Tuesday Recipes

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. Here are today's six recipes to get the work week started. Enjoy!

PEACHES HOTHOUSE EXTRA HOT FRIED CHICKEN

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “As advertised, this version of Nashville hot fried chicken, adapted from Peaches HotHouse in Brooklyn, will make your tongue sizzle and fill your eyes with tears from a combination of cayenne and ghost chile powders. (The latter is the hottest chile in the world, reaching 1,000,000 on the Scoville heat scale.) Note that the recipe calls for both granulated and powdered onion and garlic. Try to use both. The powdered stuff is stronger in flavor while the granulated has a little more texture to it. (However if you can’t find both, either kind will work throughout the recipe.) The traditional way to serve this is on top of a piece or two of soft white bread, which helps mitigate the heat. A cold beer wouldn’t hurt, either.” Makes 4 to 5 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Brine:

1/2 cup coarse kosher salt

1/3 cup ground black pepper

3 tablespoons onion powder

3 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons paprika

3 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into 10 pieces

For the Very Hot Spice:

3 tablespoons cayenne pepper

1 to 2 teaspoons smoked ghost-chile powder or smoked hot paprika

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the Dredge:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated garlic

3 tablespoons granulated onion

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Safflower, corn or vegetable oil, for frying

2 large eggs

Preparation

Prepare the brine: In a large bowl, whisk salt and spices in 2 cups boiling water until salt dissolves. Whisk in 6 cups ice water. The brine should be cold; if not, chill until it is. Add chicken pieces to the cold brine and chill for at least 12 and up to 24 hours.

In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the very hot spice mixture. In another bowl, prepare the dredge: combine the flour, granulated garlic and onion, salt and pepper.

Remove chicken pieces from brine, pat dry with paper towels and season with a light dusting of hot spice mixture. Dust pieces with dredge mixture. Reserve both the remaining hot spice mixture and the dredge. Let chicken rest in fridge, uncovered, for at least an hour for the coating to adhere.

Pour 2 inches of oil into a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a cover. Heat oil to 325 degrees on a deep-fat thermometer. In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 cups ice water to make egg wash. Dip chicken in egg wash, then coat with more dredge. Shake pieces lightly so any excess dredge falls off.

Carefully place chicken in hot oil, about 3 to 4 pieces per batch. Cover pot with lid and let fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden brown on one side. Remove lid and flip pieces. Fry another 5 to 6 minutes, uncovered. Using tongs, transfer cooked chicken to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to catch the oil drips. Dust with very hot spice as it comes out of the fryer.

SOUTHERN PAN-FRIED CHICKEN

This is from Kim Severs in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Kim wrote, “In this recipe, Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock call for an overnight brine for the chicken and a further buttermilk bath that should last for 8 to 12 hours. That’s a lot of unattended prep time before you get around to frying them in a slurry of lard and butter flavored with country ham. This is a time commitment, but the result — cooked in a cast-iron pan — is food to impress, and impress deeply, a dish made of humble ingredients that would be welcome on the finest china. Even better? It’s just as good cold as it is hot.” Makes 4 to 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1/4 cup kosher salt

4 cups buttermilk

1 pound lard

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup country ham pieces or 1 thick slice country ham cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

The night before serving: Place chicken in a large bowl and set aside. In a large pitcher, combine kosher salt with 6 cups of water and stir until the salt has dissolved. Pour salted water over chicken pieces until they are submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, drain chicken pieces and rinse chicken and bowl. Return chicken to bowl and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.

About 1 1/4 hours before serving, combine the lard, butter and ham in a large heavy skillet. Cook over low heat, skimming as needed, until ham is lightly browned, 30 to 45 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove ham and brown bits from fat. Increase heat to medium high to heat the fat to 335 degrees.

In a shallow bowl combine flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper; mix well. Dredge chicken pieces thoroughly in flour mixture, then pat well to remove excess flour. Working in batches (do not crowd pan), place chicken pieces skin side down in fat. Cook 8 to 10 minutes on each side, until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Drain on crumpled paper towels. Serve hot, warm, at room temperature or cold.

TRADITIONAL CUBAN SANDWICH

This comes from Hector Rodriguez, About.com’s Latin Caribbean Food expert. Hector wrote, “A Cuban Sandwich, sometimes called a cubano, is a Latin variation on a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. This undeniably delicious sandwich is grilled and made with ham, pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and Cuban bread. The essential ingredient is the roasted pork.” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Serves: Makes four sandwiches.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 Loaf of Cuban Bread (Substitutes: French or Italian Bread)

1 pound cooked ham (sliced)

1 pound roasted pork (sliced)

1/2 pound Swiss cheese (sliced)

dill pickles (sliced)

Yellow mustard or Mayonnaise

Preparation

Preheat a griddle or frying pan on medium heat.

Cut the loaf of bread into quarters and slice each quarter in half lengthwise for the sandwiches.

Spread the mustard or mayonnaise on the bread. Then make each sandwich by layering the pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese.

Lightly coat the cooking surface of the griddle or frying pan with cooking spray or butter. Place one sandwich onto the hot surface.

