I’m into Middle eastern Cuisine. The flavors, the ingredients all fascinate me. In some cases it’s as far from Caribbean cooking as one can find. So I’m always on the lookout for something unique within a Middle eastern venue. And that explains the recipe given today. It’s called “Circassian Chicken.” A little history here. The Circasssians are an ethnic group that hails from the Northwest Caucasus. They were incorporated into the Czarist Russian Empire during the 19th century. But most Circassians are Sunni Muslims, and their cooking, I’m told, is very popular throughout the Middle East. They have a very old tradition in which nuts, ground fine, are used to enrich and thicken a sauce that is very prevalent in their cooking, as you will note with this dish.

Ground nuts in cooking? you say. Haven’t done that lately. Well, just try the dish. You’ll be surprised how good it is. Impress your crowd tonight. Tell ’em they’ll be dining on a dish worthy of a Sultan or Caliph.

CIRCASSIAN CHICKEN

1 large roasting chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup shelled nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or a mixture)
1 cup fine bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoons paprika
Cooked rice (enough for 4 servings)

1. Wash chicken pieces under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Place in a large pot or pan, cover with water, add the onions, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about an hour or until the chicken is  tender.
3. Drain the chicken, but reserve the stock, keeping the chicken warm.
4. Grind the nuts in a food processor or blender. Place 2 cups reserved chicken stock into a clean pan. Stir in the nuts and bread crumbs. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the mixture has thickened. Add more stock if it becomes too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. In a cup or saucer,  mix the paprika with the oil until it becomes bright red. Add this to the nut/bread mixture and stir to combine.
6. Arrange the rice on a serving platter, top with the chicken and pour the nut sauce over both the chicken and rice.
    Yield: 4 or more servings.

This recipe is a contribution from our beloved Uncle Phillip. In our family, Uncle Phillip was the black sheep, and he was bigger than life. A von vivant, ladies’ man, and raconteur extraordinaire. And also a fabulous cook. Uncle Phillip was a merchant seaman, and he was a cook aboard ship. That’s how he learned about cuisine. He was always on the lookout for unique recipes. Yet, like Puerto Ricans of the old school, he had this thing about Spain. To the Boricuas of his and my parents generation, Spain was the “Mother Country.” Figures since Spain owned Puerto Rico for hundreds of years before the coming of the Americans in 1898. So anything having to do with Spain, was sacrosanct, especially its cuisine. For instance, to this day, the measurement of any restaurant in Puerto Rico is not its paella or pasteles but caldo gallego, a smooth, vigorous soup.

Galicia is a maritime province in Northern Spain, thus the Gallego appellation, as in the chicken dish given below. We assumed that’s where Uncle Phillip picked up the recipe, and it has remained a favorite in our family for ages. What’s interesting about this recipe is that originally it was prepared with bone-in chicken breasts. After the chicken breasts were roasted, the meat was removed from the bone. That’s how Uncle Phillip did it. I’ve discovered that whole, boneless chicken breasts work just as well, are easier to prepare, and are just as tasty.

Here it is. For dinner tonight take a trip to the Iberian peninsula. In our family, the dish was traditionally served over steamed rice. But it can also complement any other grain, potatoes, or even pasta. The dish calls for paprika. I prefer Hungarian paprika which is medium-hot. Uncle Phillip preferred the milder Spanish paprika. Use whatever suits you best. With a good Rioja wine, the dish is heaven.

  POLLO AL GALLEGO
 (Galician Style Chicken)

3 pounds whole chicken breasts
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 bay leaf
Pinch of cayenne pepper (about 1/8 teaspoon)
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chicken broth or bouillon
8 pimento stuffed Spanish olives for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Wash chicken breasts under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut each breast in half lengthwise.
3. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Place in a shallow roasting pan and bake approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Meanwhile, in a small pan or skillet, heat olive oil. Add garlic and bay leaf. Sauté until garlic turns brown (do not burn). Add remaining paprika, cayenne pepper, flour and salt. Mix well and slowly add chicken bouillon or broth. Bring to a boil, gently stirring to prevent lumps. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly. When the sauce is done, remove bay leaf.
5. Arrange breasts on a serving platter and pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with olives, either whole or sliced in half, and serve.
    Yield: 4 or more servings.

I love fried chicken, always have. But there’s always the persistent health concern. The more thorough among us worry about the fat content, even when not using hydrogenated oil. Problem is, I was brought up on chicken cooked in fat, either lard or left-over grease my mother would keep in a jar in the fridge. I know, you’re saying: “Yuk—what would that do to you arteries, not to mention your waistline?” Guess what, it was the best fried chicken I ever tasted. And I yearn for those days. Now, when I fry chicken I use olive oil—but that’s an expensive proposition if one is going to use good quality olive oil every time. And I still hanker for the Crisco.

I’ve discovered another way to cook chicken that is just as tasty and, yes, healthy. That’s oven-fried chicken. What I like about oven-fried chicken is that it comes out just as crispy, tasty and as juicy as my mother’s hallowed larded chicken. It’s become my favorite method of making the legendary dish. In honor of full disclosure, this recipe comes from an old, tattered cookbook of mine from the Rival Home Economics Department, Rival Manufacturing Company, Kansas City, Missouri. I’ve modified the recipe in terms of the seasoning used. Now, I don’t know if the Rival Company is still around, but the recipe lives on in all its glory. Tasty, fried chicken without the fat content. What more could you want?

OVEN-FRIEND CHICKEN

1 broiler/fryer chicken, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, cut up
2 1/2 cups bread crumbs or crushed potato chips
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
3/4 cup evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Rinse chicken pieces under cold running water, and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Combine bread crumbs or crushed potato chips with the seasonings.
4. Dip chicken pieces in evaporated milk. Roll in seasoning mixture.
3. Place in a baking pan and bake 45 to 60 minutes or until chicken is tender.
   Yield: 4 servings.

