Classic belly-warmers

GOOD OL’ MEATLOAF  

this three pound loaf feeds four to six

My mom wasn’t the only one influential with my cooking understanding.  Dad was a more realist mentality, cooking the easiest and most efficient way, with as many short-cuts as possible.  BBQ, fried eggs and toast, carving turkey and meatloaf were his areas of expertise.  Hey, I didn’t complain, he had good ideas, which usually came from his golfing buddies and friends (which meant they were tested throughout our neighborhood first).

For his meatloaf, he swore by mixing hamburger with Jimmy Dean prepared sausage.  He said the flavors, seasonings and fat flavor were already included in the mix, and all you had to do was cook it.  Made sense.  I’ll take his basic recipe and ramp it up just a bit.  Personally, I love vegetables and bacon in my meatloaf.  That said, it’s about the same as his otherwise.  For a sauce topper, most folks use ketchup, but Dad loved Lowry’s ‘Sweet and Sour’ BBQ sauce (bottled), which he’d mix with garlic powder and ketchup.  It works for me!

Preheat oven to 375̊

Tools:  baking sheet or broad casserole pan/dish, large mixing bowl, food processor, saute pan, cutting board/knife

Prep:  rough chop one stalk celery, one small peeled onion, half a pound mushrooms, several cloves garlic, a small carrot – and place in the food processor (they can be hand-diced, but it’s a bit of work) and pulse to a large ‘relish’.  Gently saute on medium to medium-high, in a combo of butter and oil, with a sprinkling of salt and sugar till rendered soft and beginning to caramelize nicely – about ten to fifteen minutes.  Next add the dried spices and herbs and let ‘bloom’ - or come to a good aroma.  Remove and let cool (very important - raw vegetables will NOT cook to a nice finish inside the loaf).

In the mixing bowl, blend two pounds cold ground chuck or sirloin with a half pound ‘log’ of your favorite breakfast prepared uncooked sausage blend.  Use a fork to slice/mash/fold together without bringing it up in heat.  Leave it all ‘open’ in a crumble for later ingredient mixing.

Ingredients     

            2     lbs medium ground chuck, sirloin, cold

                         (no more than 20% fat, 15% is best)

            ½    lb prepared breakfast type ground sausage blend

                         (like the aforementioned Jimmy Dean)

            1     tsp each ground dried basil, oregano, thyme

            ½    tsp dried ground sage

1       egg, beaten

1       tbs Worcestershire sauce (mixed with egg)

            1     tsp hot sauce  or ¼ tsp cayenne, (more if you like),

                        mixed with Worcestershire sauce and egg

            Splash milk (mixed with egg, Worcestershire sauce

                        and hot sauce)

            ¼    cup unseasoned bread crumbs (try homemade: 
                        grind two slices bread in processor till med-fine 
                        crumb, saute gently in med-hot pan and a tiny bit 
                        of oil/butter till lightly golden or bake several slices

of bread in a cool (200̊ F) oven till very firm and

crisp, barely colored, about 20 to 30 minutes. 

Break up into chunks and grind in the processor

till a med-fine crumb and use as recipe crumbs

instead of store-bought, saving the rest in a well-

sealed container)            

            The prepared veggie relish, cooled
           ½    tsp each salt and pepper

          4-6    slices oven-firmed bread slices (like mentioned above),
                        unbroken

              TOPPING SAUCES

           ½    cup favorite BBQ sauce/ketchup blend (like the

                        aforementioned Lowry’s ‘Sweet and Sour’ BBQ

                        sauce) plus fresh or powdered garlic or ketchup/Hoisin
                        sauce blend or 2 tbs tomato paste with
                        2 tbs brown sugar and 2 tbs balsamic vinegar plus
                        2 tbs rice or wine vinegar plus a tsp of fresh minced 
                        or powdered ginger (fresh is best!),  Blend well. 