Put a clean, heavy skillet on top of the sandwich to flatten it. Press the bread down to about 1/3 of its original size.

Leave the skillet on top of the sandwich and grill for one or two minutes. Lift the heavy skillet, turn the sandwich over and repeat this step for the other side of the sandwich.

The cheese should be melted and the bread golden brown. Slice each sandwich in half diagonally and serve.

TRADITIONAL CUBAN SANDWICH

This version of the Traditional Cuban Sandwich is from MacKenzie Smith, About.com’s Sandwiches expert. MacKenzie wrote, “I was raised in Tampa so i can tell you that the Cuban sandwich and I have some history. It's salty, rich, and tangy and you don't have to go to Tampa, Miami or Cuba to find the perfect Cuban sandwich - with this simple and easy recipe, you can make it right at home!” Prep Time: 6 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 16 minutes; Yield: 2 sandwiches

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 large loaf of cuban bread cut in half

1/2 pound of baked ham

1/2 pound roasted pork butt

1/3 pound swiss cheese

1 tbsp yellow mustard

1/2 cup dill pickles, sliced

a few pats of salted butter

(optional - salami)

Preparation

Begin by slicing your cuban bread lengthwise in half. Open up the bread up so that it looks like one big surface and slather the inside with as much mustard as you like and line the bread with pickles. Making sure that they're even spaced so that each bite has all the wonderful flavors of this Cuban classic. Then evenly distribute the swiss cheese between both pieces of bread. Next add baked ham, salami if desired, and then the roasted pork.

Close sandwich and set aside.

At this point, there are many ways to make it - I think the easiest and fastest way is to butter the outside of your sandwich and then wrap the entire thing in tinfoil. In a heated panini press, add the wrapped sandwich and turn the heat to medium. Press down the top of the machine so that the sandwich gets condensed and flattened. Let it cook for about ten minutes, making sure that the bread inside the tinfoil doesn't burn, until the exterior is crispy and the interior is warm and delicious. Let it sit for a few minutes before cutting in half and serving.

** This sandwich can be made up to two days in advance as long as it's kept refrigerated. It's also possible to re-heat this in the oven. **

SLOW COOKER TRIPLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

This decadent yumminess comes from Christin Mahrlig of Spicy Southern Kitchen. According to her short bio, “trying new foods and experimenting in the kitchen are my greatest passions.” Works for me!

I found this recipe in an email from The Today Show, in an article titled “Slow-Cooker Sweets! 5 Easy Dessert Recipes You Can Make in a Crock-Pot.” It's also posted on Christin's website, and can be found by going to http://spicysouthernkitchen.com/slow-cooker-triple-chocolate-brownies/.

Christin wrote, “Brownies are my very favorite indulgence. Brownies with three kinds of chocolate? Even better.

“Typically I make fudgy and gooey brownies but these Slow Cooker Triple Chocolate Brownies from Martha Stewart turned out more cake-like, a little drier, and quite chewy around the edges. Even still, they were delicious and I couldn’t get enough of them.

“Cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate chips add plenty of chocolate flavor. Chopped pecans add some crunch.

“My kids didn’t care for the taste of the bittersweet chocolate, so I got to enjoy these slow cooker brownies all week long. And enjoy then I did!

“It’s necessary to line the Crock Pot with parchment paper so that the brownies do not burn. Cooking time can vary quite a bit based on how hot your crock pot cooks. If you know that your crock pot is a fast cooker, shorten the cooking time some. The middle will still look slightly undercooked when they are done, but it will firm up as it cools.”

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours; Total Times: 4 hours 10 minutes; Serves: 14.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Lightly coat a 4 to 5-quart crock pot insert with cooking spray. Place a piece of parchment paper, that is large enough to extend halfway up the sides in the bottom of the crock pot. Lightly spray parchment paper with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

Place butter and chopped chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave another 30 seconds. If not completely melted, continue microwaving until melted.

Add sugar to chocolate mixture and whisk to combine.

Whisk in eggs and vanilla.

Stir in flour mixture just until flour is moistened. Fold in pecans and chocolate chips.

Pour batter into crock pot, smoothing out the top with a rubber spatula.

Cover and cook on LOW 3 1/2 hours. Uncover and continue to cook on LOW for 30 minutes.

Remove insert from crockpot and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Cooking time will vary. If your crock pot runs a little hot, shorten the cooking time. The middle will look underdone, but will firm up as the brownies cool.

SLOW COOKER GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN AND POTATOES

This is from Chungah Rhee, whose blog, Damn Delicious is packed with yummy recipes “using simple, fresh ingredients.” I highly recommend signing up for her emails!

This recipe begins, “Crisp-tender chicken cooked low and slow with baby red potatoes for a full meal! So easy and effortless!” Yield: 4 servings; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 8 hours; Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes.

To view this online, go to http://damndelicious.net/2016/05/27/slow-cooker-garlic-parmesan-chicken-potatoes/.

Ingredients:

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 pounds baby red potatoes, quartered

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Season chicken with basil, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper, to taste.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; drain excess fat and set aside.

Place potatoes into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in olive oil, garlic and thyme; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the slow cooker in an even layer.

Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, or until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan and garnished with parsley, if desired.