Edith's War - Andrew Smith,Author
2:07 PM Posted by MAC
Tarragon Chicken Stew
During World War II, with its accompanying food shortages and rationing, Edith’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Maguire raised chickens. They provided a handy supply of eggs and occasional meat. Her neighbor, Anna Baccanello, often snared some wild rabbits in the surrounding countryside. Whenever Anna was kind enough to share them, Mrs. Maguire substituted rabbit meat instead of her treasured chicken. If you like rabbit and can find it, you too can use it instead of chicken to make a variation of this delicious stew.
Mrs. Maguire grew the vegetables in her garden and picked the mushrooms in the meadows down by the river. But sometimes Mrs. Maguire had to substitute other ingredients when they were impossible to find, but we’re fortunate to be able to find everything in our local stores.
4 chicken breasts (about 8 oz each)
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 tsp crushed dried tarragon
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp each, salt and black pepper
4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1. Remove skin from chicken and trim any fat. Melt butter in a large skillet; brown chicken (about 3 minutes each side). Remove from pan.
2. Dissolve flour in unheated chicken broth. Add to skillet with wine, tarragon, lemon zest, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook until boiling, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan along with carrots, potatoes, and whole garlic cloves. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside and vegetables are tender.
3. Remove chicken from skillet; debone and cut into bite-size pieces. Remove garlic and mash with a fork. Add mushrooms. Cook on high heat until sauce boils gently. Return chicken to pan, add peas and heat through.
“You know,” said Anna. “We all think we’re so clever. I know I used to be too proud. I had a good husband, three handsome boys who speak English and get along so good at school. Three fish and chip shops, a nice house – I thought I have it made. And then bang, suddenly it all disappeared. When a war happens, it shows you we don’t know nothing. War or no war, we’re all like leaves being blown around. No matter how much we think we’re the boss, we’re not.”
Edith’s War takes place not far from Liverpool in a town called Shrimpley. The time is the beginning of World War II.
Shortly after their marriage, Edith Maguire’s husband Joe must leave to help fight the war. Edith, being pregnant with their first child, leaves Liverpool to stay with her mother-in-law and brother-in-law in Shrimpley. There she meets Anna and Gianni Baccanello, along with their 3 sons, Paolo, Domenico and Carlo.
When Edith moved in with her in-laws she was a naive young lady. What she experienced during the 4 years that Joe was away, changed her completely. But more changes were in store for her when Joe comes home and her second son is born.
Edith’s War was created with fictional characters surviving real history. It’s written in two periods of time. One time period takes you through the trials of surviving as a wife and mother in the 1940s during WWII while your husband is away fighting a war that no one understands. The second time period takes place over sixty years after WWII in the 2000s when Edith, her two sons Will and Shamus and Edith’s secrets from the past all meet up in Italy.
Edith’s War is a love/hate book that tore me between characters. I could understand, yet not understand the events that took place. I could approve of, yet disapprove of the feelings felt by the characters. When you put together the story, the circumstances and the history revealed in Edith’s War, you can’t help but feel the feelings of each character as they struggle to survive. As I read this book I had another book come to mind. I know the stories are totally different but the style of Andrew Smith’s writing reminded me of Nicholas Spark’s writing “The Notebook.” This is a very well written book and a very engrossing read. You can't help but love it.
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Labels: Andrew Smith, Book Reviews, chicken recipes, Ediths War, enternments, Italy, Martha A Cheves, stews, Stir Laugh Repeat, Tarragon Chicken Stew, World War II
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