                       

Preparation:  Carefully fold all the upper listed ingredients together in the mixing bowl.  If you use your hands, the body temperature warmth will compromise the texture of the meat - so as much as I love to use my hands, a fork or potato masher may be the best tool.  If you choose to use your hands, just be sure to mix quickly and pretty thoroughly – so stay within your comfort level.  Replacing the blended and ready meat to the cooler/refrigerator would be a good idea until it is once again quite cool and the fats are re-established firmly within the protein.  Place the mixed meat mass on the side of sheet pan or on a clean cutting board to shape into a loaf of your choice of shape (hey, the state of Texas is a favorite with some of my friends here).  Place the slices of firmed dry bread together in a single layer on the middle of the sheet pan and carefully move the shaped loaf onto the bread slices.  The idea of elevating the meat is for the fats and greases to drain from the cooking meatloaf instead of it all simmering in the fats while cooking, therefore making a better-textured and less oily loaf.  The idea also is to discard the bread slices after – good luck with that.

Bake for a good hour maybe an hour and a quarter, depending on your additions, but test with a quick-read instant thermometer in the innermost section to read at least about 150-160̊ for a range of just barely leaving pink to well done.  The topping sauce may be slathered on at the onset for a crusty finish, or about twenty minutes prior to finish, for a softer crust surface.

Options:  The loaf may be taken around the world by associating flavorings.  For an Asian bent, try adding a tsp of ‘five spice blend’, a few diced uncooked fresh green onions, a can of diced up drained water chestnuts to the meat portion, and a tsp more ginger in the third topper sauce option.  Go to Italy with the sage upped to 1 tsp, with also a tsp of minced fresh rosemary and lemon zest.  Top with marinara sauce.  For a Continental feel, add cooled cooked bacon bits (about half a pound pre-cooked) and a quarter pound of grated cheese (cheddar, Swiss, emmental, etc) and top with cheese sauce or gravy on serving.  For a South of the Border direction, add about a quarter cup each sweet corn and diced mild chiles (canned is great) to the pulsed vegetable relish before sauteeing.  Fold in fresh chopped cilantro into the final corporate blend before shaping.  Top or serve with enchilada sauce (canned, again ok, or homemade).

Me? My fave is any of the above with a huge dollop of mashed potatoes and all smothered in gravy. 

But what I really like, oh yes, is the next day - cool, sliced, and plopped comfortably between a couple of slices of a great pumpernickel or rye, with a bit of mayo and catsup and mustard (spicy type) - and a few slices of crunchy, sweet red onion, maybe a few rounds of tomato or lettuce, but it's the wonderful leftover meatloaf that carries this one - what a sandwich - soooo good!

FRIED CHICKEN

  

Ah, fried chicken.  More men have been lured into matrimony by this sumptuous food, I’d say, over most any other prepared dish.  It is a bite of miraculous deliciousness – hot, steaming and crunchy -- with mashed potatoes and gravy – oh, my!  It also fares excellently chilled or room temperature starring in a picnic along with potato or macaroni salad and iced cold drinks and watermelon.  Most folks have been hit full throttle from all sides by a discerning cook, indoors and out, with this time-honored dish.

And we’re not just talking romantic relationships here either.  Fried chicken has been used to woo the mechanic or plumber into a good understanding, as well as babysitters and the kids’ tutors.  Bowling teams and office committees have elected their leaders based on the chicken brought to Memorial Day picnics.  This is serious stuff.

The same preparation style as for the fish is ideal for fried chicken as well.  Chicken must be cooked through, but not dried out, so careful knowledge of chicken parts certainly helps.  White meat pieces cook faster than dark meat parts.  The meat in dark meat parts is structured more densely (muscular), being more fibrous and protein filled – therefore requiring additional heat time to bring to done.  The density of the chicken over fish requires also a longer marinating period, usually several hours to overnight – even a day.  There are many options with this dish.

The crust or fried skin is a huge contributor to flavor, texture and aroma.  Some folks remove the skin and prepare the parts as if skin were still attached, which tastes wonderfully fine.  Some folks prefer a thick and crisp covering on the fowl.  Others prefer a lighter cover, with a pleasant crunch, not a crackle.  To obtain the thick crackle, the pieces are usually twice dipped/dredged in the buttermilk and/or egg liquid and then the flour or flour/crunch material.  Conversely, my mom just lightly rolled the moist chicken pieces in herbed//spiced flour and fried it to perfection.  I’ve had chicken pieces that were quite heavy on the coating and eating the chicken was more of an endurance objective with so much crispy layers to eat through first.  And then I’ve also had chicken where there was a baked sensation, with no big ‘crunch’ at all.  Both were delicious.  Your preference is what you should create.

