MABBETTSVILLE FRIED CHICKEN AND CLASSIC CREAMY COLESLAW

I had spent the weekend cleaning and organizing dozens of boxes stacked in the closets and guestrooms of our newly acquired, old Victorian, culling through endless papers and receipts (Paul does not believe in throwing away ANY receipts or notepads, or scraps of paper with notes on them, or old lottery tickets - you get the picture) when lo and behold I uncovered a scrap of paper that had a Fried Chicken Recipe on it. This was not just any fried chicken recipe, this was the recipe scribbled quickly on one of Paul's sundry pieces of scrap paper by Brian, a previous line chef for the now closed Mabbettsville Market in Millbrook, New York. I scooped it up, set it aside to go in my recipe file. 

For me, meatloaf and mashed potatoes with gravy, a spicy chili and side of corn bread, or a hearty beef stew all constitute delicious, soothing comfort food, but discovering that little scrap of a recipe gave me a mighty hankering for fried chicken. Our freezer was full of chicken legs  and I had a half a head of cabbage in the crisper that I did not want to go to waste so I hummed hallelujahs and made plans to cook what I had just rememberes was another one of my favorite comfort foods, Fried Chicken with Creamy Coleslaw on the side.

Michel Nischan, sustainable food pioneer, chef, author and owner of Dressing Room Restaurant in Westport, Connecticut, helps remove the guilt factor that comes with eating fried foods by counseling,  "Like most fried foods, when done correctly, fried chicken is not bad for you. It should be enjoyed in moderation, but when you feel the urge to fry up some chicken, do it right."

Like barbeque, simply everyone has their own special trick for frying up the tastiest chicken, but I totally agree with Bon Appetit magazine, for a good fried chicken the skillet makes all the difference: "A cast-iron skillet--inexpensive and indestructible--is the prized frying vessel for a reason. It retains heat better than most pans, which helps regulate the oil temperature and ensures even frying. If you don't own one already, this recipe should provide ample motivation."

Since lard is not bad for you either, as long as it too is used in moderation, I use it (in my old Griswold cast iron pan) for frying the chicken. It imparts a wonderfully distinctive flavor and actually leaves the chicken less greasy. Learn how to render your own lard here.

Never fear, if you don't own a cast iron pan you can still make perfectly acceptable fried chicken in another heavy bottomed pan. I myself, momentarily lost my sanity and spent several years immersing chicken in canola oil using one of those made-for-the-home deep fryers: never again. 

This fried chicken, though, I will be having over and over.  Served up with a healthy side dish of a traditional creamy coleslaw or some potato or tossed green salad, it certainly makes for a comforting meal, no matter what time of year it is.

MABBETTSVILLE FRIED CHICKEN

 

INGREDIENTS

2 quarts Buttermilk or Whole Milk

1 Onion, minced

3 to 4 Garlic heads, sliced thinly

3 tablespoons fresh Thyme (1 Tablespoon dried thyme)

1/4 cup Kosher salt

Several grinds of freshly ground black pepper

One (2 to 3 pound) free range Chicken, cut into 8 pieces

OR all Chicken legs, backs, breasts - whatever your preference.

 FLOUR MIX

2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 Tablespoon Onion powder

1 Tablespoon Garlic powder

1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)

1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper

1 teaspoon dried Coleman's Mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

FOR FRYING

3/4 to 1 Cup Lard (or Canola Oil)

Cast Iron Skillet or heavy bottomed pan with Cover

DIRECTIONS

Warm 1 quart of (butter) milk  in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove pan from the heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme. Set aside to come to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper, using enough salt so that the you can taste it.

When the (butter) milk is nearly cool, pour in a dish large enough to hold the chicken pieces. stir in the remaining 1 quart cold (butter) milk. Add your chicken, cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of  2 hours and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally. Drain the chicken, pat dry. Throw away the milk marinade.

To make the flour mix, mix together the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, and mustard in a shallow dish. Season with salt and pepper. Put the chicken pieces in the flour. Turn to coat. Let the coated chicken pieces sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat your skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, heat the lard until liquified and so hot it is nearly smoking. Using tongs, lay the chicken pieces in the hot fat, which should come about halfway up the sides of the chicken.

Cover and let fry for 3 to 4 minutes, then turn the pieces over. Watch the chicken carefully, turning as needed to brown evenly on both sides and cook through, about 25 to 30 minutes total. (The smaller pieces might be cooked through in 20 minutes.) Adjust the heat if necessary to prevent scorching, but try to keep it as high as you can. Watch out for splatter, you don't want to get burned.

Lift the chicken pieces from the hot fat as they are cooked. Drain on paper towels, set in baking dish in a warm oven until all your pieces are cooked. Serve hot with your prepared side dishes..









