RECIPE | buttermilk fried chicken & kamut-cornmeal waffles for a super bowl sunday brunch

Despite being born on Super Bowl Sunday, the event has never held any interest for me. I barely know who the halftime performers are, let alone the teams involved. However, it does provide a wonderful excuse to fill up on American food and drink beer with friends and family.

While Londoners have an unabated love for American food in the form of burgers, pancakes, and pulled pork (seemingly regardless of how well-made the dish actually is), the uniquely American dish of chicken & waffles has not crossed the Atlantic yet, despite the ubiquity of fried chicken shops. My first taste of chicken & waffles was at SoMa-darling Little Skillet in San Francisco, on the first day of my first job out of university. Since then, I have become hooked on the odd pairing of sweet maple syrup and crispy spiced chicken skin, as long as it is properly executed. However, I waited until I moved to London until I first attempted to make my own fried chicken, likely because I did not need to augment the steady supply I consumed from Little Skillet. The Breaking Bad finale last year provided the perfect excuse to bring a taste of Los Pollos Hermanos to London, and since then I have been tinkering with the recipe to perfect it. Using lemon, fresh herbs, smoked paprika, and buttermilk creates a flavourful and juicy bird, but the real improvement since the first batch has been to finish cooking the chicken in the oven rather than in the fryer. This saves a lot of time when cooking large quantities of chicken, and results in a less greasy bird with equally crisp skin when cooked on a rack. Finishing the chicken in the oven also allows you to divert your attention elsewhere while the chicken bakes, such as on making kamut-cornmeal waffles and a spiced maple syrup to round off this Super Bowl Sunday brunch of champions. Even if you have no interest in the game itself, this meal will give you something to cheer about come February 2nd.

Address Book:
Little Skillet | 360 Ritch Street | San Francisco 94107

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA
Adapted from a recipe by Spit & Roast

TASTING NOTES:
Finishing the chicken in the oven on a rack results in less greasy chicken (since it spends less time in the fryer and some oil drips out while on the rack) with crisp skin on all sides /// This is also a fantastic way to make fried chicken when feeding a crowd, because the chicken can be fried in batches in advance, and then finished all together in the oven. (The first time I made this recipe I quadrupled it and fried it all the way through, which took nearly an hour of cooking time and left me with a hangry crowd to deal with) /// Cooked chicken can be reheated on a rack at 185ºC (365ºF) for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through, with little loss of juiciness /// The waffles are also wonderful topped with a fried egg and hot sauce.

INGREDIENTS:
4 chicken legs with skin and bone, separated into drumsticks and thighs (alternatively use 8 thighs or 8 drumsticks)
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
4 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
400ml (1 2/3 cup) buttermilk
200 grams (1 1/2 cups) flour
100 grams (3/4 cup) cornflour (a.k.a. cornstarch)
1 lemon, sliced
8-10 fresh thyme or tarragon sprigs
3 bay leaves
1/2 to 3/4 liter vegetable oil
parsley or green onions, to garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Season the chicken on all sides with 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground pepper, and 2 teaspoons smoked paprika. Arrange in a baking dish with the bay leaves, sliced lemon, and thyme or tarragon, and cover with buttermilk. Massage the chicken lightly to permeate with the seasoning, then cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 205ºC (400ºF) when you are ready to make the chicken. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and assemble your batter ingredients. (Now would also be a good time to take out the waffle ingredients and preheat the waffle iron if you are making waffles.) Mix together all of the flour and cornflour, and the remaining 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper in a large shallow bowl or in a baking dish. Dip the chicken pieces in the flour mixture, turning to coat completely and gently pressing the flour onto the chicken. Shake off the excess flour over the bowl.

