“Table for One”

Too many cooks spoil a broth. But do too many mouths curdle a meal?

I once ate at a restaurant off of some cobblestone street where every scrap of wall was covered in newspapers about anything and everything related to movies. The spaghetti was good and the wine was cheap. That night and every other night that I ate at that small, cinematic spaghetti spot, I ate alone. I ate without a touch of loneliness, at night when the day wound up tightly into energetic spots of hunger that pinched me until I sat down in a wooden chair and ate. Loneliness is a funny thing because it helps us see clearly through the intimate bravado of our closest friends—even when we’re alone. I forgot where that little restaurant is but now when I eat all alone I think about that table for one and digest those translucent nights.

Chicken, Kale, and Avocado for One:

Ingredients:

• ¾ lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped
• Adobo
• Sazon
• Olive oil
• ½ an avocado
• ½ lb of fresh kale
• 1 clove of garlic
• Turmeric
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on high heat. Chop chicken thighs into medallion-sized pieces. Season chicken generously on one side only with Adobo and then Sazon. Transfer to saucepan and cook until each medallion is lightly browned on each side. Remove from pan.

Heat olive oil in a separate saucepan on high heat. Chop garlic roughly into small slivers about the size of a fingernail. Chop kale into inch-wide ringlets. Add garlic to pan and sauté until garlic slices become transparent. Add kale and sauté until kale takes on a dark green, lightly crispy texture. Season kale lightly with turmeric and sauté until kale retains its dark green color. Remove from pan. Sprinkle with salt.

Half the avocado and slice one half into thin slivers and remove the avocado from its shell with a spoon.

Combine chicken, kale, and avocado on a plate.

Enjoy, and even if it’s just this once, try eating all alone.

–Camille Dourmashkin-Cagol