 

I like cooking with honey. And I have a friend who has access to a genuine beehive. And once in a while he gives me a batch of pure American honey fresh from the hive. There is nothing comparable for creating a marvelous recipe. One of my favorite is honey roasted chicken. It’s one meal I never tired of. Normally I serve the dish over yellow rice. But this time around I served it with farfalle (bow tie noodles).

HONEY ROASTED CHICKEN

1 3 to 3 1/2 pounds fryer roaster, with giblets 
8 whole black peppercorns
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 lemon, cut into thin rings
1/2 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees F.
2. Wash chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a large bowl.
3. Put peppercorns, salt and oregano in a mortar and pound until crushed.
4. Sprinkle the chicken with the olive oil. Rub the chicken, inside and out, with the seasoning. Stuff the cavity with the lemon and garlic cloves. With kitchen string, tie together the lower parts of the drumsticks to enclose the cavity.5. Place chicken, breast side down, in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes.
6. Brush the chicken all over with the honey, scatter the neck, gizzard and liver around it; and roast, breast side up, till golden brown and crisp, about 45 minutes (an instant read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thighs should read 165 degrees).
    Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Kung Pao chicken is one of those dishes that has filtered into western cuisine during the last generation or so. When I was a kid and the family would trudge down to the Old Wah Kee restaurant in Chinatown, we would have all the traditional Chinese-American dishes (fried rice, chow mein, egg-drop soup, etc.) We never had Kung Pao chicken. That started popping up in later years, and it caught on because it was spicier that traditional Chinese fare. Kung Pao chicken (or Gong Bao, Kung Po) comes from Sichuan cooking that originated in Sichuan Province in southwest China. Sichuan cooking is noted for its use of Sichuan peppercorns, also known as Chinese coriander and used in Tibetan, Nepelese and Indian cuisine as well. The westernize version of the dish (which includes the recipe given) does not use Sichuan peppercorn since it was illegal to import then into the U.S. from 1968 to 2005. The ban solidified the western version and chili peppers are used instead. Also, in my recipe, I have substituted the sugar used in most versions with honey. My contribution to this venerable dish.

During the infamous Cultural Revolution in China (1966-1976), the dish was renamed “Fast-fried chicken cubes” or “Chicken cubes with seared chilies.” Why? The dish was supposedly named after a Quin Dynasty official, Ding Baozhen, and association with the Quin (1644-1912) was considered subversive or politically incorrect. Again, why? Well, psychotic mass murderer Mao Zedong decided to preserve “true Communist ideology” by purging all “bourgeois” elements and traditional “counter-revolutionary” thought from Chinese society. It set back China socially and economically for decades.  

Ding Baozhen is an interesting character. Not only was he an official of the Quin government; but he had very bad teeth and he couldn’t chew meat that was tough or thick. So his personal chef prepared for him a meal consisting of finely chopped stir-fried chicken with lost of peppercorn in it. And the dish was born.  Let me add that in my version, I serve it over whole wheat pasta rather than the traditional Chinese noodles. It doesn’t hurt to innovate.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, washed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons peanut oil
3 dried red chilies (or more if you want it spicier)
1 7.25 ounce bottle or can unsalted peanuts or mixed nuts
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh scallions
2  tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1/3 cup chicken broth (canned is fine)
1/4 cup rice wine or dry sherry
4 tablesppons soy sauce
3 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons Chinese black rice vinegar (available in most Asian stores)

1. In a medium bowl, mix chicken breasts, egg whites, salt, 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix reaming tablespoon corn starch with 1/3 cup water. Set aside
3. Place a large pot or wok over high heat until hot, and add peanut oil. When oil is very hot, add chicken pieces and cook for 3 minutes. Add chilies and stir-fry until slightly blackened. Add peanuts, garlic, scallions and ginger, stirring until lightly browned.
4. Add chicken broth, rice wine, soy sauce, honey, vinegar and remaining tablespoon sesame oil. Mix well to combine, and stir in cornstarch mix. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let the mixture sit (uncovered) for about 2 minutes more. Mix again, and serve.
    Yield: 4 or more servings.

I’m a fan of marinades or, as others would say, marinating. In Puerto Rican cuisine, we marinate pork, as in pernil (roast pork shoulder); veal (as in veal chops a la jardinera); and, our favorite, fish (pescado en escabeche or pickled fish). Then I figured, Why not extend this to other things like, let’s say, turkey? By that, I mean, turkey breasts. And thus arose this recipe for marinated turkey. Turkey is a funny meat to marinate. The marinade cannot be either too strong or it may overpower the meat, or too weak, then it’s tasteless. So I kept it simple in terms of ingredients, adding maple syrup and ginger for a slight sweet-sour effect. The results were not too bad. In fact, it was delicious. If you don’t have maple syrup around, you can substitute honey. That, and common seasonings found in your cupboard make this a great meal. In Nuyorican tradition, the dish would be served with pilaf rice. If rice is not your forte, then it goes well with yellow or red steamed baby potatoes.  

MARINATED TURKEY

1 boneless turkey breasts, about 3-3 1/2 pounds, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves

1. Wash turkey breasts under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place turnkey in a glass dish or bowl.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl, and mix well. Set aside 1/3 cup of the marinade, cover and store in the refrigerator. Pour remaining marinade over the turkey. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, better yet, overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drain and discard marinade. Place turkey in a baking pan or dish, and pour reserved marinade over turkey. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until no longer pink, basting twice during baking.
4. Transfer to serving platter and serve.
    Yield: 4 or more servings.