Granny's Scrapple

I grew up eating scrapple - the fried, meaty bastardization of traditional Italian polenta from the American South. My mom's mother passed the recipe on to my own mother. Granny, as we called her, learned the dish from her mother-in-law, who had for a time acted as the matron of a fraternity in Tennessee. I like to imagine my great-grandmother sweating over a giant pot in a dark and cavernous industrial kitchen. She wears an early 20th century corset, high collar, long dark skirt, and slightly stained cream-colored apron. Her hair is done into a tight bun. Slowly she stirs the thickening cornmeal with an impossibly giant and worn wooden spoon. Then, once the piles of scrapple are fully fried, she fixes her bun before serving it in lavish piles to teams of hungry undergraduates. They scarf it down in quick bites. She wonders how they can even taste their food when they eat it so fast, then retreats back to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

When the tray of scrapple was presented on Sundays morning with my family, my brothers and I performed as I imagined those college boys did - grabbing up every last crispy bit until the plate was empty. This stuff is delicious. Served with a couple of fried eggs and some sauteed kale smothered in hot sauce, you couldn't ask for a better breakfast.

Scrapple
3lb pork neck bones
1 medium onion, whole
1 tsp salt
8 cups water
2 1/2 cups corn meal
More salt and pepper to taste

Place bone in large pot and cover with water. Boil until scum rises to the top of pot. Remove all scum. Add teaspoon salt and onion and continue to cook over a medium flame for two hours, or until meat is fork tender. Remove meat, cool, and cut lean portions off the bone.

Strain broth and measure and add back to pot. Add enough water to make 6 cups of liquid. Bring to a boil.

Measure another 2 cups of water into a bowl. Add 2 1/2 cups corn meal and mix thoroughly.

Slowly add cornmeal mixture into the boiling broth to ensure it does not clump. Stir well. Add meat and cook until very thick, about 30 minutes. Pour into 2 loaf pans and cool. Refrigerate until cold. Slice and fry in very hot canola oil.

Fried Chicken, Three Ways

I recently had the opportunity to travel with 13 other friends to the Catskills in order to spend a holiday weekend in the country hiking, relaxing, hot tubbing, and, of course, eating. Several of the guests had dietary restrictions, so, being the self-proclaimed cook of the trip, I had to come up with three ways to make most of the main dishes including the fried chicken. I thought that each of these turned out successfully, so decided to include the technique and the recipes here.

The Equipment
Canola oil - lots of it
Fat thermometer
Meat thermometer
Large pot for brining
Deep cast iron skillet or enameled pot
Tongs or long two-pronged fork for turning chicken

The Brine
½ sugar
1 cup salt
4 cups water

Mix ingredients in large pot. Add chicken and place pot in refrigerator. Soak chicken in brine for 1-2 hours. Pat dry with paper towels.

The Technique
The secret to a good piece of crispy fried chicken is regulating the temperature of the fat and taking the chicken out of it as soon as it is fully cooked. Note that smaller piece of chicken (wings and legs) will cook faster than the larger pieces (breasts and thighs).

Place a wire rack on a jelly roll pan (or if you have a roasting pan with a wire rack in it, you may also use that). Heat canola oil (at least 2" deep) to 350 degrees. Add dressed chicken pieces and cook about 7-8 minutes on each side until internal temperature reaches 190 degrees. Immediately remove from pan and place on wire rack (this will ensure the chicken retains its crispness). To keep warm, place chick on rack in a 225 degree oven.

Important: each time you add chicken to the pot, be sure to reheat the oil to 350 degrees.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
1 chicken, rinsed and cut into 10 pieces (a 4lb chicken works well)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or more)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
freshly ground black pepper

Pour buttermilk into a bowl. Mix together flour, baking powder and pepper in a large bowl, platter, or jelly roll pan. Dredge chicken flour, then in buttermilk, then back into flour mixture. Fry using technique above.

