Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Potato Salad

When I was a kid, we didn't do many family outings. My dad wasn't into it. And yet, somehow my mom convinced him to spend a couple of days each summer at Will Rogers State Beach in Santa Monica. I don't know what they did on the beach because I spent the whole day in the water. The only time I took a break from body surfing was when we'd have lunch. My mom would open her Tupperware containers and we'd feast on fried chicken and potato salad.

Recently when I was putting together a menu for a dinner party, my mind must have reached back to those childhood memories because I instantly decided that the centerpiece of the meal would be fried chicken and potato salad.

The key to my mom's fried chicken was an overnight soak in buttermilk. My dad used to drink buttermilk, so there was always some in the refrigerator. The other important feature of her technique was a light dusting in seasoned flour. She talked at length about her dislike of heavily breaded soggy fried chicken. The goal, she always said, was a thin, crisp crust that contrasted with the sweet juiciness of the chicken. I've made a minor adjustment to her recipe by adding a touch of sugar, cayenne, and chopped onion. Her approach works well for onion rings and other vegetables like broccoli.

I remember her potato salad as a bare-bones affair of boiled potatoes, sweet pickle relish, and mayonnaise. For mine I add carrots and corn for sweetness, capers for a bit of acid, and a touch of cayenne for heat.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, washed, cut apart, wing tips and bones reserved to make chicken stock
1 quart buttermilk
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 quarts safflower or canola oil

Method

When you cut up the chicken, separate the two parts of the wing and cut the breast meat off the bone. Keep or discard the skin as you wish. The breasts can be left whole but will cook more evenly when cut into strips or tenders.

Toss the chicken pieces with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Put the pieces in a container, add the buttermilk, stir, cover, and refrigerate.

Using a wok or deep frying pan, heat the cooking oil to 325 - 350 degrees or until a piece of parsley browns immediately when dropped in the oil. Before you begin cooking, prepare your counter. Have a slotted spoon or an Asian style strainer ready. Lay two paper towels on top of a piece of brown grocery bag paper on a large plate.

In a brown paper bag mix together the flour, sea salt, pepper, cayenne (optional), sugar (optional), and onions (optional). Take the chicken out of the buttermilk, remove the excess, drop into the paper bag with the seasoned flour, close the top of the bag, and shake.

Cook the chicken in batches. The pieces shouldn't crowd one another in the oil so they cook evenly. Gently drop each piece into the hot oil, making sure that the pieces don't touch. Turn over when browned on all sides. Remove when golden brown and drain on the paper towels. The pieces will cook quickly: chicken tenders (breast) 2-3 minutes; wings 7-8 minutes; thighs & legs 10-12 minutes.

If you are making deep fried vegetables like onion rings or broccoli florets, they cook even more quickly: thick rings cook in 30 seconds, thin rings in 5-6 seconds; broccoli in 30 seconds.

Just before serving, lightly dust the cooked pieces with sea salt and pepper.

Potato Salad

Yield: 4-6 servings
Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold, washed
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
3 quarts water
1 scallion, washed, ends trimmed, finely chopped
1 carrot, washed, peeled, ends removed, grated
1 ear of corn or 1/2 cup corn kernels
2 tablespoons olives, preferably Kalamata or cracked green, pitted, finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Sea salt and pepper

Method

Put the potatoes, kosher salt, and water into a pot, bring to a gentle boil, and cover. Cook 30-45 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the potatoes. They should be firm, not mushy. The potatoes are done when a fork goes in easily. Remove from the salted water. Let cool. Peel off the skins.

In the summer, grill an ear of corn and cut up carrot seasoned with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Cut the kernels off the cob, finely chop the carrot and add them to the salad.

In the winter, canned corn will do. Saute the corn and finely chopped carrots with olive oil until lightly browned. Add to the potato salad along with the chopped scallions, olives, capers, and mayonnaise.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and pepper.

Variations

Add 1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley, leaves only.

Add 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh celery.

Add 1 broccoli floret either grilled or lightly sauteed then finely chopped

Unexpected

I was thrilled when I heard the forecast for the weekend, since it meant a run outside! I can deal with the 37mph wind gusts when it's 48degrees in Boston. In February :) (Talk about unexpected!) The most annoying part was stopping all the time to walk around the huge lakes--err, puddles-- from the melting snow. Not that I'm complaining, it really was a fabulous day!

For last weekend's fun, I set out to make some Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Hummus, using this recipe. Sounds good, right? Well... I ended up with soup. If I hadn't been doing 5 things at once (ok, maybe only 3), I probably could've salvaged a hummus-like consistency. It took me 3 times of re-reading the recipe to realize that I used 1/3 the amount of lentils. Oops! That extra cup of lentils probably would've done a good job of absorbing all that liquid! Anyways, my unexpected soup was actually quite tasty, and I had it with some leftover Caramelized Fennel Flatbread, crisped up in the toaster oven. Fabulous!!



