Cornish Game Hens with Barley Salad
As I write, relief has given way to exhaustion. I can’t pretend I supported the outgoing political administration or the values they represent. But this is a food blog, not a political one, and if you’re here, you want a break from politics. So let’s talk game hens. And barley….
Mexicanish Chicken
The New York Times is covering California’s fires, heat wave, and pandemic under the headline “California’s ‘Horrible’ Month.” That sounds about right. Friends are under threat of evacuation. The air is filled with smoke and ash. We were warned our power would be shut off in rolling blackouts between…
Chicken with Water Chestnuts
When I was a child, we had a neighbor who was into what was then called “gourmet cooking.” Said neighbor also subscribed to Gourmet Magazine, which he shared with our household. This was during the Gail Zweigenthal years. I admit to finding the magazine dull, but I was a child–under…
Thai-Style Chopped Chicken
Before the cultural appropriation police come knocking, know I make no claims of authenticity regarding this Thai-style chopped chicken, save one: it’s delicious. This is an immodest claim, but the ingredients do all the work. And yes, the ingredient list is longish, but committed cooks likely have most of this…
Brown Sugar Chicken Thighs with Herbed Pasta
According to my kitchen notebook, I recently prepared a version of Diana Henry’s Israeli Chicken with Mograbieh, Harissa-Grilled peaches, and Mint. I write “recently” because the entry is undated. There is a helpful note: “winner! adding lemon after cooking a yes!” The lemon was added afterward because, um, I’d forgotten…
Stir-fried chicken livers
It is a sad fact that many people dislike chicken livers. One of those people is my husband, leaving me to consume these morsels alone. There is no photo of me doing this. Instead, here’s downtown Berkeley, taken last week. Granted, unrelated to chicken livers, but much nicer looking. On…
Chicken with Red Pepper Sauce
About a week ago I was rereading Diana Henry’s The Gastropub Cookbook and landed on Chef Peter Robinson’s recipe for Squid with Piri Piri Sauce. I page through my cookbooks a lot. Do other people? I hope so. It’s amazing how often you find something you missed the first…
Sauteed Chicken Livers
Chicken livers were standard fare during my childhood. Nobody was freaked by their being offal. Nor were they cooed over as nose-to-tail eating, because the concept didn’t exist yet. Back then, people just ate. We also walked miles in the snow. Back then there was snow to walk in. But…
Chicken Salad with Vermouth and Paprika
I am married to somebody who is deeply interested in plants. This is not an interest I share. Nor do plants seem interested in me. Vita at Sissinghurst I am not. Last weekend, John wisely accepted my advice and brought a plant whisperer to our yard. The two of them…
Gong Bao Chicken
According to Fuchsia Dunlop, the precise origins of Gong Bao Chicken are unknown. We do know the dish is named after Ding Baozhen, who governed China’s Sichuan province during the Qing Dynasty. As Ding Baozhen was very fond of eating this dish, the chicken was cut into very small pieces to…