Tag: Southern

Smothered Chicken with Gravy

On By lukephillaryhIn Classico2 Comments
Craig Claiborne Smothered Chicken
Classic comfort food

As if New York in January isn’t dreary enough, we now have Trump’s inauguration looming. Friday, January 20th. How did this date come so quickly? Back in November, I attempted to write an election related post. The draft begins, predictably, with a rehashing of my 24-hour emotional journey, from the morning of November 8 to the morning of November 9. There’s some political correctness. I avoid outrightly bashing Trump supporters and admit to living in a liberal enclave. And then there’s a recount of the meals I ate in the days following. They’re decadent, definitely self-indulgent and all international in origin:

On Thursday, Luke and I had ramen topped with a thick slab of pork belly and a perfectly poached egg, all swimming in a rich, miso spiked broth. Friday night, I ordered in. Chicken tikka masala and samosas, India’s ultimate comfort food. There were no leftovers. And on Saturday, I enjoyed a slightly more than I can afford Italian dinner, complete with a few glasses of Tuscan wine.

On Sunday, Luke and I agreed we had to return to cooking. 

For dinner we made Craig Claiborne’s Smothered Chicken. Americana comfort food at its finest, it was a reminder of our country’s wonderful unconventionality. Craig Claiborne, a child of Mississippi, grows up and becomes the preeminent food editor of his time for the most sophisticated U.S. publication, The New York Times. He’s credited with broadening Americans’ food horizons, but he still had a deep appreciation for classic American home-cooked food. Easy, delicious, heartwarming – we finished this meal feeling a little lighter. Not necessarily in calories, but certainly in spirit. Our country no longer felt like such a foreign place.

Remembering this dinner and these days, I’m still wondering how I can do more. And what could that “more” mean? In a muddled way, I’ve thought about “more” a lot and have ended up not doing much at all. Perhaps the answer is to think less and simply act more. Not necessarily through a grand initiative, that takes a lot of toiling to think up, but with positive, incremental actions each day. Make an effort to be consistently informed and accountable. Make an effort to think constructively and avoid defaulting into a pessimistic mindset. Make an effort to be open, to question, to listen. Make an effort to understand. This election, for me, has been a reminder of some personal complacency. And in these next four years I don’t want to be comfortable. So while I may be enjoying comfort food, I’m making it my personal mission to avoid a metaphorical food coma.

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole chicken (the smaller the better), spatchcocked
  • salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 TBS unsalted butter
  • 2 TBS all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Directions:

  1. We maybe should’ve started this post with a disclaimer…Craig Claiborne insisted that a cast iron pan be used for this recipe. But, we won’t discourage you from trying it out with a large skillet! Start by making sure the chicken is at room temperature and thoroughly dried off. If your chicken has been in the fridge, season with salt and pepper, and then let it rest on your counter for 30 minutes before preparing. After 30 minutes, pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
  2. Melt the butter in your cast-iron skillet. Add chicken, skin side/breast side down. Fold the wings under the breasts to secure. Cover the chicken with a plate and the on top of the plate place a brick or 2-3 heavy cans – something heavy to weigh the plate down. You want good contact between the chicken and the skillet. Cook over low heat undisturbed until skin is nicely browned, about 25 minutes.
  3. Once browned, remove the weight and plate. Turn the chicken so the skin side is up. Replace the plate and weight and continue cooking for 15 minutes more.
  4. Remove the chicken and pour off fat from the skillet, leaving about 2 TBS in the pan. Add the flour to the fat and stir with a metal whisk over medium heat. Then gradually add chicken broth. When thickened, return chicken to the skillet, skin side up. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plate and weight and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes, until the meat is exceptionally tender. Finish by spooning the sauce on top.
  5. Cut into serving pieces and enjoy immediately! We served with mashed potatoes, though rice, biscuits, or crunchy bread would also be tasty. Anything to sop up the gravy!

Details: Serves 4

A Chili Collaboration

On By lukephillaryhIn ClassicoLeave a comment
Chili cornbread cast iron beer
Beer, cornbread, cheddar cheese, chili perfection

Chili is one of our ideal meals – a long cooking time, a variety of ingredients yielding subtle complexity, and just enough spice to start a sweat. Our original recipe came from a postcard that my parents both bought, separately, at the Dallas Airport before they met. When they moved into their first apartment together they realized they both had the same postcard. In addition to being a sign of fate, the postcard recipe also made a perfect bowl of chili. Sometimes, when it comes to our recipes, Hillary and I can be sticklers to tradition. We find a recipe for a classic and essential dish, like roast chicken or banana bread, successfully make it on our first attempt and it becomes our go-to. Lately, Hillary’s been challenging our conventions, particularly the recipes that come from my family…hmmmm. Admittedly, trying out these new (aka “Hillary”) recipes have had great results. And I’m not just saying that for brownie points. The recipe below is a combination of the postcard recipe and Bon Appétit’s “Best Beef Chili.”

