Soy Sauce Fried Chicken with Jalapenos

Food ties together so many parts of our lives. Eric Kim learned from working as a food writer that “we can never really run away from who we are.” He moved back home to Atlanta at the start of the pandemic to cook with his mother and work on the book Korean American and found a bit of his identity in the process. I recently received a review copy. Transcribing his mother’s recipes and transforming them into his own made clear his understanding of being an American who is also Korean. The recipes are specific dishes fondly remembered from his upbringing with some of his own takes. There are Korean flavors with American ingredients and vice versa and a mix of the two. It’s a personal look at life through food and how his family prepared these dishes with lots of endearing stories throughout. A great example of how Korean and American concepts collide is the Gochugaru Shrimp and Roasted Seaweed Grits. The creamy, buttered grits are flavored with crushed gim, which is roasted seaweed, and sesame oil while the shrimp are bathed in lots of garlic, gochugaru, fish sauce, and lemon juice. The richness of the butter brings all these flavors together magically. I also tried the Roasted Seaweek Sour Cream Dip that I made with skyr from a local producer, and I have the page marked for Crispy Yangnyeom Chickpeas with Caramelized Honey. Of course, there are multiple variations of kimchi and recipes that incorporate kimchi like the cold noodle dish Kimchi Bibimguksu with Grape Tomatoes, Caramelized-Kimchi Baked Potatoes, and Kimchi Sandwiches on Milk Bread. There are some recipes I look forward to making my own. I’d love to try some meatless fillings for Kimbap, but two options are included with Spam and Perilla and Cheeseburger. And, I want to try Sheet-Pam Bibimbap with all sorts of vegetables. There are fish, chicken, and beef dishes; stews; vegetable recipes honoring Kim’s mother’s garden; and a chapter of Feasts. The chapters are rounded out with one for sweets that includes a Dalgona Butterscotch Sauce for ice cream that I have to try. It was the Soy Sauce Fried Chicken, though, that I turned to next. 

This recipe is from Kim’s Aunt Georgia, and it’s the crispiest chicken ever. The pieces are coated in potato starch and fried twice before being tossed in a spicy, soy sauce glaze. I've fried things all sorts of ways such as in a simple flour coating, in a three-step breaded coating, in nut crusts, etc. But, this was my introduction to using potato starch. It really does make an incredibly crunchy exterior. I used thighs, legs, and lots of wings from Shirttail Creek Farm. The sauce was a mix of oil, sliced garlic, sliced jalapenos, brown sugar, and soy sauce. It was warmed until bubbling in a skillet, and the twice-fried chicken was turned in it before plating. An important accompaniment is the Chicken Radishes. They are simply pickled radishes in distilled vinegar that go perfectly with the rich, fried chicken, and I luckily had some local radishes to use the day I made them. 

Bright, acidic radishes with the crunchiest, spicy chicken was a fantastic combination. I highly recommend the duo. It can’t be easy for immigrants like Kim’s parents to navigate unfamiliar ingredients in attempting to make the kind of food they know and love. But, this book shows the evolution of just that and how new dishes came to be. We’re lucky to get to share in their inventiveness. 

Aunt Georgia’s Soy Sauce Fried Chicken with Jalapeños 

Recipe reprinted with publisher’s permission from Korean American. 

My Aunt Georgia’s fried chicken is unmatched. I love how simple her recipe is, and within its simplicity—the careful combination of garlic, jalapeños, brown sugar, and soy sauce—lies great complexity. Her chicken stays crunchy for hours, thanks to the potato starch coating and the double fry, not to mention the savory, spicy glaze that candies the outsides. For balance, be sure to have this with the Somaek and the Chicken Radishes. 

1 whole chicken (3 to 3½ pounds), cut into 10 serving pieces 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

2 cups potato starch 

Vegetable oil 

7 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

3 large jalapeños, thinly sliced 

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 

1/4 cup soy sauce 

SERVES 6 TO 8 

1. In a large bowl or resealable plastic bag, add the chicken pieces and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of the potato starch and toss to coat each piece. Remove the chicken pieces and repeat. Add the pieces to the bowl or bag, sprinkle in the remaining 1 cup potato starch and toss to coat each piece again. Set aside on a plate until the starch on the chicken begins to look wet, about 15 minutes. 

2. Pour 2 inches oil (enough to cover the chicken pieces while frying) into a large Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat to 350°F. 

3. Line a plate with paper towels. Working in batches of a few pieces at a time, add the chicken to the hot oil and fry until lightly golden, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer the fried chicken to the paper towels. Then, fry these same pieces a second time until golden brown, about 8 minutes per batch. Set these twice-fried chicken pieces aside on a wire rack until you’ve double-fried all of the chicken. 

