Village Squire, 1975-04, Page 20The Squire's chef
and
the spring chickens
BY RON RUDD
In April a young man's fancy lightly turns
... or so the saying goes. If your fancy is food,
you will find some tips and hints here that will
make you a talked -about cook, if not a Cordon
Bleu Chef.
Chicken, that versatile and inexpensive
meat, can be treated,in many ways. Try this
one and your fame will spread.
Use a fryer of about 1' to 2 lbs. Try to get
a fresh one. It will result in a much better
dish. Split the bird by cutting down both
sides of the breast bone. Remove the
backbone, including the neck and the
breastbone by cutting through both sides
from the inside. The result will be two halves,
each with a drumstick, thigh and •breast.
Remove the whole wing or cut at the elbow.
Yes, chickens have elbows!
Toss the backbone, wings and any other
bits and pieces into a pot with two bay leaves
and two cups of water.
The two halves of the chicken are now
treated to a miraculous process. In a
thick-walled pan with a tight fitting lid, place
about two tablespoons of corn, peanut or olive
oil. Heat the oil and put into it two crushed
garlic cloves. Did you know that garlic has
been credited with warding off evil, the
plague, the common cold and other people? It
is also reputed to promote love.
If you don't like garlic, put the chicken
halves in the pot with the other pieces and
forget the recipe.
When the garlic pieces have browned,
remove them to the garbage and place the
chicken halves in the pan, skin sides down.
The objective here is to firm the flesh and
produce a pleasant gold colour. Watch the
pan carefully to avoid having the particles
stick. Remove the chicken when nicely
coloured and set aside.
The secret of delicate garlic flavour comes
18, VILLAGE SQUIRE/APRIL 1975
now. Discard the oil, wash the pan, put in 2
fresh tablespoons of oil and 2 crushed cloves
of garlic. Lightly brown the garlic and
discard. Into the delicately flavoured oil
gently place four small onions•cut in half, two
medium-sized tomatoes, skinned and seeded.
The removal of skin and seeds from the
tomato is very important and results in a more
attractive dish. Cut the tomato in quarters -
NO SMALLER. Also add 1 green pepper cut
in 1" squares. The secret here is to prepare
the vegetables before adding to the pan and
put them all in together. Spread the
vegetables evenly over the pan and heat them
thoroughly. Absolutely no browning can be
permitted.
When the vegetables are warm put the
chicken halves carefully on top of the
vegetables, skin side up. The next step is
important. Add 1 cup of dry white wine. Use a
good wine, preferably the one you will have
with the dish when it is served. A good rule in
using wine in cooking is that if it isn't fit to
drink, it isn't fit for cooking.
Now you have a layer of vegetables covered
with chicken halves, simmering in wine. Put
on the lid and leave it there for 30 minutes
exactly. The heat must be low because there
must be no browning. While this delightful
creation gently simmers and develops, you
can prepare a green vegetable to complement
your masterpiece.
Brussels sprouts provide the most
attractive contrast. Carefully clean the little
heads and boil to crisp doneness in salted
water. Drain and return to the heat for a few
minutes, to get rid of excess water. Add 2
tabiespoons of Italian Dressing. That's right,
Italian Dressing. Then grate about a teaspoon
of lemon rind over the lot and add about '
teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg.
If you must, serve asparagus tips but on no
account permit any other substitution except
perhaps fiddleheads prepared the same way
as the sprouts.
When the 30 minute cooking time for the
chicken is over, lift the lid and for a moment,
enjoy the aroma. The chicken will be as
tender as any you have experienced. The
onion and pepper will be cooked to perfection
and the tomato provides splashes of colour.
The next trick that puts this dish in the real
of greatness is the placing of a generous
(4x4x% inch) slice of sharp OLD cheddar
cheese on each delicately tender chicken half.
Return the lid for long enough to completely
melt the cheese so that it covers the chicken.
Serve this meal on a warm plate with your
best silver, the rest of the dry white wine and
two candles to light the way. Don't try this for
more than four. If you use a 12" electric pan,
four portions can be done nicely.
Careful thought about this recipe will show
you that the whole thing can be done in under
an hour, from preparing the chicken to
serving. Get it all ready in the pan and let it
wait until 30 minutes before serving time.
Develop your own routine and become
famous not only for your sill at producing
such a delightful meal but the ease with
which you do it.
Good luck!
BEA UTIFUL FLOWERS
FOR YOUR
WEDDING DAY
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO PHONE US
FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS FLOWERS
FOR YOUR WEDDING.
THE HANDICRAFT
306 Josephine St.,
Wingham
357-2023
Alter six phone 357-3262