In back breaking stillness he heals real life. He brings back to life. He brings in new life.
In tormented abandonment, observing a gift of life, taken, he fights with every fiber, neural synapse, every single cell of his being. Plotting internally, thoughtfully embarking on every last guttural piece of learned knowledge. Reverting to remembered scenarios. A dissection. A weathered anatomy book. A whimsical crisscross of vessels play an interlude in the surgeons dream.
A page. She runs, she calls, she orders. Stoutly, with the utmost confidence, she tries. So hard.
They push. Ribs crunch. 2 or 3 or sometimes 4 minutes in. Sweat drips. Time to switch. The scribbled line fades. The censor elongates. Minutes of time pressing into hours. Drenched in decaying time and depth. Electricity. Again and again and again. Algorithm, fail. She tried, so hard.
A wasted, somatic cast of characters, homogeneously look up in defeat. “Call it?”
“Resume compressions!” A barked command falling on mulish ears. A failed attempt prompts pondering that slowly seeps down the walls, out the cracks of the bloody floor.
But then…a solitary bleep. A monitor of numbers race upwards toward the heavens. The pressure is on. The pulse of the room scammers and stumbles. He lives.
Good call, Doc. Another life saved.
Another day. Thankless recognition, lost in the sanguine splattered room.
I say it’s time for some much needed dinner. And probably a cold libation. Another damn day.
Takes 45-50 min; Serves 4; Saves your life at the end of a rough day
Ingredients for Stout Soaked Gnocchi with Tuscan Chicken
- 1 lb fresh potato gnocchi
- 1 stout beer, such as Guinness
- 2 cups water
- 2 shallots, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 chicken breasts/thighs cut into bite size cubes
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 large roasted red bell pepper
- 1, 6oz can of mushrooms in juice
- 1/3 cup fresh chicken stock + more
- 1/3 cup white wine, such as the pino gris you are drinking right now
- 5-6 artichoke hearts, quartered
- 1/2 tub crème fraîche (6-8oz)
- Lots of parm (freshly grated, please don’t use the green shaker here)
- Salt, pepper, olive oil
Method
Bring the stout and 2 cups of H2O to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook according to directions. Mine cooked 4-5 minutes (or when they float to the top).
Once done, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Save about a cup of the liquid from the gnocchi.
Heat a large dutch oven to medium. Add olive oil with shallot, rosemary and pinch of salt, mixing for about 3 minutes, until fragrant and translucent.
Add red peppers, garlic, thyme and oregano. Cook and stir for 1-2 min.
Deglaze with wine stirring and scraping all the good bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add mushrooms and chicken. Season well with more salt and pepper.
At this point the mixture will still be a bit dry. Add more olive oil and allow the chicken to brown ~ 6-7 min or so. Then add about 1/3 cup stock. We are going for a creamy, saucy consistency with this dish (not a soup), but here is where you can add some of the reserved gnocchi water, if you like.
Turn heat to medium/low and cover cooking for 20 min.
At this time add the gnocchi and choke hearts just until warm. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Remove from heat and stir in the crème fraîche. Plate up and garnish with parsley and lots of parm.
Looking for some other big, delicious, belly filling meals? Try:
- Crispy Pork Ramen with Garlic Crunch
- Loaded Potato and Leek Soup
- Blonde Chili Poblano Blanco with Fried Hominy
- Black Pepper Biscuits and Gravy
- Eggplant Involtini
- Spanish Fabada with Kielbasa and Gigante Beans
