I'm still in New York and unable to post any new material, so here's a rerun of one of my favorite summer chicken recipes. It's perfect for the grill, or can be baked in the oven. What follows is the original post which aired on August 4, 2008...
Yogurt has been used as a marinade since it was first invented, over 4,000 years ago, in Turkey, Central Europe, or the Balkans, depending on who you ask. The important thing is that any cooking technique or recipe that survives that long is probably pretty damn good. This video recipe for a simple, but super succulent, grilled lemon and yogurt chicken is just that.
There is something special about what yogurt does to chicken waiting for its smoky, sizzling time over the charcoal. It imparts a tangy flavor that lifts all the other flavorings. It tenderizes slightly, without turning the meat into mush. It grills to a caramelized dark brown without tasting burnt. And, there are not many fat-free ingredients that will have people begging for your "secret" recipe.
In the video I use a large cut-up chicken, which I encourage you to do yourself. In case you missed it, here is the link to the "how to cut up a chicken with scissors" video clip. The only thing I did different for this recipe was use a large sharp knife to cut the breasts in half - and also separated the thigh and the drumstick.
This is one of those grilled chicken recipes that is just as delicious served cold, in a salad, or gnawed right off the bone at a picnic. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 big chicken 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 tbsp olive oil 4 cloves garlic 1 tbsp paprika 1 tsp Herbs from Provence (or any dried Italian, or Greek herb blend - rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper For the Sauce: 1/2 cup yogurt 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp harissa or other hot sauce salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (optional)
I am Mr. Potato head. No, not because of my rather large cranium (hey, it has to be big to fit my huge brain), but because my thoughts are so often centered on potatoes.
Some people daydream about winning the lottery, or being hired as Scarlett Johansson's personal masseuse; I sit and dream about new potato side dishes like this one.
This amazing truffled potato gratin recipe was the star of my recent dry-aged steaks dinner, and was probably the best potato side dish I've had all year.
If you've never had truffles before, and are wondering what all the fuss is about, then this is the recipe to try for experiencing the real magic of these fabulous fungi. The great thing about this recipe is you don't need a fortune worth of fresh truffles to make it, thanks to an Italian cheese called sottocenere.
Sottocenere is a semi-soft, fairly mild cheese that's studded with fragrant truffles. When baked into a potato gratin like we've done here, you get the full punch of truffle flavor and aroma, but at a fraction of the cost.
Before you start whining about not being able to find it, check out your nearest big city's best cheese shop -- they can get it. If a store imports Italian cheeses they will have access to this miracle of mycological cheese making.
Speaking of mushrooms, I used a mix of brown and lobster mushrooms, which worked very nicely, but this recipe will be spectacular with any mushroom.
If you can find some wild mushrooms like morel, chanterelle, porcini, or lobster, use them -- but if you can't, use regular supermarket mushrooms and you will still be rewarded with a very memorable potato side dish. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 2 tbsp butter, divided 1 tbsp olive oil 5 cups sliced mushrooms 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves 5 medium russet potatoes, sliced thin salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 6 oz sottocenere cheese, grated 2 cups cream 1 cup chicken broth
This very interesting lecture is from the Taste3 conference, and features chef Dan Barber talking about a farm in Spain that has developed a more humane way to produce foie gras. Enjoy!
This video from Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations is dedicated to a recent commenter named Matt, who wrote:
"I love your site Chef John but if you ever use Foie Gras in any recipe I swear I'll never come back here."
I hope he took my advice to stop visiting the site immediately. I mean, why wait until I post a foie gras video to stop coming? I love foie gras, and think that anyone who works to get it banned is a sanctimonious ignoramus well-intentioned, but misguided.
A fan named Lysa saw the comment and sent me this video. I thought I'd post it to show some of you how foie gras is processed, at this farm at least, and more importantly to give "half the peace sign" some good-natured ribbing to Matt and his pious peeps like minded friends.
It's one of the saddest sights of the summer barbecue season; a picnic table platter piled high with black, burnt barbecue chicken. Actually, the chicken isn’t burnt, that's probably juicy and delicious, it's the barbecue sauce on the skin that has incinerated.
Pouring barbecue sauce on an already cooked piece of chicken, while much safer, just isn’t the same. That's chicken with barbecue sauce on it, not barbecued chicken. When it comes to barbecued chicken, everyone wants that nice thick glaze of sauce attached to the skin, and the only way to do it, is brush it on as it cooks.
Therein lies the problem. Because of the sugar content, it only takes a minute for a barbecue sauce to go from brick-red to solid black. This video recipe shows my fairly simple solution to the problem. I just "mark" the chicken's vulnerable skin side, then cook it all the way through in a closed grill, brushing on the glaze as it cooks.
In addition to seeing how not to burn chicken, you'll also see a slash and marinade pre-grill prep that adds to this recipe's overall deliciousness. This will work with any prepared barbecue sauce, but is especially good with San Francisco-style barbecue sauce.
What is San Francisco-style barbecue sauce? That's a great question! Soon you will be able to buy my very first prepared food product. Michele and I have been working on this sauce recipe for years, and it's finally ready to unveil.
Of course, I can't give you the exact recipe, but it’s a traditional American barbecue sauce base kicked-up with spices from around the world, as well as three of San Francisco's favorite things; red wine, chocolate, and coffee. It is an incredible sauce, and you be seeing it here soon!
In the meantime, use your favorite barbecue sauce recipe or brand and give this a try. Enjoy!
2 chicken halves 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 tbsp San Francisco-style barbecue sauce, plus more for brushing 2 cloves crushed garlic
For the rub: 1 tbsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp cayenne
I'm flying to New York today, but wanted to post this little tease before I take off. The beautiful bird you see here is from an upcoming video recipe for my version of barbecued chicken. I have a great method for doing this without it turning completely black. I will upload it shortly after I land and settle in (assuming my arms aren't too tired). Stay tuned!
I'm heading back east as explained in the last post, so all I have for you today is a rerun of fried green tomatoes.
I hear this hasn’t been a great year for tomatoes, but no matter what the weather, or how terrible your crop is doing; you can always count on lots of firm green tomatoes.
If you've never had fried green tomatoes, I say give them a try -- you may love them, but then again, they have a very unique flavor, so there's a chance you won't care for the warm, crispy tartness of it all. There's only one way to know.
I'm still in New York and unable to post any new material, so here's a rerun of one of my favorite summer chicken recipes. It's perfect for the grill, or can be baked in the oven. What follows is the original post which aired on August 4, 2008...
ush. It grills to a caramelized dark brown without tasting burnt. And, there are not many fat-free ingredients that will have people begging for your "secret" recipe.