4. In a medium skillet, combine ½ cup vegetable oil, the garlic, 2 of the jalapeños, the brown sugar, and soy sauce and set over medium-high heat until it bubbles up. Add a few pieces of the fried chicken to the sauce and use tongs to quickly turn them over in the glaze just until coated. Remove and transfer to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining chicken. 

5. Garnish the fried chicken with the remaining jalapeño slices and serve immediately or at room temperature, when the soy sauce glaze on the outside will be at its crunchiest. 

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Spicy Squid and Shrimp Stir-Fry

In my last post, I apologized for all the salads lately. Of course, I blame this on the temporary kitchen. As long as we’re living in our temporary home waiting for our new home to be finished, I’m going to lack interest in spending time in this little kitchen that doesn’t have enough countertop space. I’ve been cooking mostly quick and simple things that don’t require much room to prepare with only a few forays into baking. Below is a photo of the current state of my new kitchen. It’s still very unfinished, but I can’t wait for the day when I can start cooking in it. 

In the meantime, here’s another dish that was simple to prepare and one that came packed with big, spicy flavors. This is from The Slanted Door book by Charles Phan, and this is a book I purchased back around the holidays. I read the book right after purchasing it and marked a lot of pages of things to try. I tried the Crab with Cellophane Noodles for my birthday in March and loved it. I’ve been meaning to try the Vegetarian Spring Rolls and Vegetarian Imperial Rolls, but sadly, they both would be easier to construct with more work space than I currently have. Other recipes marked include Vietnamese Chicken Salad, Spicy Lemongrass Soup, Seared Scallops in Vietnamese Beurre Blanc, Shrimp and Long Beans, Cashew Chicken with gingko nuts and Chinese dates, and the luscious-looking Vietnamese Chocolate Tres Leches Cake. When I get settled in my new kitchen, I plan to spend a couple of days cooking through these pages. For now, I’ll stick to simpler dishes like this stir-fry. 

In the book, it’s made with only squid, but I added shrimp as well. The squid tubes were cut into rings, and the shrimp were cleaned and deveined. I chopped a pineapple into chunks and prepped the bell pepper and jalapeno. The cooking goes very quickly, so everything should be prepped and ready. First, the squid and shrimp were cooked in batches in a hot wok over high heat. Cooking a few pieces at a time ensure the heat in the wok doesn’t drop too much as the seafood is added. Each batch of the squid and shrimp was removed after cooking for a minute or two and set aside. Next, pineapple chunks, bell pepper strips, jalapeno slices, a split serrano chile, and a couple of tablespoons of sake were added to the wok. This mixture was cooked for a couple of minutes before the seafood was returned to the wok. Thai basil leaves and fish sauce were added and stirred to combine. I served the stir-fry with steamed jasmine rice and more Thai basil. 

I’ve mentioned before my love of spicy chiles and sweet fruit with seafood, and I was delighted with it here. With the sliced jalapeno with seeds left in place, this was a dish with definite heat as it was intended. The sweet pineapple balances the heat well. This could easily become part of our regular meal rotation. Spicy stir-fry for Friday dinner works for me in any kitchen. 

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Okra Cornmeal Cakes with Pimento Cheese

Okra season is in full swing, and I’ve been trying some different ways of cooking it thanks to the new book Okra: A Savor the South Cookbook by Virginia Willis. Back in April, I attended a class taught by Virginia Willis at Central Market Cooking School  with a media pass and posted photos on my Facebook page. I’ve been holding onto the book, waiting for the weeks when bags of okra appear in our CSA boxes. The book, of course, shows off several Southern okra dishes, and then there are okra recipes from around the world. I’ve made a Greek-style dish of okra and tomatoes before that’s very similar to the Greek Okra Ragout in the book. Other global dishes include Nigerian Black-Eyed Pea and Okra Fritters, Egyptian Okra and Chickpeas, Indian Spicy Sweet Okra with Peanuts, and Jamaican Curried Shrimp and Okra. The Southern okra recipes include several classics and some new ideas as well. There are different versions of fried okra, gumbos, and stewed okra. A couple of weeks ago, I tried the Oven-Fried Okra which involves dipping sliced okra into a buttermilk and egg batter, dusting the pieces with cornmeal, and baking them on a baking sheet coated with oil. The crispy okra was every bit as good as deep-fried okra and made a great snack with cold beer. The next recipe on my to-try list was the Okra Cornmeal Cakes. Sliced okra was mixed into a cornmeal batter and fried into golden, tender rounds. The recipe suggests stacking the cakes with a pimento cheese filling with sliced tomato and lettuce to make little sandwiches. I served them open-faced with a mound of toppings instead. And, there are options for the fillings or toppings like goat cheese, ricotta, or herbed cream cheese and avocado, microgreens, or sprouts. But, nothing says Southern food like pimento cheese and summer tomatoes. 

