Perfect Fried Chicken

I've been trying for a while to find a fried chicken recipe that works for me, with mixed results - until now. The solution came from the fantastic Bill Neal's Southern Cooking - every recipe I've used out of there is fantastic - and a slightly modified version follows below.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken (3-4 lbs.), cut into 9 pieces [I used four thighs and four drumsticks, instead]
• 1 c. buttermilk [no buttermilk available - I used 1 c. whole milk with 1 tbs. lemon juice, let it sit for 5 min. to curdle]
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper [I also added 1 tsp. red pepper]
• 1 c. lard [yes - this is important. Duck fat or schmaltz can also do][see also more on LARD]
• 1 1/2 c. peanut oil [I used corn oil instead]

Procedure

1. Put the chicken pieces in a glass or stainless steel bowl and toss with the buttermilk - marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours [next time I may also add 1 tbsp. hot sauce to the buttermilk for spicier chicken]
2. Combine flour, salt and pepper(s) in a large paper bag
3. Preheat lard and oil in deep cast iron skillet on medium-high heat to 375F (190C)
4. Drop the chicken pieces into the paper bag, shaking well to coat evenly with the seasoned flour
5. Add dark meat pieces to the skillet first, skin side down, followed by white meat pieces
6. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and fry for 15 min.
7. Remove cover, turn each piece, and fry for another 10-15 min.
8. Remove chicken and let drain in a second paper bag
9. Serve and enjoy! (preferably with biscuits and greens)

Sichuan Peppercorn Chicken Stir-Fry

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breast meat cut into strips
• 
4 carrots, julienned
• 1 red pepper, sliced

• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/2 c. mushrooms, sliced

• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 
1 tsp ground or crushed Szechuan peppercorns

• salt to taste

Procedure

1. Marinade chicken strips with ground Szechuan peppercorn and salt for 30 minutes.
2. In a hot pan, drizzle some oil and pan-fry chicken strips until golden brown; remove and set aside.
3. Add a little more oil to pan and sauté the garlic. 
4. When fragrant, add carrots, red pepper, and onion; stir-fry for about 5 minutes, adding water when necessary.
5. Cover, and steam for several minutes.
6. Add mushrooms and cover for 2 minutes.
7. Return browned chicken strips to the pan and continue stirring. 
8. Add salt to taste and ¼ cup water to loosen brown bits in the pan. 
9. Cook until combined.
10. Serve, and enjoy!

Smoking Meat

One of my first priorities after moving to Brooklyn (yeah, yeah, we'll see whether the blog title stays put) in a house with a yard was getting myself a smoker. After two years of delicious smokery courtesy the Wolf-Ferrari house, a change of location demanded that I get my own carcinogenic deliciousness up and running. So it was that, for my birthday, I bought myself a Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smoker– very basic, no temperature gauge or even on/off switch, but electric, two big racks and only $70.

After assembling and curing it, I determined that yesterday would be the first trial-run of the big red beast, and so assembled a range of meats and preparations to see how it all went.

Long story short: super-awesome.

Long story slightly longer: preparations and results for each given meat, below, in order of awesomeness.

1) Spanish Mackerel

Background: I'd had it in my mind to smoke some fish, and so stopped by the fishmongers at the Ft. Greene Farmer's Market on Saturday looking for a likely victim. The lovely, greasy Spanish Mackerel was a perfect prospect, and so I picked up three filets.

Preparation: To start with, I went just with a super-simple fish smoking technique –

1. Liberally sprinkle kosher salt onto plate
2. Place filets on plate
3. Liberally sprinkle kosher salt on filets
4. Let sit for 10-15 minutes
5. Wash off salt with cold water, transfer to dry plate and pat dry
6. When ready to smoke, transfer to large sheet of aluminum foil
7. Place aluminum foil on grate of smoker, and smoke for ~2 hrs.
8. Enjoy!

Verdict: Hot out of the smoker, the mackerel was simply divine – no longer greasy, the fat had kept the fish moist and tender, the smoke providing a lovely counterpoint to the salt and sweetness of the fish. And then today, chunked out and eaten on top of a poppy-seed bagel with cream cheese, the fish was just about as good a bagel-topping as I've ever had. Highly, highly recommended

2) Whole Chicken

Background: No picture, because we demolished the bird entirely. I got a nice, free-range, small (~3 lbs.) bird, because who doesn't love a chicken?

