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Garlicky Buttermilk Fried Chicken

There are probably a million and one different types of fried chicken. Most all of them are really good. This is one of my favorites. The panko* (Japanese bread crumbs. See note below) give it a very crunchy crust without making the overall effect too heavy on the constitution. Giving these some time to soak is essential, but you can cheat by allowing the meat to marinate on the counter for no more than an hour or two RIGHT before you cook it. Otherwise, hello bad day. 

1 hr. of countertop marinating time = 8 hrs fridge marinating time in.

 

Remember one of the biggest parts of successful cooking is to take a few minutes to get set up properly and the entire process will be a lot less stressful.

Equipment you need:

Several mixing bowls Some paper towels

Two sheet pans or cookie sheets 

deep fat or candy thermometer               Heatproof tongs or Scoop, anything so long as it's safe

325°-375° Is the best range for frying.    (remember folks, grease burns are never sexy)

A whisk or a fork

A large pot with a heavy bottom

The foodstuffs you need:

Chicken pieces  (the pictures were done with boneless skinless breasts I had to use up. Any part you like is fine, bone in or out. Skin on or off.)

1 quart Buttermilk

2 whole heads garlic, peeled and minced/pressed

Coarse ground pepper

Kosher Salt

Eggs

Flour

Seasonings* Salt and Pepper at least. I add about 1/4 tsp. granulated onion, paprika

Panko bread crumbs 

Frying Oil (Peanut, Canola, Vegetable, Corn,etc.)

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the garlic about 1 Tablespoon (T.) each kosher salt and black pepper. Whisk seasoning into buttermilk enough to completely cover the chicken. 

Now add the chicken. If you need to, add some more buttermilk. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate. Marinate this up to 2 days, just be sure to give it a stir a few times to ensure the best flavor. Rewrap well.

  

To fry things successfully

Set up a “standard breading procedure” .   So, grab 3 medium-large bowls and.....

In the 1st:  Mix about 2-3 cups flour with your seasonings. Mix together with 

a dry whisk or fork

In the 2nd: Make an eggwash.Crack 4-5 eggs. Whisk this together really well 

so that it’s all the same color. You can add a splash of water if you want to.

In the 3rd: Mix about 3-4 Cups (C.) panko with 1 tsp. each kosher salt and pepper. 

Want to add a little color? Add 2 tsp. dried Parsley.

Go get those Two trays.

When breading you must have a system. I’m right handed, so this is how I work without getting everything messy or messing up the ingredients.From left to right, directly in front of me I line up in this order

chicken in buttermilk

seasoned flour

eggwash

panko

tray for holding.

Put your oil on medium heat to ensure it can be brought up to temperature quickly. 325°-375° is the range for deep frying. Too hot it will burn, too cold you get greasy food.

Take a piece of chicken and shake gently of excess buttermilk. Dredge in flour lift shake of excess, drop in the eggwash (lefthand). Switch to right hand, swirl the chicken in eggwash evenly. Shake gently of excess egg and drop into panko. Dredge it gently to cover it evenly and place it on the holding tray (righthand). Repeat with other pieces.

Bring oil to temperature. 

Drop in a little bit of the batter it should bubble and float about as soon as it hits the oil. Its ready

Drop in chicken very carefully. When it stops sizzling for the most part and looks golden, pull it out and place on tray lined with paper towels. If the chicken isn't all the way cooked, fry everything and finish the chicken on a try in a hot oven (350-375) for 5-10 minutes. 

The Great Salmon Debate: Farm raised vs. Wild Caught

I wanted to take an opportunity to talk about the matter of farm raised vs. wild caught salmon (and fish farming in general). I believe the farms to be a rapidly growing concern. As a chef, I’m of the belief that the flavor of farm raised is generally lacking, mostly due to the minimal amount of exercise the fish receive in captivity. This hinders fattening and stunts the major yearly growth spurts the fish undergo in their 1-8 year life span. These fish travel over 1,000 miles in the wild to spawn, a feat that requires an amazing amount of energy, resulting in large fatty deposits within the muscle tissue. These fatty deposits give salmon its tasty marbling, making it an excellent source of Omega 3 and Vitamin D, among other things. Wild caught salmon has pinkish orange flesh in varying shades, owing to the carotenoid pigments, from a diet of krill and small crustaceans. To achieve the same hue, farm raised salmon are given supplements within their food to make up for this deficiency.   

There are several factors contributing to the decline of the wild species, some of which seem small in and of themselves. However, if we consider the number of issues arising from global warming, pollution, artificial changes in migratory patterns, the construction of dams, diseases, parasites, over fishing, and disappearing hatching grounds, then it becomes clear that something must be done. 

One of the most alarming and rapidly growing problems related to the fish farms is the transmission of sea lice, a deadly parasite to young, vulnerable salmon. These small, crustacean-like creatures attach themselves to fish and eat away at their flesh, causing lesions and damaging osmosis levels of the blood.  Since the fisheries’ primary goal is to make a profit, the fish are kept in extremely limited, manageable “quarters,” in contrast to their wild counterparts. This practice causes the water in surrounding areas to become a hotbed of bacteria, feces and hormones; where the toxicity levels can reach very alarming proportions.