To make the cakes, two cups of cornmeal, two teaspoons baking soda, and a teaspoon of salt were combined in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, an egg was whisked with one and a half cups of water, and that mixture was added to the dry ingredients and whisked until smooth. A jalapeno was seeded and finely chopped, a clove of garlic was minced to a paste, and eight ounces of okra was cut into small slices, and all of that was added to the batter. Oil was heated in a cast iron skillet, and then one-quarter cup of batter was poured into the hot oil to form each cake. They cooked for a few minutes on each side, were drained on a towel-lined baking sheet, and were sprinkled with salt and pepper. I topped the caked with a spoonful of pimento cheese, chopped tomatoes, and thinly sliced basil.

I’ve realized I have a thing for little, vegetable cakes stacked with delicious toppings. I seem to gravitate to this type of dish. But, this was a great version of the concept for summer. I’m already sold on okra and require no conversion. For anyone who still needs some convincing about this healthy vegetable, this new book could hold the inspiration that changes your mind. 

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Gunkan-maki with Avocado and Charred Jalapeno

I did attempt to make sushi once several years ago. I was no Jiro, and after making a mess of it, I never tried again. I was perfectly happy to just go out for sushi or to bring it home already made by people who know what they’re doing. But now, I’ve changed my mind about sushi-making. Thanks to A Visual Guide to Sushi-Making at Home, I have all the instructions I need to get it right. This is a new book from Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani, and I received a review copy. The book takes you by the hand and walks you through every step for making Nigiri-zushi, Maki-zushi, Sushi Bowls, and even the process of breaking down and slicing fish. There are helpful photos all along the way too. I followed the steps for making sushi rice, adding the sushi vinegar, and fanning the rice to cool it to room temperature and remove some moisture. Next came making Sushi Rice Balls after using water to slightly moisten my hands to prevent the rice from sticking. The photos show exactly how to hold the rice, cup it in your fingers, and press and shape it into an oblong piece. The finished sushi that’s shown in the book is beautiful. Delicate-looking, shimmering halibut Nigiri, a slice of olive-oil marinated sardine draped over a rice ball, and vegetarian options like Nigiri with Grilled Shitake Mushrooms or Dashi-marinated Roasted Bell Pepper are all works of art. I took a stab at making California Rolls, and I was happily surprised at how easy it was to follow the recipe. Flipping the sheet of nori with rice and sesame seeds on it did not result in disaster as I feared. The cucumber- and crab-filled roll came together just as it was described in the book. Up next, I set out to create Gunkan-maki or Warship Rolls. You start with formed rice balls as they’re used for nigiri. Then, you slice nori into strips just taller than the rice balls, and wrap a piece of nori around each. By placing the wrapped pieces of rice right together and touching, the nori is held in place. Then, each can be topped as you choose. Some options include Uni, Poached Oysters, and Salmon Roe, and I went with the charred jalapeno and avocado topping. 

I charred the jalapenos under the broiler, but they could have been grilled. After they cooled, the char was removed, and the chiles were stemmed and seeded. They were cut into long pieces, and one piece was set on each waiting Gunkan-maki. I think the most difficult part of making the Gunkan-maki might have been slicing the nori into strips to wrap around the rice balls. The brittle edges of toasted nori wanted to break and crumble a bit. So, getting a good, clean line at the edge was a challenge. Once the jalapeno slices were in place, avocado was cut into thin slices to fit on the rolls and arranged on top. The jalapeno pieces ended up tucked in and hidden beneath the avocado. For garnish, small lime wedges were placed on top of the avocado. These rolls were served with just soy sauce and no wasabi since the jalapeno added enough zing. 

The roasted flavor of the charred jalapeno was delicious in contrast to the mild, cool avocado. I’m glad to have tried again at sushi-making. The recipes I tried from this book were so easy to follow, and any lacking in the presentation or beauty of the finished pieces is entirely my own fault. But, the good news is that since this is sushi-making at home, it definitely doesn’t have to be perfect. 

Gunkan-maki with Avocado and Charred Jalapeno 
Recipes reprinted with publisher's permission from A Visual Guide to Sushi-Making at Home.

If you think of the flavors of guacamole, you will get a feeling for this sushi. It is surprising how the texture of the rice combined with the creamy richness of the avocado makes the avocado seem even richer. The addition of the charred jalapeno wakes you up the moment you smell it. Because the chile is under the avocado, it is a surprise burst of flavor and heat, so be prepared! 