Preparation: Super-basic. Covered in olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked for four (4) hours right on the grate. 

Verdict: It only misses first prize because the mackerel was so transcendent, but this was basically a perfect bird. The skin was a deep golden brown, crispy but not overly so, and the meat inside was just outrageously juicy and tender. I am very, very much looking forward to cooking down this carcass for stock, and to repeat performances smoking birds.

3) (tie) Pepper-rubbed Turkey Thighs 

Background: Also from the bounty of the Farmer's Market, these big ol' turkey thighs (3+ lbs.' worth) were meant as an experiment in de-boned poultry, and also as fodder for tacos and sandwiches for the week.

Preparation: I went with a (mostly) dry rub for these, made of

• 1 tbs. chili powder
• 1 tbs. paprika
• 1 tbs. cayenne pepper
• 1 tbs. cumin powder
• 1/2 tbs. cinnamon powder
• 1 tbs. maple whiskey
• 2 tbs. apple cider vinegar

coated them, placed them in a Ziploc, and marinated overnight. Put them on the rack and smoked for four (4) hours as well.

Verdict: Very nice, though room for improvement – maybe more of a marinade and a little oil will help hold more moisture in (not really much in the way of skin on these guys). Great smokiness comes through in the meat, and the rub firmed up nicely into a spicy and flavorful crust all around.

3) (tie) Chicken Liver Pâté

Background: After once accidentally discovering how awesome smoked liver is, I've become an enormous fan of this mostly-overlooked-currently-in-this-country-among-some-audiences organ. At least when it comes from birds.

Preparation: Having had great success with making a pâté with sherry after the fact, I decided to go traditional and soak the livers in booze (ha!) the night before –

1. Wash 1 lb. livers, and transfer to glass bowl
2. Pour four (4) oz. sherry over them, and mix gently
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight
4. When ready to smoke, drain livers in colander (but don't rinse – just let excess liquid off)
5. Get a large sheet of aluminum foil (or aluminum pie plate), and create circular ridge
6. Place livers in pie plate or foil approximation thereof
7. Put container on rack of smoker, and smoke for ~3 hours
8. Let cool, and transfer to bowl; mash thoroughly with fork
9. Cover, and transfer to fridge
10. Serve chilled or room temperature
11. Enjoy on bread or crackers! 

Verdict: Very flavorful, and a great success. Also nice to make ~12 oz. of pâté with ~$3 of ingredients.

5) Tuna

Background: Figured I'd use one of the more-traditional smoked fishes as well, so picked up a small steak.

Preparation: I sliced the steak in half, for smaller pieces, and used the same prep as the mackerel –

1. Liberally sprinkle kosher salt onto plate
2. Place steaks on plate
3. Liberally sprinkle kosher salt on filets
4. Let sit for 10-15 minutes
5. Wash off salt with cold water, transfer to dry plate and pat dry
6. When ready to smoke, transfer to large sheet of aluminum foil
7. Place aluminum foil on grate of smoker, and smoke for ~2 hrs.
8. Enjoy!

Verdict: Not bad, but not a runaway success. Came out a little dry – could definitely use a nice marinade to keep moisture in and add some other flavors.

6) Chicken Heart

Background: Well, there were giblets with the chicken, and I'm not one to waste food.

Preparation: Just put it on the aluminum foil, similar to the livers.

Verdict: Smoky! Very, very meaty and chewy. But, there's a reason you don't really see chicken hearts on menus most places.

...

So, all in all, an excellent start. Stay tuned for additional adventures in smoking, and if you've got wood or meat to devote to the cause, let me know!

Savory Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Peppers

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
• 3 red peppers, roasted, skinned, chopped into 1/2" squares
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, oven-dried and preserved in oil (you could probably fudge this, but I had 'em)
• 4 cloves garlic, diced roughly
• 1 large onion, sliced medium-thin
• 1 14-oz. can foul mudammas
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 c. stock (I used veggie, you could also use chicken)
• olive oil