Wheat-free Fried Chicken
1 chicken, rinsed and cut into 10 pieces (a 4lb chicken works well)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or more)
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp. baking powder
freshly ground black pepper

Pour buttermilk into a bowl. Mix together cornmeal, baking powder, cayenne, and pepper in a large bowl, platter, or jelly roll pan. Dredge chicken cornmeal mixture, then in buttermilk, then back into cornmeal mixture. Fry using technique above.

Dairy-free Fried Chicken
1 chicken, rinsed and cut into 10 pieces (a 4lb chicken works well)
1/2 cup soymilk (or more), unsweetened and unflavored
Juice of one lemon
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
freshly ground black pepper

Combine soymilk and lemon juice into a bowl. Mix together flour, baking powder, and pepper in a large bowl, platter, or jelly roll pan. Dredge chicken in soymilk mixture, then into flour mixture. Fry using technique above.

New Logo

A beautiful new logo by the talented Juan Tauber.

Curried Guac

It only may have received second place in Guac Off 2008, but in my heart it's number one.

CURRIED GUACAMOLE

1 large white onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
4 avocados
1/2 cup raisins chopped
1 shallot chopped fine
1.5 T curry powder
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
Rock salt to taste

Sautee white onion in oil until translucent, set aside. Combine all other ingredients and then add onions with oil. Stir/mash until avocado is half smooth, half chunky. Season with rock salt. Serve with plain tortilla chips or ones drizzled with a little honey and toasted.

La Sopa Maya

So, I just fabricated the title of this soup, but it sounds nice and was actually inspired by my trip through Chiapas and other parts of southern Mexico. The soup is a fresh blend of seasonal vegetables and Mexican spices.

Ingredients
3 shallots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
3 carrots, sliced
1 pint mushrooms, sliced
2 large zucchinis, cubed
1 large parsnip, cubed
1 large russet potato, cubed
6 cups water
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 cup ricotta salata, crumbled
2 ears of corn, kernels removed (or one small can of sweet corn)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan heat 2 tablespoons canola oil, add cumin, shallots, and onions and saute until soft, about five minutes. Add carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic and saute until vegetables are slightly cooked and garlic is fragrant, another 5 minutes. Add parsnips, potatoes, and water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for one hour. Add corn kernels 10 minutes before soup is done. Add salt and pepper to taste.*

Serve topped with chopped cilantro and cheese.

*If you like, take a hand blender and blend half of the soup for a more stew-like consistency.

Tess' Zucchini Cornbread Bake

A recipe from my adopted sister, Tess. This casserole is a great side, but also filling enough to make a main course. It is very easy to make and also very delicious!

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped (more or less, depending on your taste)
2 eggs beaten
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1 (8.5 oz) package dry corn muffin mix
4 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 large)
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

In a large bowl mix together the zucchini, onion, eggs, muffin mix, salt and pepper. Stir in 4 oz of the cheese. Spread this mixture into the greased casserole dish; top with remaining 4 oz of cheese. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean! A great accompaniment to chili.

Caramelized Onions

A little while ago, my ex-boyfriend's brother told me that he had made a salad with caramelized onions and that he had made the onions the "usual way" - with brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. However, this idea - that you have to add something to onions to make them soft, delicate, sweet, and delicious to make them caramelized - is just plain wrong, yet it is a common misconception. In fact, all you have to "do" to onions to caramelize them is to cook them! Here's how you do it.

Ingredients
4-5 large onions
8-10 T olive oil (about 2 T per onion)

Slice onions into 1/4" pieces. Do not slice too thinly because it is easier to burn smaller chunks.


Heat the oil over a medium flame, until it is just heated. (If you feel warmth when you hover your hand over the skillet, then the oil is warmed enough). Turn the heat to medium-low, and add the onions. Don't worry if it seems like there are too many onions in the pan because they will cook down significantly. Stir frequently to avoid burning. The onions will turn translucent first and then they will begin to brown and take on a caramel color. If the pan becomes too dry, add a little more olive oil as you go along.


Once the onions are a deep translucent brown, they are done. If there are any burned pieces, remove them before serving. You'll notice that the bottom of the pan will be covered in browned bits. These little bits are full of flavor and you can easily deglaze the pan with a little butter and a little white wine to make a delicious sauce that can be used to top fish or asparagus.