Makes 4 Gunkan-Maki 

1 small jalapeno chile, about 2 in/5 cm long 
1⁄2 Hass avocado, peeled 
4 pieces gunkan-maki 
1⁄2 slice lime, 1⁄16 in/2 mm thick 
Soy sauce for serving 

Heat a charcoal or gas grill or a stove-top grill pan to medium-high; you should be able to hold your palm 4 in/10 cm above the heat for no more than 5 seconds. Place the chile on the grill rack or pan and grill, turning as needed, until charred and blistered on all sides. Remove from the grill, and when cool enough to handle, remove the charred skin with a small knife. Any areas where the skin is not charred, the skin will not come off easily, and it is fine to leave it on. Cut the stem off of the chile, quarter the chile lengthwise, and remove and discard the seeds. If you prefer less heat, cut away the white membrane that held the seeds, as well. Cut the avocado half in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into slices 1⁄4 in/6 mm thick. Place a jalapeno quarter on the top of the rice in each gunkan-maki. Divide the avocado slices evenly among the gunkan-maki, arranging them attractively on the jalapeno. Cut the lime slice into quarters, and place a lime wedge on the center of the avocado slices on each sushi. Serve with soy sauce. 

How to Make Gunkan-maki (Warship Rolls)
Gunkan-maki, which were invented in Tokyo in the early 1940s, are a relative newcomer to the sushi menu. Gunkan means “warship,” and the oval-shaped rice balls wrapped with strips of nori and served on a geta, the classic wooden sushi serving tray, are thought to look like a fleet of warships. This is a great way to make individual sushi you want to top with a diced ingredient, like chopped tuna, or a slippery ingredient, like salmon roe, that won’t stay on top of a traditional nigiri. 

FOR 4 GUNKAN-MAKI 
1⁄2 cup/80 g sushi rice at body temperature, covered with a damp kitchen towel 
1 sheet nori, toasted, cut into 4 strips each 6 by 1 in/15 by 2.5 cm 
Wasabi, as specified in individual recipes 
Topping(s), as specified in individual recipes 

Following the directions for How to Make Sushi Rice Balls, make 4 rice balls (1). With the rough side of the nori facing inward, wrap a nori strip around the perimeter of the rice ball, starting at the middle of a long side (2). Continue wrapping until it overlaps the other end of the nori (3,4). Wrap the next rice ball and place it right next to the first one, with the overlapped side against the overlapped side of the first roll. This will hold the end of the nori strip attached to the roll. Repeat the process for the remaining two rolls, always keeping the overlapped side against the side of the previous ball (5). Top as directed in individual recipes (6) before serving. Note: Do not make gunkan-maki too far in advance. The moisture in the rice will wilt the nori and make it tough. If you are assembling a selection of sushi, make the gunkan-maki last. 

How to Make Sushi Rice Balls 

MAKES 4 BALLS 

Hand water 
1⁄2 cup/80 g sushi rice at body temperature, covered with a damp kitchen towel 

Moisten the palm side of one hand lightly with hand water, then rub your hands together to moisten them. (Remoisten your hands as necessary to keep the rice from sticking to your hands.) Be careful, however, as too much water will cause the rice to lose its stickiness. These directions are written for a right-handed person. If you are left-handed, reverse the references. Using your right hand, pick up one-fourth of the rice (about 3⁄4 oz/20 g) and make an egg-shaped ball within your palm (1) compressing gently but not crushing the rice, and using your fingers to turn the ball in your palm a couple of times. Cup your left hand and place the ball between the second and third joints of the fingers on your left hand. With your left thumb, gently press the center of the rice a bit to introduce some air into it (2). Still holding your thumb on the rice, turn your left hand over so your thumb is supporting the rice ball and the ball is now upside down (3). Now, with the thumb and index finger of your right hand, hold the ball along its length and remove the ball from your left hand (4). Turn your left hand palm-up and quickly place the rice ball back in your left hand along the second and third joints of your fingers, with the center that you pressed facedown (5). To finish forming the rice ball you need to perform three actions together (6): 1. Allow your left hand to relax naturally and your wrist to bend down, so that the rice ball rests in your cupped fingers. 2. Use the thumb of your left hand to hold and press the end of the rice ball. 3. With the index finger of your right hand, press down gently on the top of the rice ball. All three actions are done simultaneously in a quick, gentle pressing motion. Then, with your right hand, use your index and middle fingers on one side and your thumb on the other to pick up the rice ball by its sides and turn it in your left hand 180 degrees (7,8). Repeat the previous three actions with the rice ball in this position. You should have a well-shaped sushi rice ball. Repeat the steps to make three more rice balls. When you have finished the balls (9), go to the recipe in which you will be using the rice ball to complete the sushi. 

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Fresh Corn Queso Fundido

I blame it on my upbringing in Illinois, otherwise known as the land of corn, but I get excited when fresh, sweet corn comes into season. I was delighted when our first corn of the year from our CSA appeared a couple of weeks ago. Oddly enough, the recipe I couldn’t wait to use it in was actually intended for frozen corn. It was Corn Queso Fundido from the December issue of Food and Wine, and the purpose of the dish was to use some produce that had been frozen at the peak of the season. I took a different approach, but the result would be great either way. Not only did I have the first-of-season corn, I also had the first locally-grown chiles from Springdale Farm that I’d spotted this year. This is a fun queso for dipping chips, but I made more of a meal of it by dipping grilled zucchini and chunks of grilled chicken as well. The queso can be cooked entirely on top of the stove as instructed in the recipe, or you can go for some browning on the cheese as I did by popping it under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Local fresh corn and chiles are a great start to our summer produce. 