Ingredients:

  • 4 dried chiles (a mixture of ancho, guajillo, morita, and/or pasilla)
  • 4-5 cups chicken broth
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 2 lb stewing beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
  • 2 jalapeños, finely chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 TBS cumin
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 12 oz bottle of lager
  • 2 TBS tomato paste
  • 1-2 tsp brown sugar
  • 16 oz can pinto beans

Directions:

  1. Toast the chiles in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, turning and pressing occasionally, until darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Let sit 30 minutes to soften. Drain and discard stems and seeds. Working in batches if needed, purée the chiles and 4 cups broth in a blender or with a hand blender until smooth.
  2. While chiles are soaking, heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season beef cubes with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook the meat until brown all over, for about 5 minutes. Set aside. Continue cooking the meat juices in the pot until most of the liquid has evaporated.
  3. Add another 1 TBS olive oil to the pot then add the onions, jalapeño, garlic. Season with a little salt. Cook the onions and garlic until soft, for 6-8 minutes, stirring often to ensure they don’t stick. You can add a bit of water to the pot as well to prevent sticking. Then add the cumin, oregano, and chili powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring to incorporate.
  4. Return the beef to the pot and add the lager. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the liquid is almost completely reduced. Add the chile purée, season with salt and pepper, and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 – 1 1/4 hours. You want the liquid to be slightly thickened and the meat very tender.
  5. With thirty cooking minutes remaining, add the pinto beans, sugar, and tomato paste. You may want to first mix the tomato paste with a bit of water to dilute it.
  6. Serve with cornbread, fritos, sour cream, cheese, red onion – whatever you floats your boat!

Details: Serves 6

My Momma’s Brunswick Stew

On By lukephillaryhIn Hillary's DishesLeave a comment
Brunswick stew recipe homemade
Stew-y Goodness

Growing up, my mother would make Brunswick Stew every Halloween. But, to my childhood self Brunswick Stew was known as Witches Brew and it was a delicious, incomparable concoction my mother created all on her own. One of my favorite meals, I remember it having a salty, sweet, tangy broth, chunks of moist chicken, and a well rounded mix of vegetables and legumes.  Every spoonful was chock-full of goodness. Recently, while browsing The Kitchn I came across a list of quintessential Southern recipes and BAM! Brunswick Stew made the list! I was unaware of the contention surrounding Brunswick Stew. I didn’t even know it was Southern dish! So I did some research, compared recipes, read up on the controversy, and finally called my mom. Because momma always knows best! This is the recipe she recited to me from memory and when Luke and I made it for the first time it was just as good as I remember.

Ingredients (to cook chicken):

  • 1 whole chicken, 3 1/2 – 4 lbs
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 3-5 carrots (depending on size), cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 TBS freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 TBS salt
  • 8 cups water (approximately)

Ingredients (for stew):

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 28 oz can whole tomatoes
  • 5 cups chicken stock + 1 1/2 – 2 lbs shredded chicken (from above)
  • 1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 16 oz can green lima beans
  • 2 cups corn (we use frozen)
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
  • 2 TBS brown sugar
  • 2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

  1. Cook chicken: This should be done the night before serving or morning of.* Put whole chicken in a large soup pot and cover entirely with water.  Add onions, celery, carrots, and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then immediately simmer over med-low heat for 1/2 hour.  Then cover, remove from heat, and let sit over night or all day (8-12 hours).
  2. Shred Chicken: Remove chicken from the pot and place in a dish.  Strain chicken stock and return to soup pot.  To shred chicken, just start pulling away skin and chunks of meat.  Don’t shred too finely! Aim for 2-3 inch pieces. And make sure to be thorough, cleaning the meat off the bones.  Discard skin and place chicken chunks in a separate dish. Cover chicken with a couple spoonfuls of stock to keep moist. Return the chicken bones to the soup pot with the stock.  Simmer stock with bones for 45 more minutes, reducing by 1-2 cups and boosting the flavor.  Then strain the stock again into a large bowl.
  3. Stew assembly: Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.  Add onions, cooking for 2-4 minutes, then garlic, cooking for 2 minutes more.  Add tomatoes, crushing with your hands or with a spoon as well as the tomato juices in the can.  Then literally add everything else all at once – 5 cups chicken stock you made (should have some still leftover), lima beans, corn, potatoes, ketchup, BBQ sauce, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.  Bring to a boil, then add shredded chicken and then simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.You’ll have so much stew!! 3-4 quarts. Serve with cornbread. Makes ahhhmazing leftovers.

You’ll have so much stew!! 3-4 quarts. Serve with cornbread (see our recipe here!!). Makes ahhhmazing leftovers.

*Note 1: If you’d like, you can source 1 1/2 – 2 lbs shredded chicken elsewhere (for example: supermarket rotisserie chicken) and skip this step entirely.  You’ll also need to source five cups chicken stock.

To print the recipe, click here: Brunswick Stew