The skyrocketing amounts of raw sewage in the water as a result of farming also bear consideration. Along with the lice, the contaminated water is such a problem that wild salmon passing within several hundred yards of the fish are compromised. Salmon swim upstream to protect the young, as they spend two entire years and four stages before reaching the “smolt” stage. At this time, their bodies adapt to the osmoregulation (the process of regulating the osmotic pressure of body fluids while maintaining homeostasis of the water content) of the ocean, where they will spend the majority of their life. 

The salmon’s skin is vulnerable; it’s at its thinnest and weakest. The scales can be rubbed off at this point with minimal effort by hand. It takes only eight sea lice to kill a full grown salmon, and even less for a smaller specimen. When you consider that only about 10 % of eggs laid ever even reach this point, the associated risk becomes clearer. These fish, once infected pose a serious threat to other wild fish. It is estimated that two million farmed fish escape and mix with the wild yearly. These fish generally make their way along the same basic migratory paths. At this point, they become a double threat, spreading the parasite to the wild schools before dying themselves.

The feed required to sustain the fisheries presents a unique problem as well, according to the UBC Fisheries Centre, “A staggering 37% of all global seafood is now ground into feed, up from 7.7% in 1948. Some goes to fish farms and some feeds pigs and poultry. Both are examples of what Francis Moore Lappe called “reverse protein factories,” where the resources far outweigh the product.” A salmon requires about 4-8 lb. of wild caught fish to raise 1 lb. of salmon.  Consider then that our planets oceans are reporting a 70% net loss of species either fully exploited or reporting dramatic drops in school populations.

There are many factors working against the fish, seemingly larger and harder to control. However, I believe that we have a responsibility to step in and do something about the factors we can control. While it is delicious, we have a responsibility to our planet to protect as many species as we can.We must weigh the consequences of our desires against the consequences, which seem to be getting harder and harder for people to ignore.

 I would like to state that I do not consider myself an animal/fish rights activist.I fully support the (proper) raising of foie gras and in some cases veal.I am, fist and foremost a chef. However, I would say that I have a very deep sense of respect and a sense of obligation to protect the things that cannot protect themselves, and to see to it that the wild blue yonder I knew as child will be there for my offspring and yours to enjoy someday.While it won’t happen until it is too late, I feel that the only solution is to impose strict regulation, if not outlaw, fish farming. We should take steps now, to ensure the health and longevity of the salmon population, before it becomes too late.

Salmon Facts

The salmon life cycle:

Egg---Alevin---Fry---Parr---Smolt---Adult---Spawning Adult---After spawning the fish will die within several hours to a weeks time.

You can count the rings in the flesh like on a tree to determine its age

You can find the caviar or  roe (eggs) in some specialty markets

White Salmon is extremely rare and cannot be farm-raised. Buyers beware.

The Salmon is a carnivorous fish.

To make Spanish Rice

As making rice can be a really tricky feat, it intimidated me for a long time. My road to succesful rice was paved with sticky soggy rice,crunchy rice, and much frustration.However, thanks mostly to Diana Kennedy, I was able to conquer this tricky grain. Since there is a large margin of error, I’ll explain how to make it in stages, rather than a traditional recipe format.

Ingredients that you need:

3 Cups (dry) Medium grain rice (a medium grain jasmine will do)

1 large Yellow Onion (or 2 medium)

1 Tomato, ripe

1 can Tomato paste ( small can)

Several cloves of garlic, peeled

1 generous handful fresh cilantro (also known as coriander)

sea salt (kosher is best)

Some vegetable/canola/corn oil. Any oil for high temp. cooking      

                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Put the rice in a bowl, cover with one inch of warm water and set aside. Peel the onion and cut into quarters, then cut the quarters in half and add to food processor. Drizzle with a little oil and pulse several times. Remove the food processor lid and stir the onion to help facilitate even chopping. Replace lid and use the on function until the onion has been pureed. At this point it should cease to look like onion, and more like clear oatmeal. Quarter the tomato and add it to the processor and allow it to run until it resembles this.

Add in garlic cloves and enough tomato paste to turn the mix a lovely deep red color 

Now, add in the cilantro and about a teaspoon of salt to the processor. Make sure you soak the cilantro briefly in a bowl of warm water ( it usually has dirt on the leaves. Warm water works to perk up even the saddest bunches). Puree until it looks like this.

Grab a pot. It is important for rice to choose a pan that is the right size. I always use the same pan to make this, it is 4” inches deep and about 9.5” wide. Pick a pan that is wider than tall. A thicker pan is also better, since rice is prone to sticking to the bottom. 

Add about 1/3 C. oil to the pan & turn up the heat (high). While your oil is heating grab a strainer and drain the rice completely. Place a few grains of rice in the oil. Once you start to hear the sizzle go ahead and add the rest of the rice. Use a heat proof spatula, stir the rice until it takes on a slightly golden color. It will appear/feel crunchy.