I started by cutting the kernels from a couple of ears of corn. Half of the corn was pureed in the blender with some water. The recipe suggests straining the puree, but I didn’t. Meanwhile, I roasted a poblano and some jalapeno chiles. When cool, the charred skin was removed, and the chiles were stemmed, seeded, and chopped. The chopped chiles were cooked with minced onion in a skillet, and the remaining corn was added. It’s important to cook the vegetables until slightly browned and any water has evaporated. Next, minced garlic was added and cooked for a couple of minutes. The corn puree was then added and allowed to reduce for a few minutes. Shredded Monterey Jack cheese was stirred into the vegetable mix until melted. At this point, I transferred the queso to a baking dish and placed it under the broiler until browned. I garnished with sliced jalapenos and chopped cilantro and served it with baked tortilla chips. I’ve developed the habit of cutting corn tortillas into long, skinny wedges for baking after learning the technique in a Rick Bayless book. The tortilla pieces were brushed with grape seed oil and seasoned with salt, ancho powder, and cayenne. 

Now that I’ve looked back at this recipe from December, I should take a lesson from it and freeze some of our lovely, fresh corn right now. It always disappears so quickly when we have it, I usually don’t even have a chance to think about preserving some for later in the year. Whether you cut it from fresh ears or pull it from the freezer, you have to try this spicy queso with corn. 

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Parmesan Tuiles with Grapefruit and Chile Salad

It's common enough to find citrus fruits in salads. Grapefruit and avocado or orange and fennel are two classic examples. I wanted to make something similar but brighter and spicier and more of a winter version of a summer dish. I had a page from last September's Food and Wine in my idea stack, and I kept coming back to the parmesan tuiles with heirloom tomato salad. A small, crisp, savory cookie was a good vehicle for a bite or two of salad, and I started re-imaging the salad on top with winter's citrus. I had just received a box of Texas red grapefruit from TexaSweet, so I was ready to experiment. Some kind of chiles definitely needed to be included as well as something herby. I also wanted some sort of vegetable to balance the grapefruit's sweetness. I tried a mix of chopped grapefruit segments, tiny slivers of habanero, sliced green onion, and broccoli sprouts, and it was good but not perfect. The habanero was just way too hot in a big bite of salad, and the sprouts didn't add texture. I tried again with thinly sliced jalapeno and fresno chiles, some fine julienned pieces of radish, and parsley. That iteration combined all the flavors and textures I had in mind.

I actually made the parmesan bases two different ways. First, I followed the recipe from the magazine for the parmesan tuiles which is a mixture of grated parmigiano-reggiano, softened butter, a little flour, and some black pepper. That dough was formed into a log and cut into round cookies that baked into lacy, crisp wafers. The second version I made were just parmesan frico. I piled stacks of grated parmigiano-reggiano on a parchment-lined baking sheet and baked until the cheese melted into rounds. When cooled, the two cookies were almost the same with the latter being a little quicker and easier to make. For the salad, I cut the peel and pith off of two ruby red grapefruits, and then cut segments which I chopped into chunks. A jalapeno and a fresno chile were each thinly sliced, and two radishes were julienned. Two green onions were thinly sliced, and some parsley was finely chopped while a few leaves were left whole for garnish. All of the salad items except for the whole parsley leaves were combined in a bowl, seasoned with salt and black pepper, and then scooped with a fork to strain off the liquid when placed on each parmesan tuile.

The sweet, fresh, slightly bitter taste of the grapefruit was the center of attention, but the chiles did not go unnoticed. The radish, parsley, and green onion all added good balance. The big, bright flavors, as well as serving it on a parmesan cookie, made it a fun salad for winter. Of course, summer tomatoes would be good here too, but citrus worked extremely well for a February salad.

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Swordfish with Peperonata

When we received some fresh, colorful peppers from our CSA last week, I knew how I wanted to use them. They were mostly sweet peppers in red, orange, and pale yellow or almost white, and there were some jalapenos too. My plan was to cook them slowly with onion and tomato to make a peperonata to serve on swordfish like I saw in Eating Local. I warned you I’d be using this book a lot. Now, about that swordfish. I admit I’m a worrier when it comes to buying fish. I always check in with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list before making a purchase. The news changes from time to time, and I like to find out specifically which fish from which sources are the best options. As it happened, on the day I was planning to shop for swordfish, I learned about the Whole Foods MSC-Certified harpoon-caught swordfish program, and you can read about it here and here. There’s a short season for this type of sustainably caught swordfish, and I heard about it just in time. Also, on the topic of choosing fish responsibly, Chef Rick Moonen recently offered a list of five fish that deserve a break in the 5@5 post on Eatocracy. One of his recommendations was wild-caught swordfish.

