Saveur: The New Comfort Food (18 page)

The fried chicken at Blue Ribbon (pictured), a restaurant in New York City, has a thick, crunchy crust made with matzo meal; the chefs there serve it with honey for dipping, collard greens quick-sautéed in brown butter, and mashed potatoes with gravy.

Canola oil, for frying

½ tsp. hot paprika

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tsp. each cayenne pepper, dried basil, dried parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder

4 egg whites, beaten

½ cup flour

½ cup matzo meal

¼ tsp. baking powder

1 3-lb. chicken, cut into 8 pieces Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Honey, for dipping (optional)

Serves 4

1. Pour oil into a 5-qt. Dutch oven to a depth of 2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375°F.

2. Combine paprika, cayenne, basil, parsley, and garlic and onion powders in a bowl; set aside. Put egg whites into a bowl. Combine flour, matzo, and baking powder in another bowl.

3. Working with one piece at a time, dip chicken in egg whites and press into matzo mixture to coat. Shake off excess; transfer chicken to a rack set inside a baking sheet. Working in 2 batches, fry chicken until crispy and cooked through, 10–12 minutes. Transfer chicken to paper towels and season with salt, pepper, and the reserved paprika mixture. Serve with honey, if you like.

The first step to making this traditional Sunday supper is to infuse melted butter with herbes de Provence, a mix of lavender, thyme, tarragon, sage, marjoram, and savory. After frequent basting with that herb butter during roasting, the chicken turns golden brown and intensely fragrant.

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1½ tbsp. dried herbes de Provence

1 tbsp. honey

2 cups white wine

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. fennel seeds

12 cloves garlic, unpeeled (8 whole, 4 crushed)

3 medium turnips, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 small butternut squash (about 1½ lbs.), peeled, seeded, and cut into thick half-moons Kosher salt and coarsely ground pepper, to taste

1 4-lb. chicken

1 lemon

1 bunch thyme

1 large yellow onion, cut into thick wedges

¾ lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

¾ lb. cremini mushrooms, left whole

12 large sage leaves

Serves 4

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Melt the butter and herbes de Provence in a pot over medium heat. Remove from heat; whisk in honey. Cover; let herb butter steep for 20 minutes. In a bowl, combine wine, half the oil, fennel, whole garlic, turnips, squash, and salt and pepper; set turnip mixture aside.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Peel rind from lemon in strips. Halve lemon; set aside. Put rind into cavity with remaining garlic and thyme. Tie legs with twine; tuck wings under body; set chicken on a small roasting rack in a roasting pan. Arrange turnip mixture around chicken; scatter with onions. Brush chicken with some herb butter. Roast, basting chicken with herb butter and vegetables with pan juices, until turnips are just tender, about 1 hour.

3. Toss Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and sage together in a bowl with remaining oil and salt and pepper; transfer to pan. Continue roasting until a thermometer inserted in chicken’s thigh reads 165°F, 25–30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter; cover loosely with foil. Return vegetables to oven; roast until very tender, about 20 minutes more. Carve chicken (following steps shown), squeeze reserved lemon over top, and serve with vegetables.

^A
Set chicken on its side with the breast away from you. Place a fork against the thigh to steady chicken and, using a carving knife, cut between the body and the leg to begin to separate the two.

^B
Pierce the breast with the fork to steady the chicken, and complete the separation of leg from body by working the knife through the connecting joint. Set the leg aside on the carving platter.

^C
Hold the breast down with the fork. Using the knife, make an incision alongside the wishbone. Make a deep cut along the breastbone to remove breast meat. Halve and set aside on carving platter.

^D
Separate the drumstick from the thigh by cutting through the connecting joint while holding the leg steady with the fork. Turn the chicken over and repeat preceding steps on the other side.

Gaeng Phed

The crisp-skinned roasted duck available in Chinatowns across America makes a great shortcut ingredient for many delicious, homey dishes, including this spicy-sweet Thai curry. Ask the counterperson at your local Chinese market to cut the roasted duck into bite-size pieces, which you can then simply toss into the simmering curry sauce.

2½ cups canned unsweetened coconut milk

¼ cup Thai red curry paste, such as Mae Ploy brand

½ Chinese roasted duck, cut into 2-inch pieces

10 fresh or frozen Kaffir lime leaves

1 cup fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks

1½ tbsp. fish sauce

1 tbsp. Thai palm sugar

6 Thai chiles, stemmed

20 cherry tomatoes, left whole Leaves from 10 stems basil, preferably Thai basil

4 cups cooked jasmine rice, for serving

Serves 4

1. Heat 1 cup of the coconut milk in a large pot over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the curry paste and continue to simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is very aromatic, about 5 minutes more.

2. Add the cut-up duck to the curry mixture and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the duck is heated through, about 7 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk, lime leaves, and ¾ cup water. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring, until the flavors meld, about 2 minutes. Add the pineapple, fish sauce, palm sugar, and chiles and continue to simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pineapple is fork-tender, about 5 minutes more.

3. Skim off and discard some of the oil from the top of the curry, if you like. Stir in the tomatoes and basil and simmer the curry for about 1 minute more; the tomatoes and basil should retain their shape and bright color. Serve the curry over steamed jasmine rice.