Fill a deep wide pan with 2.5cm (1 inch) of oil (about 1/2 to 3/4 of a liter, depending on the width of the pan) and turn the stove onto medium high heat. Heat the oil until a small piece of bread sizzles and browns upon contact but the oil is not smoking (you want the oil hot enough to brown the chicken quickly). Fry 3 or 4 pieces of chicken at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pan so the oil does not cool down too much, for 2-3 minutes per side, until the outside is nicely browned. Transfer browned chicken pieces to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat the process with the remaining chicken pieces. Place the chicken on a rack over a foil-lined baking tray, then bake for 18-20 minutes until cooked through. (Make the waffles and spiced maple syrup while the chicken is in the oven, if serving.)

Serve one waffle on each plate, top with a thigh and a drumstick, drizzle with spiced maple syrup and/or hot sauce, and garnish with additional chopped green onion. (Alternatively, serve the fried chicken with blue cheese dip and hot sauce, new potato salad with mustard and scallions, and a brussels sprouts slaw.)

Serves: 4
Time to table: 50 minutes + overnight marinade
Equipment: large baking dish, deep wide pan, kitchen tongs, wire rack, baking tray

KAMUT-CORNMEAL WAFFLES WITH GREEN ONIONS

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/3 cups kamut flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat a waffle iron. Mix dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt) in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, butter, and egg yolks together, then gently stir into the flour mixture. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks in a separate bowl, then fold into the batter together with the green onions. Cook in the waffle iron until crispy and cooked through.

Serves: 4-6 (depending on size of waffle-maker)
Time to table: 30 minutes
Equipment: large mixing bowl, medium mixing bowl, wooden spoon or rubber spatula, electric beater or stand mixer, waffle iron

SPICED MAPLE SYRUP

INGREDIENTS:
8 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients until no clumps remain, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves: 4-6

RECIPE | breakfast with the beckhams

Inspired by an image of Allie Lewis Clapp's breakfast on Instagram, I finally opened the box of chia seeds I purchased at Whole Foods a few months ago after trying a coworker's delicious-but-strange-looking almond milk chia pudding. Prior to that I only associated chia seeds with docile pets. Despite its gloopy appearance, chia pudding is a delicious, antioxidant-filled alternative to your morning cereal, especially with the crunchy additions of cacao nibs and walnuts (or other chopped nuts such as toasted almonds or hazelnuts). The key to making a good chia pudding is to shake or stir the seeds with the liquid vigorously, and to scrape off the seeds that inevitably cling to the bottom of the bowl before refrigerating it. This will ensure a thick, creamy consistency. I prefer to make the pudding in a lidded old jam jar to facilitate shaking and to create a portable breakfast for those rare mornings when I motivate myself enough to go to the gym before work.


CHIA SEED PUDDING WITH CARDAMOM, CACAO NIBS, WALNUTS, BERRIES & MAPLE SYRUP

INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut
1 scant cup almond, coconut, soya, or organic milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons cacao nibs
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup fresh or frozen/defrosted berries (raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries)
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

DIRECTIONS:
Combine the chia seeds, shredded coconut, and milk in a jar or bowl with a lid. Shake vigorously for 2-3 minutes, then use a spoon or knife to scrape any seeds stuck to the bottom of the container off and shake for another minute. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Serve topped with cacao nibs, walnuts, berries, and drizzled with honey or maple syrup. (Becks & Posh reading material optional.)

Serves: 1
Active time: 5 minutes
Time to table: 5 minutes + at least 2 hours soaking

RECIPE | new potato salad + lemon rosemary pine nut pesto

I am unable to follow recipes. I have an uncontrollable urge to try to improve any recipe I come across, even if it is my first time making something. Sometimes that gets me in trouble (most often in baking where ratios need to be adhered to), but other times it results in developing something that becomes a kitchen staple, like my chocolate peanut butter muffins or this lemon rosemary pine nut pesto. I first made this for my cooking club as part of the grilled pear and goat cheese crostini recipe in Ottolenghi's Plenty, but immediately felt the need to augment the plain pine nut, olive oil and garlic spread with lemon and rosemary. (A combination I have written about before.) The resulting pesto has so much more use than as just a simple crostini spread, pairing well with mushrooms, potatoes, pasta, and just about anything else that rosemary and lemon complement. Even better, this spread takes less than ten minutes to make, is comprised of kitchen pantry staples, and keeps in the refrigerator for a week.