In Eating Local, the swordfish is grilled, but I was too lazy to cook outside in the heat and just seared ours on the stove. The peperonata was started by sauteing onion and garlic in a large skillet over low heat. Grated tomato was added and allowed to cook for five minutes. Then, sliced bell peppers, and in my case sliced jalapenos as well, were added with some red pepper flakes. The skillet was covered, and everything simmered gently for about 25 minutes. Capers and spoonful of white wine vinegar were added, and it was seasoned with salt and pepper. Some peperonata was scooped onto each piece of swordfish and topped with basil.

A nice mix of cooked peppers is a happy sight for me, but this assemblage of colors and flavors worked especially well. There was layered flavor with some sweetness, some spice, and then the acidity of the vinegar and capers plus the added heat from the pepper flakes. Swordfish is a sturdy, mild fish that carries other robust flavors well, and the peperonata worked perfectly with it.

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Hot and Crunchy Shrimp at Stone House Vineyard Luncheon

We took a nice drive west of Austin yesterday to attend a vineyard luncheon as part of the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival. The luncheon was held at Stone House Vineyard in Spicewood, Texas. The bluebonnets were putting on a show as they do at this time of year, and there was even some rain throughout the day to keep the flowers happy. The luncheon featured Stone House wines, and each course was prepared by a different local chef. At the Stone House property, Norton grapes are grown and are used in their Claros wine. It’s a dry, medium-bodied red with a little earthiness that I liked. It was served with our second course which included a fantastic truffle polenta, but the dish that was our favorite of the meal was the shrimp from the first course. The hot and crunchy shrimp was prepared by the chef from Hudson’s on the Bend. The crispy, plump shrimp were plated with a tomatillo and jicama salad and were topped with a zingy mango and jalapeño aioli. It was served with a Viognier that had a little sweetness and paired well with the jalapeño heat.

There’s more to the story of the hot and crunchy shrimp. The recent popularity of food trailers continues in Austin, and on South Congress Avenue, you’ll find The Mighty Cone which was created by chefs from Hudson’s on the Bend. Their famous hot and crunchy coating from the restaurant menu has been adapted and used on chicken and avocado in addition to shrimp. The crunchy items of choice are used in wraps with mango slaw which are served in snow-cone cups, and the recipe appeared in the January issue of Food and Wine. The cone version is a lot of fun and delivers the same mix of bold flavors, but the nicely plated hot and crunchy shrimp eaten with a fork and knife and served with chilled wine were delicious in their own refined way and far less messy to eat.

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Black Bean, Mango, and Jicama Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Ok, yes, this is another black bean recipe, and another salad, but I have a new book to talk about today, and it’s a really good one. Back in May, I learned of this book on the excellent Dana Treat site. Dana always has beautiful and delicious-looking vegetarian food to share on her site, and she highly recommended this book and the author’s other books as well. I wasn’t familiar with the author, Jeanne Lemlin, but I was instantly intrigued and soon thereafter added Vegetarian Classics to my collection. Lemlin explains that by ‘classics’ she means popular dishes that have become favorites in the vegetarian realm. Rather than referring to ethnically or historically accurate meatless cuisines, these classics may have been adapted from traditional recipes including meat but are now well-loved as vegetarian dishes. Because of a small back-log problem, I only just recently got around to reading the book and cooking from it. I always say this, but every recipe looked like something I’d like as I started reading the book. The first chapter is Basics, and the roasted red pepper and walnut pesto and sun-dried tomato pesto instantly had me planning meals for both. In Soups, the vegetable chowder, the Armenian barley yogurt soup, and the thick corn and vegetable soup with herb dumplings are on my list. Then came Salads, and I headed to the kitchen to try this black bean and mango salad before even finishing the chapter.

I used the last of my freezer stash of cooked black beans. They were rinsed and drained and added to cubed mango, jicama, finely diced onion, and chopped jalapeno. A citrus vinaigrette was made from lemon, lime, and orange juices, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. The chopped salad ingredients were mixed with some vinaigrette, and it was left to become a little happier for 30 minutes or so. Just before serving, cilantro was added to the salad. I scooped the chunky salad onto a bed of baby spinach leaves and garnished with sliced red, cayenne chiles. It occurred to me while making this that it would also be a great wrap filling with some spinach and some cotija or monterey jack cheese.

As we were eating this for dinner, Kurt inadvertently gave me one of the best compliments he could have. He mentioned something about how canned beans tend to have that particular taste about them, but they seemed different and so much better than usual in this salad. He went on to comment on how he enjoyed all the ingredients and flavors in the salad and that he thought it worked really well. I let him know the beans weren’t from a can and agreed that the salad was a hit.