Reduce the heat slightly, at this point add in the tomato/onion mix. Stir to combine the mix with the rice. Stirring pretty much constantly, continue until nearly all the moisture has evaporated. 

Add in 4 cups (no more or less) of chicken broth. Stir well to mix and break up any clumps of rice. Toss in 1-2 whole chiles (I use Fresno peppers rather than make the rice spicy, the capsicum from the chile accentuates the other flavors, similar to the chemical reaction salt has on food.)

Cover the rice and reduce the heat to a medium low temperature. Allow it to simmer gently without stirring or removing the lid. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Check the rice after 15 minutes by keeping the cover on and gently tipping the pan away from you. If there appears to be a lot of liquid remaining, allow the rice to remain on the heat. Once the liquid has evaporated, move the pan off the heat and keep covered. Keeping the lid on allows the rice to continue steaming without burning. Allow it to sit for an additional ten minutes (this is the hardest part!), then using a fork, toss the entire contents of the pot to fluff and evenly distribute any moisture left on the top layer. Congratulations on making some great Spanish Rice! Enjoy!

P.S Thanks for waiting so long Lizzy. Sorry it took me so long!

A Mission of Sorts...

You are the daughter of the sea, oregano's first cousin.

Swimmer, your body is pure as water;

cook, your blood is quick as the soil

Everything you do is full of flowers, rich with earth

Your eyes go out toward the water, and the waves rise

your hands go out to the earth, and the seeds swell;

you know the deep essence of water and earth,

conjoined in you like a formula for clay.

Naiad: cut your body into turquoise pieces,

they will bloom resurrected in the kitchen.

This is how you become everything that lives.

And so, at last, you sleep, in the circle of my arms

that push back the shadows so you can rest- 

vegetables, seaweed, herbs: the foam of your dreams."

    ~Pablo Neruda from One Hundred Love Sonnets

  "A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten. Some of us are gourmets, some gourmands, and a good many take their images precooked out of a can and swallow them down whole, absent-mindedly and with little relish." W. H. Auden

More than anything food connects me to other people, to the earth, to life.  This is what good food should do. It should connect us to something greater than ourselves.  Great food doesn't come from a box, or from the freezer or in a can. Canned green beans never shaped any memories. The satisfiying crunch of these gently blanched legumes takes me to my grandmothers garden instantly. The smell of fresh, imperfect strawberries recalls my summer long battles with the neighbors pet peacock for the most delectable specimen. Good foods shape our memories, they transport us faster than any sensory perception. When I look back in time and I can't recall christmas presents or birthday guest lists, but oh! the foods! the cakes-those I remember! Chocolate Devils Food with Espresso Cream Cheese Frosting, Texas Toffee, Strawberry Chiffon,Yellow frosted in Mocha Buttercream, Pistachio with freshly Whipped Cream, I could go on and on. 

I was allowed a special perch in my Grandmothers kitchen, where I watched her fluid movements over and over again, folding,kneading, stirring. I remember the first time I cooked without her there, and being surprised that years of watching her had taught my hands the movements while my brain simply allowed them to follow this newly discovered inborne knowledge. 

 I grew up in a family of world travelers and adventurous eaters. My Grandparents lived in Italy for about 7 years  before & during WWII. While Granddad attended his duties as a U.S Naval Captian, Grandma spent time learning about food, rubbing elbows with Italian movie stars in Corsica and Crete. She explored the markets and learned Italian, picking up tricks from her maid & acquaintances about the traditions of Italian cooking.  Needless to say, pasta is a big deal in our family, prepared simply, from scratch. Nothing in the whole wide world can pluck me out of the blues like a glass of wine and a bowl of the family spaghetti. Later on, she applied this knowledge to her favorite pastime, throwing amazing parties and feeding her ever expanding brood of family.

 My parents met in Guantanama Bay, Cuba (while both serving time in the Navy). My Mother grew up in Portland, Oregon. A city housed in the Willamette Valley, renowned for its fertile soil produce. Her grandfather owned a cattle ranch and they had a small vegetable plot behind their house, needless to say, they ate alot of fresh food (and beef!) Something of a rolling stone, she lived in  Oregon,Texas, California, and before deciding to join up with the navy. From there she lived in Florida and Cuba. After Gitmo (as we Navy folks know it) it was on to Tennessee, Virginia and Maryland. She picked up quite a few diverse food tastes in her trails, something she passed on to her children . As a child, we never ate "boxed" foods. Rather, she would spend five days preparing sauces and marinating meats to throw a Thai feast just for the fun of it. She made everything from scratch and filled with love. We were probably the only people living in Tennessee that ate sushi at that point in the early 90's!

Fast forward 

September 2008 After years of talking about it. I dropped my old life to pursue my dream. With the love and support of Ben (and my family of course!!!) I moved from Annapolis, Maryland to Portland Oregon to attend Culinary School at Western Culinary School a Le Cordon Bleu program. It took me a long time to find my way, but now that I've found it, I've never been more sure of anything.