Pesto or James Turrell installation?

LEMON ROSEMARY PINE NUT PESTO
Adapted from a recipe in Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

TASTING NOTES:
The pesto is also excellent as a spread for sandwiches, tossed with whole wheat pasta and brussels sprouts, or spooned over sautéed mushrooms /// You can substitute sage and other herbs for the rosemary.

INGREDIENTS:
70 grams (1/2 cup) pine nuts
1 garlic clove, peeled and coarsely chopped
8 tablespoons olive oil
zest of 1 organic, unwaxed lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary (or fresh sage)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serves: 12 one tablespoon servings
Time to table: 10 minutes
Equipment: food processor, Microplane or other fine grater

NEW POTATO & PEA SALAD WITH LEMON ROSEMARY PINE NUT PESTO

INGREDIENTS:
750 grams (about 1 lb 10 ounces) new potatoes, washed and gently scrubbed
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
juice of one lemon (optional)
200 grams (7 ounces) baby spinach (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the whole potatoes. Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, until almost tender. (Make the pesto while the potatoes are boiling.) Add the green peas and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the potatoes and peas are fully cooked. (You should be able to pierce a potato with a knife.) Drain the peas and potatoes and set aside. Quarter the potatoes and place in a large bowl with the peas and parsley. Toss the potatoes (and optional spinach) with half of the pine nut pesto, and season with additional salt and black pepper to taste. Squeeze over the remaining juice of the lemon used to make the pesto (optional) and serve warm or cold.

Serves: 4 as a side dish or as a salad with greens
Time to table: 45 minutes
Equipment: large pot, large bowl, sieve

CHIC EATS | the recipe index #1

This year I only made two resolutions: to start a cooking club, and to actually post to this blog. On Sunday I accomplished the first resolution when my boyfriend and I hosted the first edition of The Recipe Index. The idea behind the cooking club is that everyone cooks one dish from the same cookbook. We all have cookbooks lying around that we have never cooked out of, or from which we have only tried one or two recipes. This cooking club provides participants with the chance to taste a variety of recipes from one cookbook and an opportunity to experiment with cooking a new dish that they might not have tried on their own. It is also a good way to test out a cookbook before purchasing it.

Since it is January and most people are still clinging to more health-oriented resolutions, the first book selected was the vegetarian cookbook Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi. If anybody knows how to make vegetables exciting, it's Ottolenghi, and the recipes selected did not disappoint. Accompanied by sparkling water (and a little bit of white wine for those of us with less resolve) and a soundtrack provided by Blood Orange, the meal was a resounding success. No clear favourite recipe emerged, partially because the complementary nature of each dish (a benefit of cooking from the same cookbook) elevated the entire meal to more than the sum of its parts. No one at the table of dedicated omnivores noticed the lack of meat either, which is a testament to Ottolenghi's way with the vegetable. I am pretty sure Amazon already carries fewer copies of Plenty as a result of this dinner...

So if you are in your second week of a January detox and already regret the impact it has on your social life, consider taking a page from Ottolenghi's (cook)book and host a healthy dinner with friends. It is much more enjoyable than gulping down a green juice by yourself, guaranteed.

The Recipe Index Menu #1: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
Aubergine with Buttermilk Sauce & Pomegranate Seeds
Surprise (Potato) Tatin
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Melted Taleggio
Lettuce Salad with Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Capers & Radishes
Grilled Pear Crostini with Pine Nut Spread & Goat Cheese

RECIPE | lamb chops with pomegranate, black olive, mint & feta salsa

This is a shockingly easy recipe to make to impress your meat-loving friends. The lamb is simply rubbed with lemon zest and ras el hanout, and the salsa comes together in minutes once you figure out how to seed the pomegranate. (Pro tip: If it is your first time, wear a ratty sweatshirt over your planned outfit when seeding the pomegranate to avoid the blood red juice from staining anything you love. An apron will not cut it.) The lamb is briefly grilled or broiled to keep it at a juicy medium-rare, and the gorgeous, festive salsa gets its complex taste from its assertively-flavoured components. Served with a vibrant spiced carrot purée, this dinner party-worthy dish comes together in less than an hour.