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Grilled Stuffed Jalapeños and Banana Peppers

I have a new kitchen gadget, and it’s a fun one. Actually, it’s a grilling gadget for roasting jalapeños, and it’s from Williams-Sonoma. I wish they were paying me to tell you about it, but they’re not. I’d had my eye on this for the longest time and finally purchased one the other day. It’s made to hold jalapeños upright and keep them above the flame of the grill, and it has little handles on each side for easy moving and lifting. I couldn’t wait to pull a rack full of oozing, cheese-filled chiles with blistered skins and smoky flavor off the grill. I found some nice and smallish banana peppers at the farmers’ market but had to stop by the grocery store for the jalapeños. The first step was cutting off all the tops and hollowing out the centers. Williams-Sonoma also sells a pepper corer, but a grapefruit knife works well. You’ll want to scrape away the white membranes all the way down the tip inside the chiles and tap out the seeds. This opens space for the stuffing and removes the source of the chiles’ heat.

Once the chiles were cleaned and hollowed, I placed them in a glass bowl and poured a quick, garlic marinade over them. They sat in the marinade for about two hours, and I stirred them twice during that time to distribute the marinade. Next, it was time to stuff them. I made a simple stuffing of cream cheese, monterey jack cheese, chopped cilantro, and salt and pepper and used a butter knife to fill each chile. With a butter knife, it’s easy to push a small amount of filling all the way to the bottom of the hollowed chile and then keep adding until it’s full. I had reserved the tops of the cut-off chiles, and they were returned to where they belonged once the filling was in place.

There was just one little issue with this roaster contraption, or maybe it’s not the contraption at all but was just a twist of fate regarding the size of jalapeños being sold locally last weekend. Several of the chiles I used slid right through the holes on the roasting rack. Maybe they were slenderer than usual. The banana peppers were definitely smallish and thin, but I didn’t think the jalpeños looked any thinner than normal. To hold our chiles in place, Kurt took charge of placing little rings of foil on the rack to fill out extra space in each opening, and that worked fine. The stuffed chiles went to the grill as secure as can be, and we eagerly awaited the end of their cooking time. They sat on a medium-hot area of the grill for about 18 minutes total, and Kurt turned the rack once after 10 minutes. The wait for the molten centers to cool enough so as to only burn a little seemed like an eternity, and I worried the jalapeños would be too spicy even though the membranes and seeds had been removed. We were surprised to find the jalapeños were very mild tasting as if the grilling had tamed them. The simple cheese filling worked well as it allowed the character of the chiles themselves to play a bigger part, and the time over charcoal was a key element in building the overall taste. The jalapeños were terrific, but we found that we were gravitating to the flavor of the banana peppers, and they oddly had a bigger hint of spiciness. Roasting the stuffed chiles was as fun as I’d imagined it would be, and I predict we’ll be doing this pretty much every time we light the grill.


Grilled Stuffed Chiles

18 plump, short chiles to fit the roasting rack as best as possible
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T white wine vinegar
1/3 c olive oil
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 c shredded monterey jack cheese
2 T chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

-cut tops from chiles and hollow out interiors removing membranes and seeds
-in a small bowl, whisk together minced garlic and vinegar, slowly add olive oil while whisking, and season to taste with salt and pepper
-place hollowed chiles in a glass bowl and pour marinade over them; refrigerate for two hours; to evenly distribute, stir chiles and marinade twice during the two hours
-in a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, monterey jack cheese, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste
-remove one chile at a time from marinade and let excess oil drip back into bowl; fill each chile using a butter knife; start by placing a small amount of stuffing all the way at the bottom of the hollowed space and then continue adding until the filling reaches the top
-place filled chiles in the roasting rack and replace reserved tops on the chiles
-grill over medium-high heat for 10 minutes; turn rack; check for doneness after another eight minutes; chiles should be blistered and softened and the filling should be oozing and melty

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Nasturtium Jalapeño Aioli

This aioli was the result of a little experiment I conducted earlier this week. I was testing both my ability to make aioli and also the flavor combination. Peter over at cookblog mentioned a nasturtium pesto awhile back, and that led me down the path to nasturtium aioli. I was thinking the peppery leaves would flavor an aioli nicely. To point up the pepperiness and cut the richness with some acidity at the same time, I decided to use some slices of pickled jalapeno as well. That idea was blatantly stolen from Susan Spicer after having tried her jalapeño dressing. My concoction was just what I was hoping for in that it was thick and creamy with peppery, herbal notes and just a hint of spice.

One egg yolk was whisked with garlic as the olive oil was barely dribbled in at first. Little by little, the remaining olive oil was incorporated, and then the nasturtium leaves and jalapeno were added. I tasted and added a pinch of salt. We enjoyed the experimental aioli on simply boiled potatoes. After this successful test run, I’m hoping I can recreate it and that it will pair well with roasted salmon.