Procedure

1. Heat oil to low in a large saucepan with a lid
2. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (~1 min.)
3. Add onions and stir; cook until they begin to soften
4. Add tomatoes and peppers with a bit more oil (from their containers works nicely)
5. Stir all ingredients together and add a bit of stock (~1/2 c.); stir again to combine and cover
6. Cook covered for several minutes, then open and add chicken
7. Cook chicken for several minutes, turn over, and add foul mudammas, stirring to combine
8. Cover again, and cook on low for about 10 min.
9. Uncover, and cook for about an hour on low, stirring occasionally and adding stock when the sauce gets too thick or starts sticking to the pan
10. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Verdict

Really, really good. Just really good. Still-thinking-about-it-now good.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Bok Choy

As noted the other week, I've been experimenting with more Asian-style chicken soup recipes, and got the basics of this one from a Food & Wine recipe. Worked well and there's probably even more ways to go within this basic framework.

Ingredients

• 1 tbs. cooking oil
• 1 tbs. sesame oil (not toasted)
• 1 onion, diced finely*
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2" piece fresh ginger, cut into thin slices
• 1 tbs. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried red-pepper flakes
• 6 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. crushed tomatoes
• 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bit-sized pieces
• 3 tbs. fish sauce
• 1 c. cilantro leaves plus 1/4 c. chopped cilantro (optional)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 8 oz. thick rice vermicelli
• 1 lb. bok choy, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 c. lime juice 

*Interesting note: I didn't have any fresh onion and couldn't get out of the house due to snow (right?), so instead used a jar of Cippolini onions in Balsamic vinegar. They were dynamite, so maybe adding a few dashes of Balsamic vinegar to the soup (or soaking the onions in it for a 20 minutes) might be good.


Procedure

1. In a large heavy pot, heat both oils over moderate heat. 
2. In a separate pot, soak the vermicelli until soft and drain; set aside  
3. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, chili powder, and red-pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 min. 
4. Stir in the tomatoes, fish sauce, salt and chicken, coating each thoroughly.
5. Add the stock and cilantro leaves (if using), and bring to a simmer. 
6. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked, about 20 min. 
7. Add the vermicelli to the soup; cook for a few minutes.
8. Add the bok choy; bring back to a simmer and cook for about 1 min. 
9. Stir in the lime juice and chopped cilantro, if using. 
10. Serve in large wide bowl and enjoy!

Verdict

Freakin' fantastic; very savory and a nice balance between sweet, sour and spicy. I didn't use the cilantro but it'd go well; additionally, if you like it spicier, having a bottle of Sriracha handy would do quite nicely. Veggies can very comfortably sub out the chicken stock with veggie, chicken with tofu, and fish sauce with... well you're on your own for finding some umami.

UPDATE: Upon re-heating, it became clear that given how relatively delicate the bok choy is, this is a better soup to make and eat all of it that night (still fine re-heated, just the bok choy becomes a bit fall-aparty); if you want a re-heatable alternative, sub in kale, collards, chard, etc. and cook for several more minutes.

Matzoh-Ball Soup

It's that time of year. Well, one of them. And I had a big ol' pot of chicken stock boiling, so – might as well give matzoh-ball-soup-making a go for the first time in my life (my late great-aunt Tiny first and then my mother have of course traditionally handled the previous incarnations). I didn't get Tiny's recipe which I'll need to do in future, but pulled together a reasonable version of it.

The soup

Ingredients

• Big pot of chicken stock, chilled, filtered, cooked way down
• 1 lb. carrots, chopped
• 3/4 lb. celery, chopped
• 1-2 large onions, chopped
• 1 lb. chicken thighs, de-skinned and -boned

Procedure

1. Make the stock in advance. Don't even think about using stock from a can. Chill it overnight, skim, and store outside of main pot.
2. Heat oil (or schmaltz if you've got it) in large pot
3. Add carrots, celery and onions, and cook 10 min. over low heat, mixing frequently
4. Add a few cups of the stock, filtering again as you do, to cover the veggies, and raise to simmer
5. When simmering, add chicken thighs and cover. Cook 15-20 min.
   
6. Uncover and add remainder of stock, and raise to medium boil
7. Add matzoh balls to pot and cook 15 min.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Matzoh balls

Ingredients

• 4 matzoh or 1 cup matzoh meal
• 4 eggs
• 4 tbs. chicken stock
• 4 tbs. vegetable oil or schmaltz
• Pepper to taste
  

Procedure

1. Add eggs, stock and fat to large bowl; mix thoroughly
2. Mix matzoh thoroughly in food processor [unnecessary if you're using matzoh meal]
3. Add matzoh or meal to large bowl and pepper as necessary; mix until combined and unyielding
4. Let sit for 15-20 min. to allow everything to absorb
5. Fill bowl of water to allow for hand-wetting
   
6. When soup is at medium boil, form matzoh balls with hands and drop in gently, wetting hands between
7. Allow to cook for 15 min.; serve and enjoy!

