The American Series, Pt. I — Fried Chicken

22 Apr 2011 9 Comments

by scolgin in American Series, Recipes, Sensational Salads, Video Tags: , , , , , , ,

To kick off my new series of posts on classic American dishes, I chose the most iconic dish of them all — fried chicken. While I’m not convinced anyone will ever do a better fried chicken than the Colonel, I thought I’d give it my best.

If you begin to research the origins of fried chicken, you quickly find yourself wading in some murky waters — with references to everything from Vietnam and West Africa to medieval Europe, the existing literature flavored with converging allusions to homesteading, the Deep South, the Civil War, slavery, industrialization… which makes sense. Throw some flour on chicken and put it in some oil. What could be more elemental? More

So This Skinny Girl Walks Into a Bar…

19 Apr 2011 12 Comments

by scolgin in Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories), Video Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The Bacon Tree

Tomorrow one of my skinny yoga teacher sisters is coming for dinner. (Yes, I’ve got two.) She’s not exactly a vegetarian – she eats a lot of fish, which is okay in the culinary curriculum of many vegetarians. (Fish being some sort of pseudo-animal, I guess, more related to an avocado than a pig.) There should be a new name for these types of eaters — quasitarians, maybe… or rationalitarians. She will also eat “small quantities” of meat. I’m not sure exactly where the line is on that one. I think I’ll play it safe and grill some whole sea bass, slice up some tuna crudo, make a couple pizzas. More

Good Gadget, Bad Gadget Pt. IV

15 Apr 2011 9 Comments

by scolgin in Cooking Tips, Good Gadget, Bad Gadget, Observations Tags: , , , , , , ,

Summer is on the horizon. Which means it’s time for a new onslaught of absurd kitchen gadgets. (Next winter’s clearance items.) Kudos to kitchen gadget inventors everywhere for their continued creativity in coming up with an infinite procession of products we didn’t even know we needed. (And, if you’re like me, you’re just clamoring for new gadgets to fill up all that empty cabinet space in your kitchen.)

As usual, when I’m finished exploring the world of the ridiculous, I will delve briefly into the truly useful — which is, sadly, a much smaller category. But first, the Hall of Shame:

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This may be the worst kitchen gadget ever invented. Thank you, Suzanna, for passing this one along:

Tuna press — to press the oil out of the tuna can... I kid you not.

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Unlucky Duck

12 Apr 2011 1 Comment

by scolgin in Observations, Recipes, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories) Tags: , , , , ,

When I was in my early twenties, one of my favorite dishes to cook was Peking duck. Ambitious, yes, but I loved the ritual of it — getting a fresh duck, inflating the skin, dousing it in a honey/water mixture, then hanging it with a fan to dry for 24 hours.

I was always looking for the best place to hang the duck. Once, my mother came home and let out a gasp upon entering her kitchen and discovering a duck dangling from the light fixture.

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Pa Amb Tomàquet

07 Apr 2011 1 Comment

by scolgin in Recipes, Video Tags: , , , , ,

Every so often, just because I’m a giver, I give you one of my very best secret recipes. (“Secret” unless you live in northern Spain, where it’s about as secret as Pablo Picasso.) It’s called pa am tomàquet, which is not quite as intimidating as it looks. Say it like this: “pom too-maket”. You can call it “Spanish toast with tomato and olive oil,” if you prefer. (Though that will be less impressive to your friends.)

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