A whole chicken, part 6

We're getting close to finishing up the chicken, and tonight is dem thighs, man. I went a little different with this one, and accidentally gave it a little Indian flair.

By the way, if you haven't read the rest of this series:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

My veggies for tonight were some onion, some orange bell pepper, a little carrot, 5 cloves of garlic, and a heap of wood ear mushrooms. I sliced the carrot, slivered the garlic, diced the onion and bell pepper, and chopped up the mushrooms.

I went a little goofy on the seasoning tonight, but it seemed to work out well. I took the bones out of the thighs and dressed them up with some salt, black pepper, cumin, and turmeric before tossing them into a pan of melted butter and olive oil.

I cooked the chicken skin side down until the skin started getting crispy, then I dropped the heat a touch, flipped the chicken, basted it, and added in the mushrooms and bell pepper. I let the chicken finish cooking and removed it (covering it in foil so it wouldn't get cold) and continued sautéing the mushrooms and bell pepper for a little bit. Once they were cooked to my liking (I want the bell pepper to be soft but still have a slight crunch when I bite into them), I scooped the veggies out (into a foil-topped bowl).

Next, I deglazed the pan with some white wine, added about a tablespoon of butter, and dumped in the carrot, onion, and garlic. I sautéed them for a bit, seasoned with some salt, then finished them with about an eighth of a cup of cream. Once everything was good, coated, and simmering, I added a dash or two of cayenne and a healthy portion of black pepper, then took the pan off the heat and got to plating.

Plating was simple, but I really dug the look. I put down a bed of mushroom and bell pepper, laid the thigh on top of that, then spooned some of the veggie sauce across the top. Overall, probably my favorite tasting of the chicken journey so far, though; I'll definitely be doing this again, maybe with some rice...oooo, yeah. Rice would make it perfect.

Comments

Voices in my head, or: Why do I cook?

Every time I chop a vegetable, slice a steak, drop garlic into oil, or scrub a pan, I hear voices in my head: my mom, my dad, my grandmothers, friends from college like James and Liz, friends from adulthood like Rick and Claudio, internet friends like NerdyCap , and tv chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Jeff Smith, Anthony Bourdain, Jacques Pepin, and Alton Brown, all of the folks who have taught me, directly in person or indirectly through books, tv episodes, or live streams, about cooking. Steak frying with minced onion and minced garlic Sometimes I hear them instructing me on what I'm doing, the same words I've heard repeat in my head hundreds or thousands of times. "Don't let the garlic overcook or you'll get a bitter taste," mom says every time. Claudio often hits me with "If you hear them sizzling, they're sautéing. If they're quiet, they're caramelizing." "Why the fuck are you fucking doing this, you stupid donkey?!" ...

My Mexican restaurant

Some nights (and weekends), I just don't feel like cooking, so I do go out to local restaurants from time to time. My most frequent haunt is El Idolo, a Mexican place just on the edge of Bartlett, TN. It sits a good 1/8 of a mile from the geographic center of the county, so it's reached easily enough from everywhere. They also have the best damn margaritas in town. I've come here frequently and long enough (since they opened, to be honest), that I don't order a drink - my server brings my drink when I've been seated. Incidentally, I go for the medium (used to be large, but they added a new size that's for my Sundays only) margarita on the rocks, no ice, no salt. When a new server starts at "the 'Dolo" (as we call it), it usually takes them 2-3 visits before they remember, and then it's smooth sailing again. Most places that I've ordered this just mix a normal margarita, then top it off with their mix; the 'Dolo says, "nah, hermano,...

A Spicy Tuesday Night

In my younger years, I did not enjoy spicy foods. Luckily, I grew up... Recipe for habanero cream sauce Tonight for dinner, I made chicken and veggies with a new favorite: habanero cream sauce. I started with a couple mushrooms, a couple radishes, some shallot, a little yellow bell pepper, and a few cloves of garlic. I generally try to group ingredients by when I want to add them (I call them "firm," "soft," "aromatic," etc.). In this case, the sliced baby bellas and diced bell pepper were "soft," the sliced radish and slivered garlic were "hard," and the minced shallot and minced garlic were "aromatic." A little knife work, and they were ready to go, which meant it was time to tackle the habanero. I cut it up last just to help prevent getting that heat mixed in anywhere it didn't need to go. I mince that shit down so I can mix it around pretty thoroughly, and I threw that into the a...

ODG Eats

Search This Blog