LAMB CHOPS WITH POMEGRANATE, DRIED BLACK OLIVE, MINT & FETA SALSA
Salsa adapted from Bon Appétit

INGREDIENTS:

For the lamb:
4 lamb rib or lamb loin chops (about 350 grams or 3/4 pound)
1 teaspoon ras el hanout
1 organic unwaxed lemon, zested

For the salsa:
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (from about 1/4 a pomegranate)
3 tablespoons dried black olives, pitted and chopped
juice of 1/2 small lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon each chopped parsley, mint, and green onions
3 tablespoons crumbled feta

DIRECTIONS:

For the salsa:

Mix all ingredients except feta cheese in a medium bowl and set aside until serving. Add the feta just before serving, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the lamb:

Rub the lamb chops with the lemon zest, ras el hanout, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat the broiler or grill. Grill the lamb chops for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until medium-rare. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute in the meat. Serve topped with pomegranate salsa.

Serves: 2
Active time: 20 minutes (mainly dealing with that pomegranate)
Time to table: 30 minutes

NOTES:
The lamb can be seasoned ahead of time and left to marinate for 2-4 hours. Just be sure to bring to room temperature before cooking. /// The salsa can be made ahead, but be aware that the feta becomes discoloured by the pomegranate and the black olives almost immediately. Add the feta at the last minute to prevent this. /// This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc. /// My favourite way to seed pomegranates is to simply quarter them, submerge them in a bowl of water, and remove the white membranes and pick out the seeds in the water. The membranes float to the top and can be discarded, and the seeds can be strained from the water. Other people have had success seeding pomegranates while simultaneously venting their anger, but I have not tried this method. /// If making the carrot purée as well, bring the carrots to a boil first, then go about making the pomegranate salsa and getting the rest of the ingredients ready. This will allow you to finish the complete dish in less than an hour.

RECIPE | light & flavourful spiced carrot purée

I rarely make the same thing twice (something I am actually trying to work on this year, in contrast to the more common resolution to add more variety to weeknight dinners), but I made this carrot purée three times in the same week at the request of my boyfriend. I came up with the idea when designing the dish I wanted to serve for Christmas, envisioning lamb chops sitting on a bed of something. Since I had a pomegranate-black olive-feta salsa planned for the lamb, carrots sounded like they would provide a beautiful colour contrast to the ruby (pomegranate), emerald (parsley & mint), and pearl (feta) colours of the salsa. (I must have this exhibition on my mind.) I did not expect this simple afterthought of a purée to turn out as well as it did, but it nearly stole the show. (The much less healthy chocolate-cardamom cake with spiced hazelnuts and orange crème fraîche was my favourite dish of the evening.) To the distress of my boyfriend, who wanted to keep the recipe private, the full recipe is below. Enjoy.

SPICED CARROT PURÉE

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound (450 grams) carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on your heat tolerance and the potency of your cayenne)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water + 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt (optional)
1/4 cup green onions

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then boil the carrots for 15-20 minutes, until completely tender. (A dinner knife should be able to cut through the carrot with ease.) Drain the carrots and place in a food processor with the remaining ingredients, salt and pepper. Purée until completely smooth, then adjust consistency by adding water and seasoning by adding salt, pepper, or spices to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature with grilled meats, pomegranate salsa, bulgar or couscous, and/or roasted aubergine (recipes to come), or use as a spread or dip as you would hummus.

Serves: 4 as a side
Active time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 35 minutes

NOTES:
The purée can be made the day before and kept covered and refrigerated. Serve cold or at room temperature. /// Roasted butternut squash could probably be substituted for the carrots.