I am a partisan of chicken wings. My wife makes them dredged in flour and then fried. The other way is to use bread crumbs instead of flour. Each method has its following. So, I’m always on the lookout for good and unique recipes for this favorite. Israeli Chicken Wings are my newest passion. I got this recipe from a cookbook published in 1982, Cooking Time Around the World. These were recipes compiled by the International Council of Jewish Women, who published the book. The book contains recipes from around the world, even from such places as Finland and Zimbabwe. From Israel, they catalogued this majestic dish.

You will notice that the recipe calls for “parve ” cream.  Jewish dietary law does not allow for the consumption of meat together with milk products. Now, parve heavy cream can be made from such items as rice milk or soy milk. You can get parve cream at any kosher Jewish market. If you don’t belong to the tribe then regular heavy  cream will do.   Also, these chicken wings are not fried. They are baked in a marvelous white gravy. When we did it, we served it with potatoes (cooked in butter and chives).  You can substitute rice or any favored grain, or pasta. You won’t be disappointed.

CHICKEN WINGS / Israel

12 chicken wings
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of sweet red paprika
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup water
½ cup white table wine
½ cup parve cream
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Clean chicken wings thoroughly. Fry onion in oil until golden brown. Add chicken wings and brown on both sides. Add spices and crushed garlic, sprinkle with flour and stir. Add all liquids, stirring constantly. Simmer until chicken wings are very tender. Serve warm with freshly chopped parsley.

Yield: 6 servings

In our family, Pollo Empanado or Breaded Chicken has long been a favorite. It’s one of the poultry recipes that is featured in my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Running Press). Over the years we have experimented by using such ingredients as soy sauce, mustard, and salad dressing for dipping the chicken. But we always come back to the ubiquitous egg-oil mixture. For those who worry  about that bugaboo, cholesterol, egg whites can be used. The flavor won’t be the same. And let me state that in recent years, some studies (as in one from the Mayo Clinic) now state that the cholesterol in eggs doesn’t seem to raise cholesterol levels the way other cholesterol containing food do, such as trans fats and saturated fats. We’re back to square one: one study study says one thing and another may say something else. Seems more research is needed. So, what else is new? Just enjoy the recipe.

POLLO EMPANADO
(Breaded Chicken)

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds
1 egg, beaten
¾ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup dry bread crumbs
Salt  and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
¼ cup butter

Instructions:

1. Rinse chicken beasts under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2.  Place  chicken breasts between 2 sheets of wax paper and pound thin to about ¼-inch thickness.
3.  In a bowl, combine egg, ½ cup olive oil, vinegar and garlic. Spread dry bread crumbs on a plate and season with salt, pepper and oregano.
4.  Dip the chicken in the egg-oil mixture, and then dredge in bread crumbs, turning gently to coat.
5.  Heat butter and additional ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Cook cutlets over medium heat until crusty and brown (around 3 minutes per side). Drain on absorbent paper towels.
   Yield: 4 to 5 servings.

I like grilled chicken wings, as you can view in my post of 09/04/18, where I grilled chicken wings Asian style. Today I’m preparing what I call Boricua Chicken Wings. And it’s one of the most delicious and easiest way to prepare chicken  on the grill. I call it “Boricua “style since it uses the spices and ingredients most common to Nuyorican cooking.  It has a decidedly Latino flavor. So, the season is back, prep up the grill, and enjoy.

GRILLED BORICUA CHICKEN WINGS

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken wings
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Wash chicken wings under running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2.  Place wings in a large bowl. Add the rest of ingredients, and mix well. Transfer wings to a large zip-lock bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or, better yet, overnight.
3. Start a charcoal or gas grill, and preheat. Fire should be moderately hot and rack should be about 6 inches from source of heat. Place wings on grill and cook for about 10-15 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
   Yield: 4 servings or more.

Once in a while I like to indulge in classic cooking. By that I mean French Continental fare. Coq au Vin is in that vein. , A French stew where chicken is braised in red wine to yield a  rich sauce filled with mushrooms and small pearl onions.

Normally, a red Burgundy is used to create the dish. I decided to try it with a dry white wine and, since I had them on hand, I added carrots. Also, for the mushrooms I used crimini mushrooms instead of button mushrooms. And, please, always fresh, no can stuff.

The normal accompaniment to Coq au Vin is mashed potatoes or buttered noodles. Harking to my Nuyorican heritage, I did it with yellow rice. It’s up to you to experiment. I’m sure the dish would go good with quinoa or couscous,  or any other grain that strikes your fancy.