The nature of the buttermilk coating (low fat is your best option) makes a good ‘glue’ for the flour or other coatings.  The buttermilk may be left thick or most of it may be shaken/dabbed off.  One coat of flavored flour may be all that is preferred, or a double dip if desired.  Some cooks add crunch materials to the flour (only a fourth of the flour amount) – such as corn meal, crushed cereal (Corn Flakes is the favorite), crushed potato chips (thicker chips is best, like the ruffled type), and crushed pretzels.  These are a delicious option, but why not fry a bit more adventurously and try crushed Rye Crisp, Shredded Wheat, Wheat Thins, wheat germ and/or Panko bread crumbs with your flour? 

If you’ve purchased deep fried chicken in the fast food or market presentations, you’ll find the flavor quite lovely, yet in eating, the skin slides off in one huge bite-full.  This is because these chicken preparations are most likely deep fried and/or pressure cooked, and this mode of immersion frying completely envelopes the chicken pieces in high heat all at once, not allowing air/steam to escape from between the meat and the skin.  The expansion of the air/steam acts like blowing up a balloon, pushing the skin away from the flesh as it crisps it. Home-cooked pieces are usually fried one side at a time in a pan as opposed to deep fried or pressure cooked, allowing the steam/air to escape from the opposite ‘up’ side, and the skin is able to bond with the meat.  The down side to this method is a longer cooking time, and usually a barely darker center mark on each side due to longer contact with the frying pan itself, but that is about it.

Here’s an option – my favorite – you might consider trying:

Either cut the fowl yourself into ten pieces (breasts in half –4, wings –2, thighs –2, legs –2, with back/tail and ribcage either saved for stock or fried along with the parts) or purchase your favorite pieces FRESH at the market.  Find out from your butcher the market’s timing and rotation of their fresh chicken offerings.  Rinse and dry well before seasoning.

I opt to first sprinkle my version of my ‘house blend spice’ – a mix of equal parts dry powdered mustard, salt, paprika  (sweet or smoked, your call) and garlic powder.  Let set on surface of covered pieces under plastic wrap, or in a well sealed zip-lock bag(s), at least one hour in fridge.  After that 'dry' marinade time, to these spiced pieces then add about one pint to one quart (to cover and coat) of buttermilk plus one-quarter cup or so of dry sherry or dry white wine (as you prefer) back into the zip-lock bag.  Marinate the cut pieces chilled for three hours to overnight (plan ahead, overnight is best). 

Remove from chill for frying and allow to come to room temperature.  Carefully shake off as much liquid as possible over the sink and dab onto a paper towel quickly and then lay onto a wire rack to air dry just a bit more, as with the fish.  If you have the notion to add more dry spices to the ‘sticky’ chicken pieces, this is a good time.  Rich ground spices work well like more spice blend (the powdered mustard, paprika and garlic – but then also consider ground ginger, thyme, cayenne and powdered onion, but I insist, be gentle).  Also considered would be the small whole seed/berry flavorings like caraway, sesame, dill, celery, and mustard (they won’t survive the normal time for frying, so the chicken will need to fry cook till the outer skin is golden then the interior finished in the oven), and of course, fresh ground pepper.  Smell your choice of herbs, spices and other flavorings and let your knowledge of blendings and taste-history guide you.  I’ve said this for the fish, and also again here.  

In a broad dish, set a cup at a time of flour mixed well with a quarter-cup of cornstarch, corn flour or rice flour and a hefty pinch of salt.  Carefully dust the moist herbed/spiced pieces in the flour and return to the rack while preparing the pan, let set until the flour coating appears almost like soft, dry, bumpy dough.  Use a heavy, large (12 inch or larger) cast iron skillet to disperse the heat evenly.  Many cooks (including my mom) also opt to use vegetable shortening instead of oil.  The claim was that this brought an even and unflavored heat better to the meat and skin.  I have to agree, but a safer option is to blend the shortening with peanut, grape seed or canola oil, making it more reliable, high heat  resistant and safe.  Heat shortening to medium hot (about 370° max) and place the pieces skin-side down into the oil, nestled together into a non-crowded pattern (breasts not yet), and when finished, the oil should come at least halfway up the pieces and the temperature should now read about 320°.  Adjust the flame to maintain this lower heat, lower but still hot enough to keep the chicken from absorbing the fat.  I’d rather fry chicken a bit ‘low and slow’ (for frying standards) than to blast it done rapidly. After about the initial one or two minutes, arrange the shrinking pieces toward the center and add the breasts somewhere on the outer circumference of the pan.  Cook for about six to eight more minutes, depending on the size of the pieces (when the pieces are a rich mahogany golden brown on this side), then turn.   If for some reason the middle pieces are darkening too fast, then adjust the heat and rotate with the outer pieces.  Should you have a smaller pan, then fry the pieces in two batches, but allow the oil to return to the original 370° before dropping the second batch in.

