We have been having a lot of dessert lately so it is time for a main course and since some of you have enjoyed chicken recipes we have had in the past, it occurred to me to share a personal favorite. It is easy and delicious.

I learned how to make it in an adult education class taught by a carpenter who was handy at Chinese cooking. He taught us how to make pot stickers and some other things but this way of fixing chicken lodged in our family repertoire. He learned to make it from his sister. Naturally, we always call it Pete’s Sister Shirley’s Chicken, which doesn’t give details, but of course we know what to expect. Maybe a more descriptive name might be Soy Sauce and Wine Simmered Chicken.

It is best with chicken legs or thighs, but you can make a chicken breast taste good and stay moist, too. I have a knee jerk tendency to serve chicken with rice, unless it is roasted then we have mashed potatoes, or if it is in a gravy, noodles. I think if you wanted to do something different, couscous or a pilaf sort of thing would be fine if you don’t mind mixing cultures. Or you could use Chinese noodles, say, the rice or buckwheat ones, and I bet they would be great with this dish. If I give it any thought at all, I prepare barley like rice.

Speaking of rice, here is something I tried this week for the first time. Husband Jamie thinned out our pea seedlings, and I snagged them between the garden and compost pile, took them in the kitchen and pinched off the most tender parts – leaves and tendrils – and stir-fried them with a little onion, then I added some leftover cooked rice and served it with I forget what. It was really good, and I can’t tell you how virtuous I felt.

Soy Sauce and Wine Simmered Chicken

Serves 4 to 6

4-6 chicken legs or thighs (or fryer parts)

1 tablespoon white wine

6 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup water

4-6 slices of ginger root

2 scallions chopped

Put all these ingredients into a cook pan with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the temperature to low and simmer for an hour, turning the chicken pieces over half way through. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar for the last fifteen minutes. If you wish, garnish with a little more chopped scallion.

Looking for…

I am meatball challenged. Jamie really loves them, but I hate making them, and I think it is because I don’t seem to have a good recipe. Either they are too bland or too dry and tough and don’t seem worth the bother. Plus there is all that standing there and frying and turning. I’ll bet one of you is a champion meatball maker and if so, would you be willing to share your recipe and method? Will you tell me about the beef you buy for them, too?

Send queries or answers to Sandy Oliver, 1061 Main Road, Islesboro 04848. E-mail: tastebuds@prexar.com. For recipes, tell us where they came from. List ingredients, specify number of servings and do not abbreviate measurements.