L ifestyle /C ulture
There’s a New Cook in the Kitchen
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
FOR THE FIRST 30-plus years
of Nancy and Jay Dubow’s
marriage, Nancy Dubow was
the family cook.

Then the pandemic hit,
and Jay Dubow, a partner
at Troutman Pepper, began
working remotely. Soon, their
two grown sons, David and Alex,
came home from New York to
work remotely. Shortly there-
after, Nancy Dubow, a devoted
daughter, began caring for her
widowed mother and was often
not home for dinner. That left
a gap in the kitchen, which Jay
Dubow gradually began to fill.

“I was amazed,” Nancy
Dubow said. “After all this time
of not cooking, it was a bit of a
surprise that he’s really good.”
“I like it. I come downstairs
into the kitchen after a day of
work, I put on some music, and
it’s really Zen,” Jay Dubow said.

“I find recipes from various
Jay’s chicken and green beans
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM places — at first, I would
follow them carefully, but now
that I have more of a feel, I
change them up, add or remove
ingredients according to our
preferences. It’s been fun.”
When asked about the
differences in their culinary
styles, Nancy Dubow laughed:
“When Jay cooks you can tell.

Every single dish, every spoon
is washed right away. I’m a
little messier in the kitchen.

And he’s all precision. I’m
more about speed. With Jay,
each piece of onion is chopped
uniformly; I just kind of chuck
it together.”
Their division of labor is
now pretty clear.

“Nancy usually shops, and
she sets a beautiful table,” Jay
Dubow said. “I’m more behind
the stove.”
Having enjoyed the fruits of
their labors at a recent get-to-
gether, I’d say they have a pretty
winning combination. We
Photo by Keri White
were greeted with a bountiful
array of olives and crudité
to enjoy with a lovely bottle
of chardonnay, which paired
perfectly with the chicken
dinner on the menu.

In addition to the dishes
below, Jay served grilled
eggplant and roasted potato
wedges. For dessert, we enjoyed
fresh berries from their local
farmers market, and assorted
biscotti. A perfect summer
meal. JAY’S CHICKEN
Serves 4 generously
This dish is delicious, healthy
and perfect for a group because
it can be done ahead. It can
also be altered to personal
preference and what you have
on hand or in your garden.

Shallots? Olives? Fresh herbs?
Yes! 2 pounds boneless chicken
breasts, cut thinly and/or
pounded (scallopine)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 pints cherry or grape
tomatoes, cut in half
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons caper juice
and 2 tablespoons capers
1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup white wine
1 handful fresh parsley,
chopped Heat the oil in a cast-iron
skillet over high heat. Salt and
pepper the chicken, and sear it
in the oil until lightly brown
on both sides, about 8 minutes
total. Do this in batches if
needed; the chicken should be
in a single layer with space
around each piece. Remove the
chicken from the pan and set
it aside. It does not need to be
cooked through at this point.

Add the onions, garlic and
tomatoes to the pan and stir,
scraping up any browned bits
of chicken. When the onions
JEWISH EXPONENT
are soft and the tomatoes are
becoming a bit jammy, around
6 minutes, add the mushrooms,
capers, caper juice and wine.

Bring it to a boil, then lower
the heat and put the chicken
back in the pan. Allow it to
simmer for about 30 minutes
until the chicken is thoroughly
cooked and the sauce is slightly
thickened. Sprinkle with fresh
parsley before serving.

JAY’S STRING BEANS
Serves 4 generously
These beans were uniquely
delicious. The preparation
leaned into the recent trend of
cooking vegetables for longer,
which can really bring out
their flavors and meld with
others to produce something
approaching alchemy. If you
are not a mushroom fan, skip
them and let the beans stand
alone. Or, add onions, shallots
or, really, any vegetable you
like to complement the beans.

2 pounds fresh string beans,
tough stems removed
1 tablespoon canola or
other neutral oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet or wok,
heat the oil, salt and pepper
over medium. Add the beans
and mushrooms and sauté
them until they are coated and
cooked. Lower the heat and allow
them to continue cooking for
up to 30 minutes or so — a
little browning, or even char, is
fine; just keep an eye on them
so they don’t burn.

Dinner is served. l
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S3Living.com SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
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