January 1 – January 7, 2023

Alas – forgot to take pictures of food during the holidays so we’ve included some other photos and some old ones

Monday:                   Ribs, Kielbasa and Pork Chops, Apples and Onions in Sauerkraut with Mashed Potatoes, Green Salad

Tuesday:                   Leftovers with Tricolore Salad

Wednesday:            Roasted Wings with Iceberg and Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

Thursday:                 Ricotta Pasta Alla Vodka

Friday:                       Gochugaru Salmon with Crispy Rice

Saturday:                  Pizza with Prosciutto and Peppers

Sunday:                     Vinegar Chicken, Salad, Sweet Potatoes

The Great French American Cook

Note:  It is true that, strictly speaking, the recipe below, having been cooked on Sunday, is not ‘what we cooked last week,’ but rather what we cooked at the beginning this week.  And while you’re gloating over this correction, may I suggest that if you didn’t make a resolution to be less of a nit-picking martinet this year, now would be the time to do so.  Writing and cooking are both creative acts and, as such, should be given the same leeway you give yourself when you’re just too beat to shovel the walk or unload the dishwasher or, don’t deny it, get out of bed.  I shall wear my anachronistic shame like a badge of creative courage, and I’ll try to keep your carping and griping from becoming common knowledge among other readers of this blog.

Here begins the blog proper:

Some chefs never fail to deliver – Ina Garten and Alex Guarnaschelli come to mind.

But two of the greatest influences on American cooking developed a style I’ll call French-American.  I am referring to Julia Child (an American who learned how to cook in France, but then came back to teach the rest of us) and Jacques Pépin who learned how to cook in France because he was born there – he even cooked for the French President – and then came to America to cook, teach, paint and to adapt to American grocery stores and tastes. 

Jacques famously became the executive chef for Howard Johnson, creating many of the foods we learned to love while traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  But then he connected with Julia Child to make television history and then created his own great television and a series of cookbooks ranging from classic techniques to quick recipes using shortcuts – canned and frozen ingredients, and a microwave!, and jarred sauces and jams.  I would guess that there has never been so versatile a great chef.  And Pépin’s versatility is perfect for helping the home cook to get good, healthy, tasty food on the table.

Oh – and did I mention he can draw and paint? 

He does all of these things in his last cookbook but one – The Art of the Chicken – among whose pages you will find fanciful, gorgeous depictions of the fowl, as well as dynamite recipes to keep your crowd happy and fed.  I’ve not tried all of them yet, but so far, Chicken in Vinegar Sauce,* which sounds like the last thing you’d want to be cooking, has proven the best.

*It sounds only slightly better in French:  Poulet au vinaigre

CHICKEN IN VINEGAR SAUCE

Timing:                                              40 minutes

Ingredients:

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (Note:  In a large non-stick skillet you can cook 4 of the typical monster thighs found in modern grocery stores, or 6 normal-sized thighs.  Since the thighs need to cook for 30 minutes or so, undisturbed, with plenty of room to allow the skin to crisp, if you’re cooking for more than 4, you’ll need two large, non-stick skillets.)

Chopped ripe tomatoes (4 or 5 of the ‘campari’ tomatoes available in most markets should do)

Chopped Garlic (Jacques adds ‘copious amounts’ of this, we skipped it)

2-3 Tablespoons good red wine vinegar

A dash or three of Tabasco

2 tablespoons of demiglace (if you can’t find this – use some of the roast beef based (Better than Bouillon) carried in most supermarkets.

Tarragon – we used parsley – those little plastic packages of herbs cost $3.99 each at our market.

Prep:

Trim any excess skin and fat (you want enough skin to cover the entire flesh of the thigh, but you’ll often find an extra flap which you can discard, or cook by itself for a sort of chicken chip).

Make a ½” incision along each side of the bone (on the non-skin side) to ensure quick and even cooking).

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high for 8 minutes

Pat the thighs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the thighs.

Cook:

Place the thighs, skin side down, in the hot skillet* and cook for 4 minutes or so, then turn the heat to low and cook for another 25 minutes, leaving them skin-side down – don’t move them at all (no need to look at the skin until finished) – and cover the skillet with a lid which captures the steam and cooks the non-skin side of the thighs.

*No need for oil or butter – the chicken will render its fat and provide its own cooking medium.  This technique gives nicely crisp skin – but do not move the chicken thighs during the cooking process – no peeking to see how browned they are.

Remove the thighs from the pan, add the chopped garlic if you like (we didn’t) and a couple or 3 tablespoons of good red wine vinegar, and a dash or two of tabasco.

Let this reduce a bit, then add the chopped tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of demi-glace and stir until the demiglace is incorporated in the sauce – a minute or so.

Pour the sauce over the chicken, add a sprinkling of tarragon or parsley and serve.