What to Cook This January

New year, new hope. January 2021 opens with the vaccine rolling out to first responders, and I am on the list. The Phoenix Fire Department is coordinating with the county health department — Phase 1A, which includes healthcare workers and first responders. My appointment is January 15th. Fifteen days. Fifteen days until a needle in my arm means the beginning of the end of the longest year of my life.

At the station, the mood has shifted. Not dramatically — firefighters are not dramatic people, despite working in the most dramatic profession imaginable — but there is a lightness that has been absent since March. Travis asked me, "Captain, does the vaccine mean we can stop wearing masks?" I said, "Not yet. But it means we can start planning to stop." The distinction matters. Planning to stop is not stopping. But it is the first step, and the first step is the one that breaks the paralysis.

Sofia started the second half of first grade remotely. The school has announced a hybrid option starting in February — in-person two days, remote three days. Jessica and I are debating. The risk assessment is different now: vaccine for adults on the horizon, school protocols in place, Sofia's mental health a factor. She needs kids her age. She needs the classroom. She needs to stop learning from a screen and start learning from a teacher's face. The decision is coming. It will not be easy. None of the pandemic decisions have been easy.

Diego, three and a half, has started talking in full sentences. Complex sentences. Sentences like: "Daddy, I want to cook but not the hot parts, just the tasting parts." The boy has identified the optimal cooking workflow: skip the labor, arrive for the quality control. He is a genius. He is also three and I cannot argue with someone whose logic is this airtight.

Roberto's New Year's resolution (reported by Elena, because Roberto does not make resolutions, he makes statements of intent): grill every week. Not just Wednesdays anymore — every week, at least once, rain or shine, pandemic or not. The cinder block grill will not go cold again. He told Elena, "I wasted eight months being afraid. I am not wasting any more." The stubbornness of this man. The courage disguised as stubbornness. The fire that will not go out because Roberto Rivera refuses to let it.

With fifteen days on the clock until my vaccine appointment and Roberto announcing he would grill every single week from here on out, I needed a kitchen game plan that matched the mood — not the exhausted, treading-water kind of cooking we’d been doing since March, but something deliberate, something that said we are making plans again. January cooking, done right, is its own kind of optimism: you work with what the season gives you and you lean forward. Diego stationed himself at the counter for quality control, which honestly is the only review that matters in this house.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 can (15 oz) white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups baby spinach or chopped kale
Crusty bread or cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

Brown the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Add to the pan in a single layer and cook 4–5 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add garlic, carrots, and celery and cook another 3 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and the garlic is fragrant.
Add the liquids and legumes. Pour in the diced tomatoes (with their juices) and chicken broth. Stir in the white beans, thyme, and rosemary. Return the browned chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Stir to combine.
Simmer and develop flavor. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer for 18–20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Finish with greens. Stir in the spinach or kale and cook uncovered for 2 minutes, just until wilted. Remove from heat.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread for soaking up the broth, or spoon over cooked rice. Let small kitchen assistants handle all quality control from the counter.

Nutrition (per serving)

What to Cook This January — A Captain’s Kitchen, Fifteen Days Out