Verdict

Pretty damn good! Need to get the real recipe, next time.

Lazy Man's Mole

Felt like a mole but without the time, so tried my hand at something kinda-sorta-similar.

Ingredients

• 1/3 bar good dark chocolate (I used Green & Black's Maya Gold)
• 1 bottle dark beer (in this case, Bell's Porter)
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 Anaheim peppers, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Serrano pepper, chopped
• 2 Chipotle peppers, diced
  
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, in 1" cubes (or whatever other meat you like)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• t tbsp sunflower or canola oil
• 1/2 cup water or stock

Procedure

1. Over low heat in large saucepan (one that has a lid), melt chocolate
2. When chocolate is melted, add a few ounces beer and peppers; raise heat to low-medium and cook for 5-10 minutes
3. Add onions, oil and a few more ounces beer; cook for 3-5 min.
4. Add garlic, spices, remainder of beer and raise to simmer, mixing well
5. Add tomatoes, mix thoroughly and cover; cook 15 min.
6. Add water or stock and meat; cover and cook, stirring periodically, until chicken is tender (this will take a while, probably 45 min. or so – use this time to cook some rice!)
   
7. Enjoy!

Verdict

Really good. Rich, spicy, tasty. A perfectly acceptable alternative to driving up to DC for mole.

Yogurt Rosemary Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb. roasting chicken
• 1/2 c. yogurt
• several sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 oz. white wine
• 4 slices bread, chopped or food-processed
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Mix yogurt, rosemary, wine and salt; cover chicken thoroughly, and place in covered container in fridge for several hours/overnight
2. Heat oven to 450°F
3. Stuff chicken with breadcrumbs, onion, salt and pepper; place on rack above roasting pan
4. Roast for 15 to 20 min., reduce the heat to 375°F, and continue to roast for about 1 more hour for a total of about 1-1/4 hours for a 3-lb. chicken. For larger birds, add another 10 min. for each additional pound.
5. The chicken is done when the leg wiggles freely in its joint and when the juices run clear from the thigh when you prick it and from the cavity when you tilt the bird. A thermometer inserted into the lower meaty part of the thigh should register 170°F.

Verdict:

TBA!

Carrboro Taco Review: Coma Rica

Taco Provider: Coma Rica
Location: NE Corner of W. Main and Weaver Street in gas station parking lot
Taco Type: chicken
Toppings: fresh onion, cilantro
Sauces: red, green
Tortilla: single corn, handmade right there
Cost: $2/taco
Summary: The chicken was tender, had obviously been marinated in something yogurt-and-tumeric-y, and super-tasty. The red salsa was spicy but not blindingly so, the green super flavorful and smooth. The single complaint is that the just-handmade tortilla fell apart halfway through each taco, but this is a minor quibble – the tortilla was excellent if not structurally sound.
Overall rating: Excellent. Best chicken tacos I've hasd thus far in Carrboro. Had ordered a pupusa to go with one chicken taco but the mistake was just as well; I'll simply have to go back for more. They also have tortas (including Cuban) and something semi-terrifyingly translated as "Beef Rose."

MKD Foodstravaganza: Recipes

Of course MKD's visit is marked by incessant consumption of foodstuffs and beerstuffs. Recipes follow, and beer reviews below.

Mexican (?) Chicken a la MKD

Ingredients:

• 2 split chicken breasts
• juice of 1-2 limes
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 of 1 medium white onion (sliced)
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• chili powder
• cayenne or other spicy pepper powder
• (all spices to taste, don't over-do it)

Procedure:

1. Place chicken in an oven-safe pan, cover with liquid and dry ingredients, toss to coat
2. Dust top of chicken with a touch more pepper and/or salt
3. Cover pan tightly with foil
4. Place in oven preheated to 375F for about 25 minutes
5. Remove foil, toss chicken in remaining liquid, and continue to cook uncovered until thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast reads 165-170 (another ~20 minutes)
6. Let the chicken cool for at least 10 minutes, then using a fork, pull it into shreds.

