Cooking from the Larder - Quintessential Barrington, a magazine
Transcription
Cooking from the Larder - Quintessential Barrington, a magazine
What’s Cooking by kathy harrison C h ic k e n i n Ba lsa m ic V i n e ga r Sau c e 1 chicken, cut into 6 or 8 pieces, rinsed and patted dry Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter ½ cup dry white wine 1 large onion, cut into large dice 2 carrots, peeled and diced 2 tablespoons minced thyme 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary ½ cup balsamic vinegar ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley 1) Season the chicken liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil with 1 Cooking from the Larder tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook about 6-8 minutes until nicely golden brown. Turn the pieces and cook about 6-8 minutes. I knew it was happening, but I thought I could stave it off. My freezer, crammed with all manner of mysterious and unmarked packages, was building up sheets of ice at an alarming rate. The ice cubes solidified into an unyielding rock, which I bashed with a meat mallet and kitchen knife. Such are the contents of my personal tool box. More often than not, the ice won, and the horribly disfigured knife went into the back of a drawer with other remnants of my fix-it prowess. It was time to call Yogi, a man who knows my address all too well. He’s an appliance repair man who had been summoned when the oven went out the day before Thanksgiving, and when the washing machine decided to spew water skyward. We went through our usual conversational pas de deux. He: “Get a new one.” (Fill in the blank; i.e., whatever he was called to fix.) Me: “I don’t want to.” (Even though, of course I did. Who wouldn’t want a shiny new … fill in the blank. Whatever he was called to fix.) 92 • He opened the freezer door and stared, aghast. The fact that a frozen block clattered to the floor, hitting his foot, didn’t help. “What’s this?” he asked. Chicken, I mumbled. The news I dreaded was delivered in stentorian tones. “You have to empty this freezer and turn it off. It will probably take two or three days to defrost. You’ll need a lot of towels.” He hobbled out. We bought a mega-size garbage can, lined it Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm. 2) Add the onions and carrots to the pan and cook, stirring, until a deep golden brown. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, stirring up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. with plastic, and set it outside the kitchen door. I 3) Add the thyme, rosemary, and balsamic started to empty the freezer, methodically at first, vinegar, stirring to combine. Return the then with rampant haste as my fingers turned red, chicken to the pan, turning the pieces to then ghostly white. Almost nothing was labeled. coat with the sauce. Cover the pan and Did I think I’d remember the contents of all those cook over medium heat until the chicken is plastic bags? Evidently. How wrong I was. Every- cooked through and deeply glazed with the thing looked the same, especially coated with the sauce. ice crystals that had formed on each package. My husband, lover of left-overs, viewed this as a culinary adventure. I wasn’t on board. As the veritable mountain of frozen packages added up, I toyed with the idea of letting the garbage can roll down the driveway, just in time for garbage pick- Quintessential Barrington | QB ar r ing ton .com 4) Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and ladle some of the sauce over each piece. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. (Serves 4) up on Monday. Unfeasible. That first night, I left the cover of the can slightly ajar. I figured a pack of raccoons, coyotes, or some other nighttime marauders would help me out. Wrong again. They must have had reservations at a fancier restaurant where dealing with zip lock bags wouldn’t be an issue. There was no getting around it. We’d have to eat this stuff. I grabbed a bunch of bags and set them in the sink to defrost. Much to my amazement, that heavy package that almost injured the repairman actually was chicken. It turned out to Commercial & Residential be an organic, cut up fryer weighing in at close to 4 pounds. I knew I’d have to find some way to cook it with liquid of some sort, for no doubt, its days (or months) in the frozen tundra must have robbed it of some of its moisture. Here is a theory I can’t prove, but I’d be will- • Concrete Resurfacing ing to stake the dark chocolate, cream-filled candy I had hidden in that same ice encrusted box. Anyone who has a freezer crammed to the limit • Concrete Driveways, Commercial Commercial Balconies, Patios & Commercial Decks &Pool Residential & Residential probably has a cupboard or pantry stuffed with jars and bottles of wondrous treasures that were bought for some recipe, but never quite made it to the table. The top shelf of my cupboard was groan- & Residential ing under the weight of vinegar. Balsamic, to be •••1-Day Garage Floor Concrete Resurfacing Concrete Resurfacing • Concrete Resurfacing ••Installation Concrete Concrete Driveways, Driveways,Balconies, Balconies, exact. I had quart-size jugs from the supermarket, and tiny little vials, expensive enough to warrant being pushed to the netherworld at the very back of the shelf where no one could see them, much • Concrete Driveways, Balconies, less enjoy them. I counted 11 bottles of balsamic Patios Decks Patios && Pool Pool Decks • Basement Floors vinegar. Clearly, I needed an intervention. Patios & Pool Decks •• 11 Day Day Garage GarageFloors Floors • 1 Day Garage Floors Installation Installation WeInstallation Also Pour Concrete! •• Basement Basement Floors Floors • Basement Floors •• We We also also pour pourconcrete concrete • We also pour concrete I could braise the chicken or roast it, then serve it with a salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette, but that sounded pretty boring. Since I was going to be stuck in the kitchen with my mountain of towels, I thought I’d go for a bird with a little more pizzazz. What emerged was gloriously browned, fragrant, and succulent. I lit candles. The steady beat of water hitting the towels accompanied the background music. A small step, I admit, but Yogi would be proud. Call us Today for a FREE Estimate 847.392.3939 Kathy Harrison is a Barrington Hills resident who teaches the fine art of cooking. For more information, call 847-381-4828. Sundek Sundek of of Illinois Illinois •• Owner: Owner:Jake JakeOlson Olson Phone (847) 392-3939 • FAX (847) 392-8844 Phone (847) 392-3939 • FAX (847) 392-8844 Sundek of Illinois • Owner: Jake Sundek of Illinois • Owner Jake Olson Olson 3810 Industrial Ave., Rolling Meadows, ILIL60008 Phone (847) 392-3939 • FAX (847) 392-8844 3810 Industrial Ave., Rolling Meadows, 60008 847.392.3939 • FAX 847.392.8844 3810 Industrial Ave., Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 3810 Industrial Avenue • Rolling Meadows • IL 60008 538964_Sundek.indd 1 538964_Sundek.indd 1 538964_Sundek.indd 1 7/18/11 7:03:20 PM 7/18/11 7:03:20 PM 7/18/11 7:03:20 PM QB ar r ing ton .com | Quintessential Barrington • 93