Nasturtium Jalapeño Aioli:
1 egg yolk
1/2 c olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T finely chopped nasturtium leaves
3 slices of pickled jalapeno, finely minced
Salt to taste

I'm submitting this to Ivy at Kopiaste who is hosting Weekend Herb Blogging organized by Haalo at Cook Almost Anything at Least Once.


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Spicy Fried Chicken

Every now and then, I’ll notice a book on the shelf that I haven’t used for a long time. Last week, my Dean and Deluca Cookbook seemed to be giving me puppy dog eyes and wondering why I hadn’t opened it in so long. This was one of the very first cookbooks I acquired before a collection even began to form. I remember seeing David Rosengarten on the Today show promoting this book back in 1996, and I got the book shortly thereafter. I learned how to make risotto from this book. I clearly recall a very hot summer night when we were living in a tiny apartment, and I had decided to attempt risotto. Why I thought it would be a good idea to stand over a steaming pot of rice and broth while it was about 100 degrees outside I have no idea, but it turned out very well and I’ve made all sorts of risottos several times since then. There’s so much great information in this book, and the origins of the food presented span the globe. I sat down with it last week and flipped through the entire book again. I made a few mental notes of things I’ll try soon, but the first thing I had to make was spicy fried chicken.

This recipe was intended as a multi-culti, their wording, dish due to the chicken being marinated in buttermilk with garlic, ginger, lemon, and chiles. I chose to focus on a more southwestern kind of approach and left out the ginger. To speed up the initial steps, I bought chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken. I intended to buy some breasts and wings, but for some reason, Central Market only had wing drumettes. So, I marinated some breasts and the drumettes in the buttermilk mixture for about six hours in the refrigerator. I stirred and re-arranged the pieces twice during that time. Then, the chicken was removed from the marinade, tossed in seasoned flour, and left to rest while the oil heated to 350 degrees. Frying is a messy venture, so I recommend frying a lot of chicken while you’re at it. Leftovers re-heat nicely in the oven, and the more you have in the end the more the mess will seem worth it. It takes about 20 minutes total in the oil to cook chicken, and it came out golden and crispy.

I can’t even remember the last time I fried chicken, so this was a rare treat in our house. The crunch of the hot, freshly fried coating was almost as satisfying as the flavor. The meat was very tender and the lemon and garlic accented it nicely. The jalapeno flavor was more subtle, and we would have preferred it even spicier. We decided we should have left some pieces of jalapeno on the chicken before flouring it, so we’ll go that route next time. Although, there’s also a cornmeal-molasses fried chicken recipe in the book, and that may have to come first.

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Jalapeño Corn Slaw

This is the slaw that inspired the light tex-mex meal. I knew it was in Nuevo Tex-Mex which got me flipping through the book again and meal planning. I often say of some cookbooks that I want to make everything in them, and I mean it when I say that. It may take some time given how many books are in that group, but this book is one of them. And, now for a confession. I always post about dishes that I’ve just made for the first time, or new variations on dishes, or seasonal versions of recipes that I want to remember. However, I have made this slaw before. But, I didn’t make it right the first time. It was years ago, I was rushed, and I glanced at the ingredients and didn’t read all of the instructions. This time, I read more carefully and prepared it as it was intended. That first time, I made a mostly raw slaw with bell peppers, jalapeños, cabbage, onion, and cooked corn. I missed the roasting step which, it turns out, makes a completely different and entirely better slaw.

Because it’s January and fresh sweet corn is not available, I used frozen corn kernels which were ok. If making this with fresh corn, you should roast it on the cob and then cut off the kernels. With frozen corn, I defrosted it, tossed it with a small bit of oil, spread it on a baking sheet, and roasted it in the oven until fragrant and slightly browned. Its flavor became concentrated, it became even sweeter, and it was fantastic. The bell peppers should also be roasted, then skinned, seeded, and chopped. I seem to remember Bobby Flay mentioning on thousands of occasions that peppers should always be roasted in the oven instead of over a gas flame. Oven roasting actually cooks the pepper flesh instead of just charring the skin and results in better flavor, and that’s what I did here. He’s right about oven roasting, but I also do the quick and easy turning over a gas flame when short on time. So many confessions today.

The slaw, then, was crunchy raw cabbage, jalapeño, and onion, sweet and concentrated roasted corn, oven roasted red and orange bell pepper, and lemon juice, champagne vinegar, and chopped cilantro. The combined ingredients sat in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, and came out bursting with varied flavors, colors, and textures. You can control the heat of the jalapeños by removing the seeds and membranes which I did because the sauce served with this meal was already hitting the upper level of our heat tolerance. That left the slaw as a welcome, cool, acidic, sweet, savory, fresh part of the light tex-mex meal.

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