Covering the pan will slightly soften the ultimate skin ‘crunch’, but will better moderate the spatter, and contain and even-out the heat.  I recommend covering only during the first side cooking, and only the first half of the second side to allow steam to escape, and crunch to happen.  The rest of the time, invest in those spatter guards of metal mesh.  They’re perfect. 

When done – cooking at about eight to ten minutes on a side – clear juices will emerge from the pieces when pierced with a fork, or an instant read thermometer inserted into the mid of the fattest part of the thigh (not touching a bone) will read 160-170° -- if the thighs are done, then all the other pieces will be too.  Remove to a wire rack placed just over paper towels/paper bags that will catch the excess oil but not smother the surfaces.  This contact ‘smother’ will mush up the crunchy skin you worked so hard to get.

Option:  Try adding crunch additives to the battered surface of the chicken such as a sprinkling of corn meal, crushed nuts or small seeds (pistachio, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, macadamia, or peanuts etc - or sesame, pumpkin seed, sesame seed, celery, caraway, poppyseeds etc); or even more delicate - grated Parmesan, asiago, pecorino etc over the flour (perhaps also with the seed coatings) - but because of the delicate nature of these additives, fry till golden, but the inner chicken flesh won’t be cooked completely, and finish cooking by baking on a rack set in a sheet pan in a 350° oven (about fifteen to twenty minutes).

 

If you don’t have chicken gravy for the mashed potatoes or to slather last minute on the chicken, then you’ve forgotten half the meal.  Yessir!

CHICKEN GRAVY

Remove cooling pan from fire and carefully pour off ninety-five percent of the cooled fat into a safe container.  What is left in the pan should be many islands of those mahogany colored flour and skin bits and a tablespoon or two of oil.  Cooking low and slow also allows these bits to remain browned without becoming charcoal by the end of the frying.  Should you have any saved chicken, duck or turkey fat from other roastings or preparations, this is the perfect use here. 

Replace to heat, a medium to medium-hot range.  Add now two more tablespoons butter, oil, and/or heart-healthy butter-flavored non-water-based margarine and/or your treasured duck/chicken fat.  Allow butter/margarine/fat to simmer a moment or two to remove any waters that are in them.  Add about a quarter cup of AP flour (potato or rice flour may be considered, but has little gluten and makes a less elastic gravy) and gently cook/stir to absorb all the oils, turning the flour a light brown color.  Add a teaspoon each of garlic powder, dry ground mustard, dry powdered thyme (crushed in the palm of the hand), and salt in along with the flour as well (or a heaping tbs of my ‘spice rub’).  A pinch of cayenne or hot sauce here is great too.  Stir well into the mash, then add a splash of dry white wine or sherry and let work a bit till smooth, then half a can of evaporated milk and whisk until thickened and all lumps have been whisked out.  At this point consider either chicken stock/broth, the rest of the canned milk plus regular milk as needed or all three may be added bit by bit until the gravy becomes a thick cream consistency – and about a quart in volume.  A quarter cup of heavy cream at the last is always a tasty option, but you may find that the gravy has a rich enough ‘feel’ without it (just helping you get used to safer eats).  The gravy will thicken even more as it cools to the table so don’t finish it stovetop as you ultimately want it.  Bring to a boil, then down to a simmer and hold, or remove.  Test, then salt and pepper to taste. 

No potatoes?  Try a slice of hearty, crusty bread or a bed of rice, polenta, cous cous or quinoa – or leftover vegetables and/or pasta. 

Remember to warm the gravy dish or gravy boat first with very hot tap water, poured out – it’ll keep the gravy at a better temperature longer. 

Ah, chicken gravy, liquid gold!