Tossing together the Creamy Coleslaw





 

CREAMY COLESLAW

INGREDIENTS

1 head Cabbage, shredded

1 Yellow Onion, shredded

1 large Carrot, shredded

2 Tablespoons Honey

1 Tablespoon Celery Seed

5 Tablespoons White Vinegar

dash Cayenne Pepper

dash Garlic Salt

Mayonnaise, Salt and Pepper to taste

 

DIRECTIONS

Mix Honey, Vinegar, Cayenne Pepper,and Garlic Salt over low heat until honey is incorporated. Remove and let cool.

In the meantime, put Cabbage, Carrot, and Onion through food processor to shred.

Once the Vinegar/Honey mix is cooled, coat slaw well (slaw will lose volume as it sits, so this will be enough dressing). Sprinkle with Celery Seed. Refrigerate.

When ready to serve add Mayonnaise to taste, Salt and Pepper to taste.

HOMEMADE PIZZA AND SAUCE

Today's pizza has a long and interesting history. In the 3rd century B.C., Romans ate a "flat round of dough dressed with olive oil, herbs, and honey, baked on stones." In 16th century Europe the tomato was believed to be poisonous, as most fruits of the nightshade family are, but by the late 18th century, cooks around Naples were adding it to their yeast-based flatbread: the dish now known as pizza was born.

In ancient Naples, pizza was considered 'poor man's food,' but then, as now, people started talking, and visitors ventured into the city's poorer areas to try the local specialty. Pizza's popularity was undeniable even then.

Popular pizza lore holds that Via Port'Alba 18 in Naples was the first 'official' pizzeria. Still in business today, according to Wikipedia, the location was established in 1738 as a stand for street vendors, who would make pizza in wood-fired ovens, then peddle it on the street, keeping the pies warm in small copper stoves they balanced on their heads.

Eventually, the restaurant Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba opened, replacing the peddlers with a more formal location. Legend has it that the eatery's ovens have been lined with lava rocks from nearby Mount Vesuvius since its inception. 




photo courtesy of Wikipedia


In America, the first pizzeria is rumored to have been established in a grocery store opened by Gennaro Lombardi, an Italian immigrant, in Manhattan's Little Italy in 1897.  An employee of his, Antonio Totonno Pero, began making pizza for the store to sell that same year.  In 1924, Totonno left Lombardi's to open his own pizzeria on Coney Island called, funnily enough, Totonno's (recently reopened, click here). While the original Lombardi's closed its doors in 1984, it was reopened in 1994 just down the street and is run by Lombardi's grandson.

It doesn't take long to make your own sauce and dough. The recipes that follow make enough sauce for four or more medium pizzas (depends on how much sauce you like on your pie), and the dough recipe makes three medium-sized pies - you can double this recipe and make six if you would like. Still, if you are going to make more than double the recipe, it is best to mix up multiple small batches. Keep the extra sauce and dough in the freezer, then when you are in a rush, you can defrost and let the children help roll out the dough, or invite friends over for a 'pick your own toppings' pizza party.

Until the 1970s, lard was often used instead of olive oil to make pizza dough (click to learn how to render your own lard).  It makes a noticeable difference in how the dough rises and bakes. I love the 70's, and I love pizza, so I offer these recipes in the tradition of making your own pizza.  Plan on making the sauce and dough a day ahead of time (another reason for making a bigger batch for the freezer). If you are serious about your pizza, invest in a pizza stone, it is great for reheating cold pizza, or paninis, or grinders, as well as making your fresh pies crisp and delicious. 

PIZZA DOUGH

INGREDIENTS

3 ½ cups unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 tablespoon Yeast (1 packet Quick Rising Yeast)

1/2 cups Warm Water

3/4 cup Ice Cold Water

1 tablespoon Lard

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Honey

Cornmeal for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Put yeast in a large cup with a half cup of warm water. Add 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 tablespoon Lard, and honey. Leave the mixture in the cup to rise for half an hour in a warm place. You'll know it is rising because it will bubble and expand.

Next, place the remaining 3 1/2 cups flour into your kitchen mixer with a dough hook, pour in the risen yeast "water," beating at low speed. Add 3/4 cup of ice-cold water to mix a little at a time. Mix on the lowest speed for 10 to 12 minutes. You should be able to form a soft dough ball.

If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the bowl's sides, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it is too dry, dribble in a teaspoon or two more of cold water. The finished dough needs to be elastic and slightly sticky. It may take a few tries to get this right, but don't give up!

Leave the dough in the mixing bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour and a half or until double in size, in a warm place. If it is in the cold winter months or in a rush, I'll put the oven setting to warm and set the mixing bowl in the oven.

Divide the “risen” dough into 3 equal parts, form into 3 balls. Coat each ball lightly with olive oil; place in a covered container or plastic freezer bag, and sit in the refrigerator overnight. Use within the next three days or place in the freezer for several weeks.

Remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator (freezer) at least 2 hours before making the pizza. Once the dough has warmed through (come to room temperature), place the dough balls on top of a floured counter and sprinkle them lightly with flour; dust your hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour, coat with olive oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap. Now let rest for another 2 hours. With well-floured hands,  begin to hand-toss or roll out with a rolling pin.

At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven as hot as possible, up to 800F (most home ovens will go only to 500 to 550F, but some will go higher). If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.

Make the pizzas one at a time. Generously dust a peel - A peel is a shovel-like tool used by bakers to slide pizzas and other baked goods into and out of an oven - or use the back of a sheet pan with cornmeal. 

Coat your hands in flour and start with one piece of dough. Gently stretch the dough by softly pulling in a circular motion, carefully giving it a stretch. Work with small pulls. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it on the floured counter, re-flour your hands, and then continue shaping it.  You can use a rolling pin or push/pull with your fingers on the countertop, though this isn't as effective (or as fun) as the traditional toss method.

When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction (between 12 and 14 inches), lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is just enough cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then with your other toppings; remember that the best pizzas are topped with a less-is-more philosophy, for taste as well as cooking. 

Slide the dressed pizza onto the stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan) and close the oven door. Wait 2 minutes, then take a peek. If it needs to be rotated for even baking, turn your stone (pan). The pizza should only take  8 to 10 minutes to bake, depending on the oven. 

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone to a lower shelf before the next round. If the bottom crisps before the cheese melts, you will need to raise the stone up a shelf for subsequent bakes. This recipe yields three 12 to 14-inch thin-crust pizzas.

HOMEMADE PIZZA SAUCE

(Enough for 4 to 8 Medium Pizzas)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb crushed Tomatoes

1 Tablespoon minced Garlic

4 oz. Tomato Paste

1 Tablespoon Basil

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon minced Onion

1 teaspoon Marjoram

2 teaspoons dried Oregano

Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Over medium-low heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil and butter for 4 to 5 minutes. The bits should be golden brown and fragrant but be careful not to overcook. Add the other ingredients.

Simmer the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes.

Jar up and store in the refrigerator.  I have found that this sauce tastes better after it rests for a few days.  You can also spoon into freezer bags and freeze for later use.  Freeze up to a year, refrigerate up to 2 months in a tightly sealed container - but I can pretty much guarantee it will not last more than a few weeks.

Spread thinly on your pizza crust, top with favorite toppings and cheese.  Bake according to the above instructions. 

Let your pizza rest for a few minutes when it comes out of the oven before slicing and serving. 

HOW TO RENDER LARD

Lard is definitely a food that our grandmothers would recognize; recipes passed down from previous generations call for lard in pie crusts (try this old fashioned recipe) and tarts, pastries and biscuits, and many other recipes. 

Rendering your own lard is a tradition being rediscovered, and rendering lard in your own home is not a difficult task. Lard is an excellent source of Vitamin D and unsaturated fat: the same fatty acid found in olive oil and avocado heralded for cardiovascular health benefits.

You want true flakiness in your pastries: use lard. You want a little extra flavor in stews, gravies, and a plethora of other recipes: use lard.  You don't need a lot, but the difference in taste is noticeable.

A jar full of creamy white, freshly rendered lard for cooking and baking is worth the minimal effort it takes to bottle some up; all that is required is filtered water, pork fat, and some patience.

STOVETOP METHOD FOR RENDERING LARD

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ pounds Pork Fat

About 4 ounces of water


DIRECTIONS

With a sharp knife, trim any blood spots or remaining meat from the lard.

Cube the fat into small cubes, about ½-inch in size.

Place the fat and the filtered water into a heavy-bottomed stockpot and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.





Cubed lard simmering in a cast iron pot.



After a time, the water will evaporate and the fat will begin to melt. Continue to gently stir the melted fat periodically. Eventually,  the “cracklings” form. You know how bacon sputters sending hot fat out of a shallow pan? As moisture is released from the cracklings, it will definitely sputter like the bacon. Be careful not to get burned.

Eventually when those cracklings are crispy brown and there appears to be no more lard to cook off, you may remove your pot from the heat.





Lard cooked down to 'cracklings.'



Line a strainer with cotton cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter and strain the melted fat into hot sterilized canning jars, reserving the cracklings for another use (they’re quite tasty salted and eaten as a snack).

Allow jars to cool. The melted fat will be golden to golden-brown in color; when cooled, it will become a creamy white. Keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 months or freeze and keep for up to a year. If you are going to put your jars into the freezer, leave 1-inch headroom.

Use your freshly rendered lard in pastries, as a fat for braising vegetables or seasoning meats, or even for making pizza dough. When you experience the amount of flavor achieved or the extra flakiness of your pastries, with such a little amount of lard, you will not only be satisfied that there is no real detriment to your health, but that putting by your own lard is well worth the effort.