A Process Essay Example

One of my favorite recipes, both to cook and to eat, is my grandmother’s chicken paprikash. It reminds me of being a child in my grandmother’s kitchen, filled with warm, delicious scents and flavors. Whenever I want to be taken back to a more comfortable, homey time, I cook up a meal of chicken paprikash. It’s a process that involves multiple steps and four main stages, but the end result is worth the time and effort.
To start the dish, I first brown some diced onion in olive oil and butter. Sometimes I include diced garlic, depending on my mood. Once the onion is translucent and on its way to browning, I throw some chunks of uncooked chicken breast into the pan to also brown. At this point, I can leave the ingredients alone to saute for a little while and concentrate on the other elements of the meal.
While the chicken and onions are browning, I start working on whatever starch I’m serving this over. Although I prefer to have this meal over a bed of white rice, my family enjoys egg noodles. Whichever starch is ultimately chosen, when the chicken is browned, I start cooking the starch in order to have it finished at the same time as the rest of the dinner. If there is anything that makes me upset, it’s having cold noodles to go with my chicken paprikash.
With the chicken and onions browned and the starch cooking, it’s time to create the sauce around the meat. The first thing that gets added into the frying pan that has the chicken and onions is a small can of diced mushrooms with the liquid mostly drained. Everyone in our family loves mushrooms, so they have become a staple to this recipe over the years. Immediately following the mushrooms, paprika is added generously to the mix. I sprinkle large amounts over the chicken, onions and mushrooms, stirring as I go. Then I pour in a can of tomato paste or plain tomato sauce to add moisture to the mix. Depending on the consistency, I may also add some water as the mixture will boil down some as I leave it to simmer on the stove.
Once the chicken and sauce has simmered for a while and I’m sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly, I add sour cream to the mixture. This end step should not happen until the chicken is completely cooked and the tomato base of the sauce has simmered for about fifteen to twenty minutes. If the sour cream is added too early, the dairy cooks and the creamy consistency of the sauce is lost. Therefore, the sour cream must only be added at the very end of the cooking process. Once it is stirred in and blended into the sauce, the chicken and sauce can be poured over the now finished starch in a serving bowl. Prior to serving the dish, additional paprika is sprinkled over for color and, of course, extra paprika flavor.
While the process to achieving my chicken paprikash may be different than the recipe my grandmother once used, the final result still evokes memories of her cooking. Although I am no longer that child sitting at my Grammy’s kitchen table, excitedly waiting for my favorite meal, I can relive the experience as I watch my own daughter’s eyes shine in anticipation as the final sprinkle of paprika is added to my own variation of this family meal.