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Posts Tagged ‘spicy’

  1. Stout-Poached Pulled Chicken Barbecue

    May 21, 2011 by Cas

    Dammit. I can’t keep dreaming of this stuff at night so herewith, from the files of “make it already and get it out of your damned system” is this recipe with southern flair, a bit of spice, and a whole lot of gravy for sopping with biscuits or, as I’m enjoying it right now literally as I write this, served over Down-Home Spoon Bread.

    Make both, put healthy portions in takeout containers, freeze it, bring it to work, and nuke up something for lunch you won’t find at a Midtown street cart or 7-11. I love a jealous coworker….

    12 oz. (1-1/2 Cups) Stout beer
    1/2 Cup Water
    1-1/2 to 2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs

    1/2 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
    1/2 Cup Ketchup
    1/2 Cup Lemon juice
    1/2 Cup Cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
    1/2 tsp. Salt
    1/4 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
    1 tsp. Dried parsley
    3 Cloves garlic, minced (or 3 tsps. jarred)

    1 Stick Butter

    1 Tbsp. Corn starch
    2 Tbsp. Water

    Place chicken, beer and water in a medium sauce pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

    In a mixing bowl, blend together all remaining ingredients except for the butter, starch and water. Set aside.

    Remove poached chicken to a separate bowl, and allow to cool for 3 minutes. Using two forks and working quickly, shred the chicken meat and return to the bowl. When all the chicken is shredded, add the poaching liquid and toss to coat. Set aside.

    In the same saucepan over medium high heat, melt butter and boil, stirring constantly until it becomes foamy and begins to turn a caramel color, about 2 minutes.

    Immediately remove from heat and stir in the reserved condiment mixture. Return to high heat and boil, stirring constantly, for one minute. Pour liquid off shredded chicken into a mixing bowl, and add chicken to the boiling sauce, along with 1/2 Cup of the poaching liquid. When the chicken and sauce return to boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

    Mix cornstarch in water, and stir quickly into simmering chicken. Allow to boil for one minute more, then remove from heat, and serve.

    IF you’re making biscuits as an accompaniment, and IF you’re a fan of Red-Eye Gravy (which is traditionally made by deglazing a skillet after frying up ham, with a cup of coffee and some salt and pepper), the remaining 1/2 cup or so of poaching liquid has the same deep, satisfying richness in its thin simplicity. G’head. You know you’re thinking about it now…

    Category Entrees-Vous!, G.F. Yourself! Gluten-Free Food Daddy | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  2. Lady Bird’s Bird Sauce

    May 18, 2011 by Cas

    Actually, this works well on birds, pigs, cows, turkeys, tofus — anything you have roaming around the farm and want to slaughter, slice and serve.

    President Johnson and his family were good ol’ Texas folk. Up here in the North, we think of barbecue sauce as a sweet, thick condiment akin to a browner, sweeter, smokier ketchup.

    Not down there, y’all.

    Buttery and spicy and acidic; THOSE are the hallmarks of a good down-home bar-bee-kyoo. And it’s usually thin enough that it can really soak into meat, which further allows it to tenderize and infusicize and flavortize even the cheapest, slow-cooked cuts of meat.

    I can’t wait to use this in a pulled pork dish, which of course I’ll report here in full. But keep this one handy for a my next “Meet the Lady” dish, and make plenty to refrigerate or freeze and keep on hand.

    I did modify it with a bit of thickening so it can be used more easily and with less need for something to sop it up (read: BISCUITS), but it’s pretty true to the Lady’s old standard, and once you taste it you’ll say “oh… NOW I get it!” and it will quickly become a totally different animal in your culinary vernacular than Open Pit or Heinz.

    1 Stick unsalted butter

    1/2 Cup tomato ketchup
    1/2 Cup worcestershire sauce (or try our Vegan Worcestershire)
    1/2 Cup apple cider vinegar
    1/2 Cup lemon juice
    2 Cloves garlic, crushed or chopped (or 2 tsps. jarred)
    Dash of Tabasco sauce or dried cayenne pepper, to taste
    Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

    1 Tbsp. flour
    2 Tbsp. cold water

    In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.

    In a separate bowl or liquid measure, combine remaining ingredients except flour and water.

    When butter is melted, whisk in liquid mixture, raise heat, and bring to a boil.

    Combine flour with water and mix into smooth paste. Reduce boiling sauce to medium heat, whisk in flour mixture, and allow sauce to boil 1 minute.

    Serve immediately, or remove from heat, allow to cool to room temperature, then store refrigerated in an air-tight container.

    Think of this as something you can use as a marinade (try chicken cutlets, pork tenderloin, or steak, left soaking in the sauce overnight in the refrigerator) and then the final sauce (if you use your marinade as the finished serving topping, ALWAYS cook it to the boil to remove any hazard of food-borne contamination after the meat is removed and cooked). Or add 1/4 – 1/2 cup and some crushed white bread or crumbs to a pound of ground beef for a supercharged burger, meatloaf or meatballs.

    Or just put a little pitcher of this out alongside your ketchup and mustard at a picnic or barbecue, and see which topping your guests rave about.

    Category Feeling Saucy!, Marinades, Sauces and Toppings, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,,, | No Comments