Guest Post: The Take Away

I threw a small dinner party on Saturday night, and it threw me for a loop. It's not the drinking that gets me anymore (given that a couple of glasses of wine is my max), it's doing the dishes at 12:45 a.m. So I was tired this afternoon, and when I opened my email to find a guest post from my Boston-based friend in the kitchen Paul Kidwell (who has contributed to this blog before), I was very grateful. Then I read it, and I knew that I had to post it right away. I found it very moving.

This past
Friday was the final day of our son's semester break and that evening we drove
him to the airport where he boarded a plane to London, where he will begin the
second phase of his studies at the London School of Economics. It was splendid
having him home for three weeks and he and I shared and cooked some great meals
together; including a Cioppino, lasagna, and baked ham at Christmas, and a
lobster-fest on New Year's Eve. Interspersed were some of his favorites like
Paella, beef stew, bolognese, scampi, risotto, and some tasty omelettes,
croissants and pancakes at breakfast, plus savory soups for lunch.

Cooking
with him has been a joy and he is definitely turning into a rising man with a
pan. More proud I could not be. Of course, the time spent sharing those meals
with he and his mother are time capsule moments that I continue to store in my
memory as it serves as emotional sustenance when he is away. Which,
unfortunately he will continue to be more of as the years pass.

Next
month he will turn 21 and my wife and I recognize that we will see less of him;
more and more. If we do our jobs as parents, each lesson we teach to our
children prepares them for independence and takes them one step closer to
leaving us. It's the natural order of things and from the day he was born, his
mother and I began to instill in him knowledge that would lead to his
self-sufficiency, self-motivation and self-awareness. And when we do this, it
leaves us happy and proud; albeit more than a little bit heartbroken. I lose a
sous chef, but give to the world a gifted young man who is thoughtful, smart,
polite (courtesy is the only thing I expect from him, the rest is negotiable)
and knows his way around the kitchen. We do our job well as parents if these
are the types of kids we raise and the efforts of our labor are so splendidly
displayed.

I thought
about what to make for his final lunch – our last meal together until June – as
I pondered the fact that from now on he will miss my cooking more than he eats
it. It would have to be something nourishing, comforting and simple; not to
mention distinctly American. My desire is to feed him, make it memorable and
wanting more. If he comes home only to eat, I am comfortable with that.
Whatever it takes.

So I
decide on chili, which I make with a touch of cinnamon. It's the perfect meal
for this slate grey January day and balm for my soul which feels a little less
of him today. We have come to that odd point in our lives where he needs to be
set free and I want him near me more than ever. 

Paul Kidwell's Chili
Recipe

• 1.5 lb.
  ground beef
• 1/4 cup
  dry wine (can also substitute beer)
• 1 tbsp
  chili powder
• 1 tsp
  sugar
• 1 tsp
  ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp
  salt
• 1/4 tsp
  cinnamon
• 1 clove
  garlic minced
• 1 cup
  onions
• 1 15-oz
  can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 15-oz
  can black beans, drained
• 1 14-oz
  can tomatoes
• 2 tbsp
  vegetable oil
• Shredded
  cheddar cheese

Heat oil
in stock pot and when shimmering add beef; cooking for 5 minutes.

Dump
everything else in, bring to a simmer and cover for 30-45 minutes

Serve in
a bowl and cover with cheese.