Cilantro harvest, pt. 1

Along with basil, there is nothing so pungently satisfying as cilantro. Holding a handful of either up to your schnoz and taking a big whiff is the definition of a heady experience. Having made the decision to plant cilantro (once again) in my garden and being determined to actually use it instead of leaving it to bolt (my usual m.o.), as it seems to do overnight, the Asian/Indian theme is running rampant in the 1309 kitchen. I found the recipe below on epicurious. Seeing it needed some obvious tweaking, as usual with online recipes in the form of a bit more flavoring agents (is every recipe site afraid of alienating our weakened domestic palates? Memo to recipe writers: you should be challenging, not acquiescing to, your readers tastebuds!), I added my own touches. The result? Deliciousness attained with minimal effort. And still lots of cilantro left in the garden...stay tuned!!

You could serve this with some rice, I suppose. But it was really perfect tucked into some tender, snappy lettuce leaves fresh out of the garden. Plus that tumbler of chilly rosé you see in the pic? Most def!
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Shredded Chicken with Ginger and Cilantro
Adapted from: Gourmet Magazine/Baita Daiwei Ting, Kunming

From Gourmet: "Many of the minority peoples of Yunnan traditionally boil a chicken to show respect to their dead. Once the ceremony is finished, they shred the meat and mix it with ginger, garlic, and cilantro to make "ghost chicken." The lime in this recipe, unusual for Chinese cooking, suggests the influence of Southeast Asia, which the province borders."

Yield: Makes 2 to 4 to 6 (main course) servings

ingredients:
2 chicken breast halves with skin and bone (1 1/2 to 2 pounds total)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons Asian chili paste with garlic (preferably Lan Chi)
1-1/2 teaspoons red-chile oil, or to taste*
1-1/2 teaspoons Sichuan-pepper oil, or to taste**
2 teaspoons finely grated (with a rasp) peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon finely grated (with a rasp) garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh mild long red chile such as Holland
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 to 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves

*To make the red chili oil: add 1 tablespoon dried crushed chilies to 1/4 cup peanut oil. Let sit for 1 hour or more before use.

**To make Sichuan-pepper oil: add teaspoons ground Sichuan peppercorns to 1/4 peanut oil. Let sit for 1 hour or more before use.

method:
Set a steamer rack inside a wide 6- to 8-quart pot and fill bottom with water (not above rack), then bring to a boil. Arrange chicken in 1 layer in a shallow heatproof bowl small enough to fit just inside pot. Steam chicken in bowl on rack, covered with lid, until just cooked through, about 25-35 minutes. Remove bowl from pot using tongs. When chicken is cool enough to handle, coarsely shred, discarding skin and bones. Reserve liquid in bowl. Meanwhile, stir together lime juice, bean paste, red-chile oil, Sichuan-pepper oil, ginger, garlic, chile, salt, and 4 tablespoons reserved chicken liquid in a large bowl. Stir in chicken, cilantro, and salt to taste.

Cooks' note: Dish, without cilantro, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature and stir in cilantro before serving.

Green Chicken Masala: does deliciousness get any easier?

What else would I talk about on Thanksgiving Day, that most American of holidays, but an absolutely delicious Indian dish, Green Chicken Masala, that w and I threw down the other night. It is also yet another reason I have piles of old food magazines laying by my side of the bed. w gave me the "honey, your magazines are kind of scattered around the floor there" which really means pick your shit up. So with my selfish need to satisfy my constant hunger cleverly disguised as an interest of preserving marital harmony I have been ripping and tearing out recipes, which is what led to this most delicious of dinners out of a recent Food and Wine rag. Every country has it's version of chicken and green chili sauce...except the U.S. of course with our distinct lack of indigenous cuisine... pollo verde probably the most familiar to our domesticated palates. This is the subcontinents answer...or perhaps precursor. The cilantro-mint-chili sauce alone (in the unretouched, über-green photo at top) just explodes with intense aromas out of the blender and is vibrantly beautiful to look at. This comes together so easily, and is a REALLY fabulous, complex tasting plate of food, that you need to spring on those you love!
The finished product, that despite its somewhat somewhat regurgitated baby food look, is simply awesome!
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Green Chicken Masala
from Food and Wine Magazine

ingredients:
2 cups cilantro leaves
1 cup mint leaves
1 jalapeño, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
Kosher salt
Basmati rice, for serving
directions:
1. In a blender, combine the cilantro, mint, jalapeño, garlic, lemon juice and water and puree until smooth.

sautéing the onions, chicken, and turmeric











stirring the sauce just after adding the cilantro-mint-chili and coconut milk combo

2. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and turmeric and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden in spots, about 7 minutes. Add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and cook for 1 minute. Add the cilantro puree and coconut milk, season with salt and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is slightly reduced and the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Serve with basmati rice.
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one year ago today at E.D.T.: my favorite movie of 2007 plus I give you the best damn meatloaf ever!

Mom knows best: Vintage Chicken

There are some things in life that just feel so comfortable...you know, those special things that just make you feel good. A pile of blankets on top of you as you snuggle in bed on a chilly late winter morning. A conversation with a trusted old friend. The soft feel of our dog Chopper's fur after he's just had a bath. Spending $80,000 on hookers over a six month span if you're the governor of major northeastern state. Everyone has their thing that does it. Mine of course tend to skew heavily toward the food side of the comfort scale. Luckily most of my friends feel the same way, and so it was that w and I found ourselves over at our good friends J&K's house a couple of nights ago, where they put together a fabulous meal. I'm always so glad I have the friends I do. Everyone in our circle, without exception, is a great cook. Talk about comfort. No need to lie about how good that overcooked pork loin was. Anyway, J made a fantastic braised chicken dish that his mother used to make when he was a kid. He still uses her original hand-typed recipe card. Recipe cards....man, I LOVE the old school! When I asked him what was for dinner, he said "Vintage chicken". Hm....okay. I emailed him back saying that while I had ultimate faith in his culinary prowess, that would usually be two words..."vintage" and "chicken"...that I don't like to see together. He assured me it referred to the wine that goes in the dish, not the bird...he was kind enough not to add "dumbass!" All I know is one bite of this dish (served over egg noodles) and you'll be having visions of mom, home, warmth....and a very satisfied belly!

Our host providing for our happiness!









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Vintage Chicken
courtesy of J's mom

ingredients:
4 or 5 meaty pieces of frying chicken
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
6 tablespoons butter (divided in to 4 and 2 tblsp. portions)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup minced scallion
1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

method:
Mix flour, garlic salt, and rosemary in a small bowl. Dust chicken pieces with flour mix. Heat 4 tablespoons butter in heavy skillet, brown chicken pieces until golden on all sides. Add 3/4 cup white wine, turn heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté scallion and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until soft. Add to chicken, cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes more. Only a very small amount of pan gravy will remain. Add a small amount of chicken stock to boost the sauce if needed. Serve chicken topped with pan gravy and sprinkle with parsley.
cooks note: j served this with egg noodles (pappardelle to be specific). It would also rock with mashed potatoes.