Verdict:

Delicious, tender, tasty.


Mushrooms with Roasted Poblano Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 4 poblano peppers, roasted, skinned
• olive oil
• kosher salt

Procedure:

1. Roast poblano peppers. Place in paper bag to cool and sweat, remove skins and slice in 1/2" strips
2. Wash and, if mushrooms are not already sliced, slice them
3. Heat olive oil over medium heat in sauteé pan
4. Add mushrooms, sprinkle salt over them, and continue adding olive oil until mushrooms are well coated
5. Cook mushrooms until they begin to soften, and add peppers
6. Mix peppers and mushrooms and cook for several more minutes until thoroughly combined
7. Serve and enjoy!

Verdict:

Super-good and, obviously, very very easy.


Ancho-Roasted Jalapeño-Roasted Red Fresno Salsa

• 4 dried ancho chili peppers
• 4 large jalapeño peppers, roasted
• 2 red fresno peppers, roasted
• white vinegar

Procedure:

1. Rehydrate anchos by setting in a bowl and pouring near-boiling water over them; let sit until they swell, and then chop roughly
2. Roast jalapeño and red fresno peppers. Place in paper bag to cool and sweat, remove skins and chop finely
3. Combine all peppers in a small blender and blend on low, adding small amounts of white vinegar to desired consistency (should be a usable paste)

Verdict:

A real winner – smoky, spicy-but-not-too, and compliments a wide range of other foods. Very highly recommended.


Refried Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pinto beans (either from a can, or rehydrated)
• 1 head garlic
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1/2 white onion
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
  
• salt
• water
• vegetable oil
  

Procedure:

1. Skin garlic, and either chop very finely or combine in blender with jalapeño and onion
2. Heat oil to medium in large cast-iron skillet with high sides
3. Add garlic, pepper and onion and fry in oil for 1-2 minutes
4. Add pinto beans, salt and cumin. Mix all thoroughly.
5. Add water covering beans thoroughly; raise heat to medium-high
6. Allow beans to cook down, adding water periodically, for 30-45 minutes
7. When beans soften, begin mashing (potato masher works well), adding more water and some more oil as necessary
8. Beans will begin to stick to the pan – this is good, just make sure they don't burn too much
9. When it looks like refried beans, you're done

Verdict:

An old stand-by, this never does me wrong. Also works quite well with black beans, subbing in a section of fresh ginger root for the cumin powder.


Roast Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. tomatillos, de-husked and washed
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1/2 large white onion
• 2 roast poblano peppers
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 limes, juiced
• white vinegar
• salt

Procedure:

1. Roast tomatillos and poblano peppers in separate pans (make sure the tomatillos are in a deep baking pan)
2. Place poblanos in paper bag to cool and sweat, remove skins and set aside
3. When tomatillos are blackened on top and beginning to fall apart, remove from oven and set aside to cool
4. Add onion, garlic, jalapeño, poblano and lime juice to blender and blend until fine
5. Add tomatillos and their juices to blender; blend until all is combined
6. Add several liberal dashes salt, and liberal pour of vinegar; blend all again, adding vinegar until reaching desired consistency (anywhere from very viscous to more liquidy)
7. Enjoy!

Verdict:

Been making this one a while and there was a little too much lime juice in this iteration, but adding the poblanos (which I did late) saved it. Very much a favorite, there's always some of this in the fridge.

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs

Spencer Ackerman has led me right before in combining bacon with other meats, so I figured that wrapping chicken in bacon would be a good call, too.

Ingredients:

• ~1/2 lb. pepper bacon
• 3 chicken thighs
• 1 onion
• 1 cup mead (or other white wine - I had mead)

Procedure:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Wrap chicken thighs in bacon; 3-4 per thigh, whatever it takes to mostly cover
3. Chop onion
4. Slice one slice bacon; put in pan along with other preferred cooking fat (e.g., bacon drippings, butter, etc.)
5. Sauteé onions until they begin to brown
6. Add chicken and let cook for 7-8 minutes
7. Flip chicken, add mead/wine and cook for 5-7 minutes
8. Place in oven for 10-12 minutes
9. Serve and enjoy

Verdict:

Well - just about what you'd expect:
Totally excellent.