Ingredients:

Fryer chicken, about 2 pounds
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup diced salt pork
8-10 small white onions
4 carrots, thickly sliced
4 scallions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
¼ cup warm cognac or brandy
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ pound fresh small mushrooms (if large, sliced in half)

Instructions:

1. Rinse chicken under cold running water, and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into serving pieces. Place in a bowl, add wine, cover, and marinate for at least 2 hours. Or, you can place chicken pieces in a large zip-lock bag, add wine, zip close and marinate. Remove chicken from marinade and wipe dry with paper towels. Reserve marinade. Dredge chicken in flour.
2.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet or fry pan. Add chicken and brown lightly over medium-high heat. Remove chicken pieces and set aside To pan or skillet, add salt pork, small onions, carrots, scallions and garlic. Brown lightly.  Reduce heat and return chicken to pan. Blaze with warm cognac. Mix well, add parsley, salt, pepper, marinade, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
3.  Stir in mushrooms and continue simmering, covered, for 20 minutes more.
   Yield: 4 servings.

Thanksgiving is around the corner again. Turkey time! But, as we all know, it’s the stuffing that makes the bird memorable. If the stuffing sucks, so does everything else. Thus I’m again posting a recipe that I did on 2013 for Thanksgiving. It was Puerto Rican Turkey Stuffing. My mom’s hallowed recipe, which is in my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Running Press – Perseus Books Group). And, believe me, it’s a winner. Its the stuffing that I still use to this day when cooking the bird.

Note that our stuffing is more seasoned than its Anglo counterpart. And we add rum to the recipe. The rum is boiled away in the cooking, and only the flavor remains. As I noted in the initial post, it’s one of the components that makes this stuffing unique

There’s no leftovers with this one. And, if you do happen to have leftovers, the stuffing goes great with any dish, be it seafood, beef, pork, or chicken. Enjoy!

RELLENO PARA PAVO
(Turkey Stuffing)

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds lean ground beef or 1 1/2 pounds bulk pork sausage (for a spicier variation, Spanish chorizo can
be used), coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 pound mushrooms, washed and chopped
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Poultry seasoning to taste (optional)
1 cup seeded raisins, soaked in 1/2  cup warm water for 10 minutes
1 cup walnuts, chopped
8 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup white Puerto Rican rum
1/2 cup chicken bouillon or broth

1. In a large skillet or kettle, heat olive oil and cook meat, stirring frequently until it loses its red color. If using sausage, it should be cooked until browned. Drain but reserve fat.
2. Add onions, mushrooms and apple. Season to taste with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning (if using), and sauté until apples are slightly softened. It may be necessary to add some of the reserve fat to keep mixture from sticking. Add drained raisins, walnuts and bread crumbs. Cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in white rum, chicken bouillon or broth and sauté for about 5 minutes more.
3. Remove from heat. When cool, stuff turkey about three-quarters full, and follow roasting instructions.
Yield: about 10 cups.

Note: Any extra stuffing can be placed in a covered glass casserole and baked along with the turkey for the last 45 minutes of cooking. Or it can be saved for later use and heated up with the leftovers. (I recommend baking at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes).

Picture: courtesy of Fashion Belief

Back on 06/04/10 I did a post on Basic Steamed Chicken. It was a recipe I had utilized for years in terms of preparing a good steamed fowl. That being said, I’m always on the lookout for recipes that may enhance or improve on the original. And that is where this version of steamed chicken comes in. I came across it recently; and I can attest it is far superior to the original recipe. I am not an absolutist in my cooking. If I come across something better, whether it’s given by a friend or other, I own up to it. If it’s an improvement, I’ll say so. It’s a process of growth—even for an old geezer like myself.

This recipe can be done in any steamer contrivance, be it metal or bamboo. Harking to its original method, I utilized a wok in this one. Today, most woks come with a steamer attachment; usually a small rack placed at the bottom of the wok for steaming. If your wok doesn’t have one, they are easy to find in almost any hardware store. Cooking in a wok gives it an Asian pedigree. If you don’t have a steamer then you can use a small 8-ounce can and place it in the bottom of a pot with a cover. Place the chicken in a plate, and atop the can, and follow directions as given for steaming. Enjoy!

For this dish, steamed rice is the usual accompaniment. I served it with brussels sprouts (I had a bunch on hand—as well as the steamed rice).

BASIC STEAMED CHICKEN – REDUX

Ingredients:

1 2½ to 3-pound chicken
5 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup chicken stock or bouillon
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 shallot, peeled and sliced or 2 scallions
2 or 3 slices fresh ginger root (unpeeled)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Parsley for garnish

Instructions:

1. Rinse chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Rub chicken with 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce, peanut oil and sesame oil.
3. In a wok with steamer rack, pour chicken stock, sherry, salt (if using), shallot or scallions, and ginger root. Bring to a boil. Place chicken on top of rack, cover wok tightly and steam 35-40 minutes or until tender. Note that if your wok is not large enough to accommodate the chicken, you can slice chicken in half and then place on wok. Same for a bamboo,  metal steamer or pot.
4. Remove chicken from wok, set aside. Remove steamer rack. Replace chicken in the liquid left in the pot or wok. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and brown sugar.  Cook chicken over medium heat, turning frequently until bird is evenly colored.  Let cool. Remove chicken from wok and, with a clever or chef’s knife, cut chicken, bone and all, into into 1½-inch sections. Serve hot or cold, garnished with parsley.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.