is the most generous person I know and would do anything for her friends. She is a beloved mentor to the adolescents she works with. One of her students affectionately calls her the General, and the description is pretty much right-on. I sometimes think of her as Admiral Earth Mother.

In keeping with her rank, she is a masterful organizer and delegator. So when she calls in her debts, it is time to Pay Your Dues.

Nicole’s best friend Wendy is an English widow whose husband was French. She is petite, slender, soft spoken, and has a wicked sense of humor. Wendy is a delightful hostess, but it’s no secret that she abhors cooking (though she has her fabulous specialties, as we were soon to learn). So she is not pleased when her orders come down from The General for the vide grenier party.

“Wendy, you will do the lunch” Nicole says to Wendy one morning before the big event.

“Nicole, for fourteen?!” Wendy responds, horrified.

“Yes Wendy, you’ll make your chicken curry”, Nicole says, breezily. And that is that.

Back at the vide grenier party, interest in lunch mounts as the big farm table in the summer kitchen is set for the crowd. The kitchen crew buzzes around the stove, and wonderful aromas drift and swirl around the courtyard. When the command is given—“Madame est servi!”—the crowd dusts themselves off and bustles in, jockeying for seats and filling wine glasses. Big bowls of delicious toppings for the spicy dish cover every free inch of the table and are passed round and round as the rice and steaming curry is heaped onto plates.

Photo: Lunch in the Summer Kitchen. That’s Wendy in the navy sweater, between Pierre and me.

I don’t love curry but I love this dish, and it’s great for company. All the colorful bowls of toppings to pass around make it one of those fun, participatory meals; make it ahead and throw it in the freezer. Wendy, our Guest Chef du jour, learned to make this when she lived in Ghana, and has agreed to share her secrets.

P.S. In answer to the comment by the editor of The Daily Basics, (you DO subscribe to http://www.thedailybasics.com, don’t you?). Yes there was some wonderful stuff that came out of that attic, most of which was to be sold. But pack-rat Pierre couldn’t part with a thing and it all went into the barn! I did manage come away with a set of linen napkins that Nicole’s mother had embroidered—definitely worth a hard day’s work.

RECIPE: Wendy’s West African Chicken Curry

The recipe Wendy gave me was one of those “ bit of this, bit of that” affairs. In fact you can play fast and loose with this recipe, and it always seems to come out fine. I’ve put some measurements to it for you.

Make this one or two days ahead. It serves 4 generously.

1 chicken, cut up, about 3.5 lbs.
Olive oil
For stock: quarter a carrot, onion, celery stalk; 1 bay leaf, s&p
1 cup white wine, 2 bouillion cubes
3 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T curry powder
½ t. cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 T peanut butter
2 T coconut
2 T tomato paste
cornstarch
Hot cooked Rice, and toppings (see below)

In large stockpot, brown chicken pieces in olive oil, in batches if necessary (you can skip this step, but it gives the stock more flavor). Return chicken to pot with stock ingredients plus wine and bouillion cubes. Bring to boil, then simmer until chicken is done, 40 minutes to an hour. Remove chicken to a plate. Cook stock and vegetables another half hour or more, then strain stock, discard vegetables, and set stock aside in a bowl.

Add oil to same pan and cook onions slowly until tender and translucent. Add garlic, s&p, and curry, then cook gently until it has some color, a minute or two, stirring. Add a cup of stock and stir a bit, over medium heat. Add cayenne, tomato paste, coconut and peanut butter. Stir in 2 1/2 more cups of stock. Simmer slowly 1 hour, covered. Taste to correct seasonings and add chicken to sauce.

Refrigerate for a day. To serve: heat slowly and simmer until chicken is thoroughly heated. If sauce seems too thin, mix a little cornstarch with cold water and stir it in, a bit at a time. Spoon over rice and pass any or all of the following toppings:

Roasted peanuts
Raisins
Coconut
Lightly sautéed bananas
Roasted cherry tomatoes
Chopped avocados
Chopped parsley
Chopped green onions

Enjoy, with a toast to Wendy!