I also used some really ripe naners to make some Banana Biscotti, I hope they are enjoyed :)

Cauliflower Pasta

I looked through my recipes for awhile, wanting to do something a little different with the cauliflower I had picked up on sale... I ended up with a take on Rachel Ray's Pasta w/Cauliflower Sauce. For two servings, I used 4oz penne (Barilla Plus), a little over half of a small head of cauliflower, water instead of stock, half of yellow onion instead of red, fresh thyme instead of rosemary, and goat cheese instead of romano. Apparently I didn't look too closely at the recipe when I decided to go for it! haha. Anyways, I was actually quite surprised at how tasty this turned out, despite the bland colors. Purple or orange cauliflower would be quite delightful in this!

Couscous and Bulgar Salads are Affordable, Easy to Make and Oh So Good for You

My wife is on her way to her parents' house in New Jersey. She packed her clothes, bathroom kit, and Walter Mosley's latest detective novel, The Long Fall. I wanted to contribute to the weekend's meals even if I wasn't going with her. I put together a small packet with a mini-apple pie, a banana chocolate chip walnut cake, freshly cooked black beans, brown rice, grilled broccoli, bulgar salad with celery, and a box of whole wheat couscous. All but the couscous were ready to eat.

When we visit her parents, I usually do some of the cooking under her mom's supervision. The first time I cooked in Helen's kitchen I was showing off my then-specialty: whole roasted chicken cooked at high temperature. The impact on her kitchen was regrettable. The "high heat" was so high that her corningware roasting pan exploded. The resulting splatter on the inside of her oven took several days to clean. Needless to say I didn't make the best first-impression on my prospective mother-in-law. Luckily the chicken was delicious but I haven't used her oven since.

Couscous is one of Michelle's staples, so she took along a box of whole wheat couscous from Trader Joe's. Since she hadn't made it before, I wanted her to have the recipe for the weekend.

The recipes for couscous are the same as for bulgar. They are delicious as salads and side dishes. They accommodate any number of vegetables and herbs.

Couscous or Bulgar Salad with Celery

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup instant couscous or fine grained bulgar
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 celery stalk, washed, leaves removed, finely chopped
1 scallion, washed, ends trimmed, finely chopped
5 Italian parsley sprigs, leaves removed, washed, finely chopped
Sea salt and pepper

Method

Boil the water. Put the couscous or bulgar into a bowl, add the water, stir, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes.

Using a fork, fluff the couscous or bulgar, add the rest of the olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper to taste, toss with the celery, scallion, and parsley.

Serve at room temperature as a salad or a side dish.

Variations:

Add chopped raw tomatoes

Add Iranian cucumbers, washed, peeled, finely chopped

Add 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion

Add currants

Couscous or Bulgar with Grilled Vegetables

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup instant couscous or fine grained bulgar
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large carrot, washed, peeled, ends removed, cut into 1" long slabs, 1/4" thick
1 large broccoli crown, washed, cut into 1" long slabs, 1/4" thick
5 Italian parsley sprigs, leaves removed, washed, finely chopped
Sea salt and pepper

Boil the water. Put the couscous or bulgar into a bowl, add the water, stir, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes.

Toss the carrots and broccoli pieces with olive oil, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper. Grill or roast in a 350 degree oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool and finely chop.

Using a fork, fluff the couscous or bulgar, add the rest of the olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper to taste, toss with the cut up carrots and broccoli.

Serve at room temperature as a salad or a side dish.

Variations:

Add 1/4 cup corn kernels, seasoned with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, grilled or roasted

Add 1/4 cup olives, pitted, chopped

Add 1 cup spinach leaves, no stems, washed, roughly chopped

More Super Eats

To roundout the eats for the Superbowl, I made two chilis to acomodate different appetites :) The first was a Turkey & Butternut Chili, with ground turkey sub'd for the beef. I also added some smoked paprika, more chili powder, and a bit of cayenne at the end as I thought it needed a little somthin somethin! In terms of prep, I made this on Saturday and then just threw it in the slow cooker a few hours before kickoff, so it was a very no-fuss dish.

Turkey & Butternut Chili

Meat would have been unsportsmanlike for the Adobo Cornbread Casserole. Somehow it evaded my camera, which is unfortunate as it was kinda purt-y with it's golden crust :) I used a small square baker and 2/3 of the cornbread mix to create a thick, hearty layer of chili in between the cornbread. I kept a touch of agave in the cornbread mix, making it a little sweet. Delish!

Last but not least, I made a recipe for Chocolate Beet Brownies. I'd call them moist chocolate cake bites, as they weren't really like fudgy brownies (I cut back on the butter a little bit...). But they were tasty :) And with beets, wheat germ, and some walnuts, they're good for you, too!



Anyone up for some chocolate? silly question, right? :) Hit up One Frugal Foodie for a giveaway here!

