Sunday Dinner: BBQ-Fried Chicken

This photo is one of the little one's plates - I always cut the tenders from the chicken breasts as they are easier for tiny hands to grasp.

This week's Sunday Dinner is a combination of things my family loves. Declan (our 9 year-old son) could probably live on barbecue sauce; he puts it on almost everything. The rest of the family is crazy about fried chicken so I put the two together and it was a hit.

I was able to find boneless, skinless chicken breasts at Valley Farm this week for $1.99 a pound - hard to beat these days - and along with homemade breadcrumbs (I never, ever buy them) from a leftover French batard I had, this was quite the frugal dinner.

BBQ-Fried Chicken
Smashed Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli
Carrot Cupcakes


BBQ-Fried Chicken
Serves 4

The larger crumb on these makes them crunchier but can be harder to work with. Be sure to press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken well before frying.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves - pounded or cut to even thickness
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups large-crumb breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

Coat each chicken breast in barbecue sauce and then in breadcrumbs - pressing onto spots that are not covered. Fry in hot oil until golden brown on both sides - about 5 minutes each side. Drain well on paper toweling.



Smashed Potatoes
Serves 4

8 white or gold new potatoes - washed well
salt and pepper
olive oil

Cook potatoes in boiling water until just tender - about 15 - 20 minutes. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and place potatoes on sheet - several inches apart. Gently press down on each potato until they flatten slightly but do not fall apart. Salt and pepper well. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes - turn over with tongs being careful to hold each potato together. Bake for another 10 minutes until browned well.

Middle-of-the-week dinner

Artery clogging with a little fattening on the side and greens to balance out my conscience.



Little meatloaves - the kind made in mammoth muffin tins and covered in BBQ sauce with Pierogi Casserole smothered in caramelized onions, and roasted broccoli and field greens salad.

Sunday Dinner

"Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything."
Child's Mealtime Prayer



Breaded Pork Filets
Risotto
Broccoli with Orange Gremolata
Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Icing

Is that Risotto you see up there? Why, yes - it is! It's not really as difficult to make as anyone thinks, and so delicious I couldn't think of a better way to spend half and hour at the stove. This is one of those classic dishes I've wanted to share the preparation of for some time anyway. No time like the present.
The Gremolata is most often made with lemon zest, but I was missing lemons today so I subbed orange zest. It was perfect.

First, here are the pork filets.

One 1/2" thick boneless prok chop, trimmed of fat.

The "stick" I beat the pork with (a.k.a. Grandma's rolling pin).

The beaten pork. Strike from the center outward in a steady motion until the pork is 1/4" thin.

One clove of garlic cut in half.

After rubbing the pork with the cut garlic, sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Rub this in to the surface of the pork.

I don't like a heavy standard breading - flour, egg, crumbs - so I just pat fresh bread crumbs into both sides of the pork. It's light and crispy at the edges without being heavy in the center.

Frying in hot oil - about 3 minutes per side.

Flipped to the other side. Once all the filets are fried, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and finish in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes.

A finished filet.

This is the Risotto:

Arborio rice. See how pretty it is? Arborio is rounder than usual long-grain rice. Do NOT rinse the rice before cooking. All that starch is what makes it creamy.

Half a small onion diced fine and cooked in olive oil - 4T - until translucent.

The rice (1 lb. about 1 1/2 cups) added to the oil and onion and lightly toasted.

Add HOT stock - you will need 6 to 8 cups - a cup at a time to the rice. Stir until the stock is absorbed. Add, a cup at a time, until you have added 6 cups. This takes about 15 minutes over a medium flame with almost constant stirring. Once you hit this point, try the rice to see if it's done. It should be al dente and not crunchy in the center.

This is the stock absorbed about halfway - 4 cups in. The finished Risotto disappeared before I had the chance to photograph it! Finish the Risotto with 2 tablespoons of butter and about 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan if you like.

The cake. A simple Wacky Cake with peanut butter icing. 1/2 stick of butter, 1 cup of creamy peanut butter, 1 t vanilla extract and 1 cup of powdered sugar. I have several here who don't like lots of icing so I go light. The center of these two mammoth cakes (gorgeous 10" pans I got for Christmas) was nothing but peanut butter spread in between.

Veggie Wednesday

I found this in an old Everyday Food magazine. I'm sure it would be great as is, but I know once I got started I'd be changing things. For example, I think cashew halves would be better than the peanuts. Thinly sliced red-pepper would be a great addition, too; and the changeover to non-veggie would be fabulous with grilled chicken added.

Pasta Salad with Broccoli and Peanuts
Serves 4

Coarse salt
1/2 pound whole-wheat fusilli
2 (2 pounds) broccoli
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise (1 cup)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Drain, and rinse under cold water; set aside.
Meanwhile, trim 1 inch from the stem end of broccoli stalks. Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, peel outer layer of stalks; thinly slice crosswise. Separate florets into bite-size pieces.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium.Add pepper flakes, broccoli, and 3/4 cup water; cover and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid has evaporated and broccoli is tender, 2 to 4 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, peanut butter, and soy sauce until smooth. Add cooled pasta, broccoli, scallions, and peanuts; toss to combine. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Sunday Dinner

Mom Foster's Meatloaf
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Broccoli Gremolata
Betty's Carrot Cake

Gremolata is a wonderful blend of parsley, garlic and lemon commonly used on classic Osso Bucco. The fresh flavor lends itself well to many other dishes.

Broccoli Gremolata

1 large head broccoli, cleaned and cut into spears
3 T. fresh flat-leaf parsley-chopped fine
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 t. finely grated fresh fresh lemon zest

Steam broccoli until crisp tender. Combine parsley, garlic and zest. Sprinkle over broccoli while still hot. Serve immediately.


Betty's Carrot Cake

2 c all purpose flour
2 c sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
3 c finely grated carrots
1 c vegetable or corn oil
4 eggs
1/2 c chopped walnuts and or raisins

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
Bake in 2 greased and floured 9 inch baking pans.
Cool thoroughly before frosting.

Frosting

2 -3 oz pkgs. cream cheese
1/2 c softened margarine or butter
2 t vanilla
4 1/2 to 5 c confectioners sugar

In a mixer combine butter vanilla and cream cheese until
smooth. Add sugar gradually until consistency you
desire.