Perfect Pairs from Ted Allen
No Comments | Written on August 5, 2010 at 5:00 am , by Kristina Vanni
You know him from “Chopped” and “Iron Chef,” and now Ted Allen has created three recipes for mouth-watering classic comfort foods. They are part of the first ever “Food Merger Hall of Fame” sponsored by Cascade. These recipes are a collection of the tastiest and most popular food pairings of all time. (They also happen to be tough to clean, hence the tie in with Cascade!) Lovers of Spaghetti and Meatballs or Fried Chicken and Gravy gurus can now go head to head against Macaroni & Cheese fanatics to decide which food duo reigns supreme! Check out Ted’s recipes below and decide which food pairing is your all time favorite. Leave us a comment with your opinion or vote on-line!
The Best Fried Chicken, Period.
Here’s the trick: You soak your chicken. In buttermilk. Maybe it tenderizes the meat, maybe it doesn’t—but one thing’s for certain, the sugar in the buttermilk is great for flavor and browning. And its thick, gluey quality assures that when you roll the chicken pieces in flour, lots of the flour will stick; that batter is what gets you a great crust. I don’t find it necessary to completely submerge the chicken in hot oil—a messy proposition, that. Really, half an inch in your frying pan is quite enough for digit-lickin’ results.
This recipe is immeasurably better if you can let the chicken marinate overnight; the garlic and thyme infuse the bird with flavor, and the salty marinade also assures moist meat. The dish will still work if you don’t have that marinating time, but if you can plan ahead enough, and take that 15 minutes to prep the day before, you’ll be really happy about it when you’re chomping on that drumstick.
Serves 4
3 1/2 to 4 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves (just give them a whack or two to bruise them and release the flavor)
1 quart canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
Rinse the chicken under cold, running water. Pat dry with paper towels.
In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, the garlic, and thyme. Add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, or preferably, overnight.
Heat about 1/2 inch oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan or Dutch oven – something that can be covered – to 350˚ to 375˚F on a deep-fry thermometer (a 13-inch straight sided frying pan is perfect).
Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt, and teaspoon pepper in a heavy re-sealable plastic bag. Working with 2 or 3 pieces at a time, take the chicken out of the buttermilk, put it in the bag, close the bag and shake well to coat the chicken with the flour. Put the chicken on a baking sheet. Continue until all of the chicken has been coated.
When the oil is hot, carefully place the chicken into the pan with tongs, skin side down. You may have to cram the pieces in – don’t worry about it; you can rearrange later. The important thing is to get them in before hot oil splatters all over you. Cover, and cook 5 minutes. Then uncover the pan and cook until the skin is nicely browned, 5 more minutes. Turn the chicken and continue to cook until well browned all over and cooked through, 6 to 8 more minutes for the breast meat, 8 to 10 more minutes for the dark meat. If the chicken starts to brown too quickly, turn the heat down a little (you probably won’t have to).
Line the baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels and drain the chicken on the towels. Serve immediately, at room temperature, or cold.
Pan gravy for fried chicken
2 tablespoons oil and pan drippings from fried chicken, plus brown bits
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
¼ tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cups whole milk
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Over medium heat, melt butter with pan drippings in skillet, add flour, and whisk constantly until bubbly and slightly golden-brown, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly, add thyme and cayenne, and cook until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper and taste for seasoning.
Spaghetti and Spicy Meatballs
Supermarket sauces are nowhere near as good as homemade. This easy, garlicky marinara tastes like tomatoes, olive, oil and herbs and doesn’t take too long to make. The addition of spicy, tender meatballs makes this a real rib-sticker. You can make them entirely from beef, if you want, but mixing beef and pork—an Italian tradition—really makes them better.
Serves 4-6 generously
1 pound dried spaghetti, linguine, or fettucine
Spicy Meatballs
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/3 cup chicken stock
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, using your hands, mix all ingredients until evenly combined, being careful not to overwork (you don’t want to compact the meat too much). Put a little oil on your hands and form loosely into golf-ball sized meatballs—do not compress tightly.
Put 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil into a large frying pan and heat over medium. Gently add meatballs and brown on all sides; this will take about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels while you make the sauce.
Tomato sauce
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, chopped or sliced, whatever is easiest
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
10 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook covered until the onion is soft and breaking down, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, along with the juices and the sugar, and the browned meatballs, and bring to a simmer, and cook for an hour.
Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and basil leaves, and taste for seasoning.
15 minutes before meatballs and sauce are done, bring a large pot of water to a boil, then salt generously. Add pasta and cook according to directions, testing one noodle a minute or two early to make sure you don’t overcook. Drain noodles well and serve with meatballs.
Amazing Macaroni and Cheese
This stovetop version of Mac and Cheese is essentially an American pasta Alfredo – pasta sauced with a cheesy, creamy sauce, and lots of it—minus the curious orange coloring you get from the blue-boxed version. This recipe is great with cheddar cheese alone – it’s a basic recipe that guarantees you won’t alienate any finicky kids or fraternity brothers, should they be on your guest list. But stirring in a couple of tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese gives this everyman’s dish a real refinement that will wow your gourmet guests too. A little Colman’s hot English mustard, one of my favorites, gives a great little spike of flavor. If you want to really push it over the top, pour the mixture into a baking dish, sprinkle some more parmesan on top, and make at 400 for a few minutes until it browns.
Serves 4
1 pound dried macaroni elbows, ziti, or penne
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons prepared Colman’s mustard
8 ounces cheddar cheese, finely grated
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water (a teaspoon of salt per quart), then drain and set aside. Your goal is to boil the pasta until it’s just barely cooked through, or “al dente.” Put the pot back over low heat, add the butter, and melt. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute, until the mixture bubbles. Raise the heat to medium. Gradually add the milk, stirring all the time. Then add the nutmeg and bay leaf and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, particularly at the edges of the pot to keep the flour from burning. When the sauce simmers it will thicken. Turn the heat down to low and cook at a bare simmer for 5 to 10 minutes; this cooks away the floury taste.
Remove the pan from the heat. Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the mustard. Now add the pasta and the cheeses. Put the pan over very low heat and stir to melt the cheese. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spoon out into a serving bowl, or onto serving plates, and serve immediately.
Categories:
Better Recipes, Dinner Tonight, Foodie Events | Tags: Chicken Recipes, Easy Pasta Recipes, Italian Dinner Recipes
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