Catching up to the Superbowl Apps

Phew. What a week! In the middle of last week's snow storm I got to "retreat" into the White Mountains of NH. Luckily the drive wasn't too bad and the snow made for some amazing cross country skiing.

I made it back just in time for a fabulous Tea Party (in Boston--ha. don't worry nothing went into the harbor!). A huge shoutout to Starbucks (and Bjorn and Missy and the other guys I'm forgetting their names) for hosting the event. It was a great experience to try their new tea products and hear about the pairings with pastries they offer. Better yet was meeting some fellow Boston bloggers-- including Tina, Bridget, Elina, Pam, The Boston Foodie and The Boston Tea Cup. Check out their links for the lowdown, complete with photos :) The tea infusions (apple and berry) were quite sweet, and I think may be good iced. I did enjoy all the lattes, they seemed like a fantastic way to end a meal (instead of one of those vanilla scones that were also quite tasty...). I don't normally add sweetener to my tea, so I'd go for them light on the milk, unsweetened, with soymilk (which would impart a little sweetness on its own). Picky, aren't I? I always felt like that was asking too much. But you are paying for it, so they should make it how you want it!


And then there was the Superbowl. I got to do my first entertaining and had a great time :) I have been wanting to try fennel for awhile now. My hesitence has come from a dislike of liccorice... so I took the opportunity (of not having to eat it all myself in case I don't like it) to make Carmelized Fennel Flatbread. No worries here, it was fantastic, and I really enjoyed it!!

Caramelized Fennel Flatbread

I also made a Spinach Feta Dip that hid next to Daryl's guacamole :) It was good, but somehow avocados win me over more than feta! This will make a fantastic addition to my lunch sandwiches this week though!!

Spinach and Feta Dip
Adapted from this recipe



1 garlic clove, pressed
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed
1 small onion, chopped
8oz greek yogurt (mine was TJ's 0%)
3oz crumbled feta (I had a light feta on hand)
2oz Nufatchel cheese, softened
1/4 light sour cream
1t dried dill (or 1T fresh)
1/8t black pepper

Saute onion in a little EVOO until softened, add spinach and garlic and cook a few minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. Combine yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, feta, and spinach mixture in bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, stir in spices, cover and chill. I did this a day ahead so it was ready for game time :)

Ok, I need some sleep, so the rest of the goods will have to wait. Hopefully I will have a chance to catch up on all my blog reading too... I hope you forgive me! Before I go, there are some giveaways-- Pop Chips over at Missy Maintains (their wasabi flavor is quite interesting!), and Hangry Pants is offering up some almond butter!!

And I need to thank Foodbuzz for giving me the oppotunity to try some of Quaker's new snacks!! I had been eyeing those banana-coconut-macadamia ones that popped up at the Chicago Quaker Convention and couldn't wait to sink my teeth in. Yummy, for sure, I think these are a nice, easy dessert option ;-)

Thank you Foodbuzz!

What's New in Santa Monica? Copa d'Oro

The big news in Santa Monica hasn't happened yet. Santa Monica Place, the southern most anchor to the Third Street Promenade, won't reopen until the end of the year.

Before it closed, the mall had been overshadowed by the success of the Promenade's mile long shopping and entertainment corridor. The mall's decline had impacted the businesses along Broadway. The sidewalks always seemed littered. The restaurants, bars, and stores had a run-down, abandoned feeling.

When Santa Monica Place reopens, the area will be reinvigorated as the mall celebrates its proximity to the beach. What was once a closed box monolith will have been transformed into an elegant, open air plaza.

Looking to that future, Jonathan Chu who already has Buddha's Belly on the block, opened an intimate bar, Copa d'Oro (217 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401; 310/576-3030) across the street from Macy's (soon to be replaced by Bloomingdale's).

The food at the bar is simplicity itself, a short list of panini. The drinks are something else entirely. Vincenzo Marianella, a bartender who has mastered the classics and innovates like a master of improvisation, is the star attraction. Taking his cue from the well-known Santa Monica Farmers' Markets, Marianella relies on what's fresh, seasonal, and local. Spread along the bar is an array of vegetables and fruits more likely to be seen in Alice Waters' kitchen.

You can order from the bar menu or ask for a drink featuring any of the fruits, herbs, or vegetables displayed on the bar: strawberries, grapefruit, passion fruit, apples, pear, grape, orange, kiwi, papaya, mango, apple, lemons, mint, rosemary, basil, sage, thyme, parsley, bell pepper, cucumber, carrot, habenero, wasabi, ginger...

Pick your spirit and what comes back is uniquely blended for you. Never too sweet, the mixology at Copa d'Oro brings out the best in the ingredients.

Sitting at the bar, listening to the laughter and easy conversations around me, I enjoy a tall iced glass of passion fruit, Aperol, and vodka and imagine how nice it will be when Santa Monica Place reopens.