Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Getting Saucy: RED BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN IN YELLOW RED PEPPER SAUCE

You may have noticed that the RECIPE CORNER has been somewhat dusty and neglected lately.  Well you’re WRONG, so just cork it.  I cook more brilliant delicious food while I’m in the freaking SHOWER than Jacques Pepin even THINKS about during a whole WEEK.  I’m a goddamn gourmet juggernaut, and the only reason I don’t tell you all about every tasty morsel I invent is that you’d be showing up at my house demanding oral favors, and then a bunch of food.  I have to protect myself here. 

But when something special happens, well, I have an obligation to the food-consuming public to let the truth be known.  I had such an experience a few nights ago, and since then I’ve re-lived the whole experience so many times in what passes for my mind that I now understand that it’s a message from the Master Chef - the Big Tocque - the Kitchen on High.  It’s time to unveil another stud from the old Recipe Corner, and this time it’s:

RED BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN IN YELLOW RED PEPPER SAUCE

I like the multiplicity of colors in the title.  Okay?  So don’t pester me while I have a sharp knife in my hands.  Start with 2 or 3 boneless breasts of chicken and cut them into chunks, two or three bites worth each.  Get a cast iron skillet (no fooling, these are the only way to go) and heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil in it over med-high heat till the oil is almost at the smoke point, and then throw in a handful of cracked black pepper, which sizzles and fries up in the hot oil most gratifyingly. 

Once the frying of the pepper starts slowing down, toss in the chicken and stir it around till it is slightly cooked on all sides, and then let it rest on the heat for several minutes at a shot, until the “down” side is seared to an entertaining reddish color, using a spatula to flip the chunks (I’m a big chunk flipper from the old school) so they get color on several sides, each time letting them sit quietly on the heat till the color is right.  Caveat: cook too much and it’ll get dry.  Keep an eye on it, and when it’s done, remove the chicken from the heat and set it aside, like in a bowl.  Or just sitting on the counter.  Hell, you’re the one who has to eat it. 

You now have a hot hot skillet with peppery chickeny oil residue in it.  Chop a medium yellow onion into small pieces and fry it in the pan till it starts to get translucent; stir it around and let it perform a preliminary deglazing.  However, pretty much as soon as the deglaze is kicking in and the onions are pulling crispies and flavor from the pan, the sugars in the onion will start to caramelize and the glaze will reassert itself with a vengeance.  Oh yeah?, you can mutter through clenched teeth, a bottle of dry white wine in your trembling fist (I used pinot grigio ((heh))); pour a cup or so of wine into the pan and it’ll bubble up with effervescent enthusiasm.  While it’s bubbling, scrape the glaze with the spatula and make sure all the flavor is infused into the liquid, not stuck to the pan.  Lower the heat and toss in a red pepper, sliced into thin strips, and some chopped fennel, in similar sized pieces and approximately equal quantity. 

Get another pan, non-stick, and make a roux.  (Oh okay, okay: heat two teaspoons of butter till it just starts to bubble, and then add an equal amount of flour and blend them around till the mixture is homogenous, foamy, and starting to turn toasty brown in color.) Pour some of the liquid from the wine-veggies pan (the pepper and fennel should have thrown some more moisture so there should be a decent amount of liquid to use) into the roux and stir it in well, and then quickly repeat, and quickly repeat again - the roux will absorb the liquid and turn into a thick sauce. 

Once the roux is vaugely liquidy, pour it back into the veggies pan and keep stirring it till it’s all absorbed and smooth and saucy; if you need more liquid, add more wine, you’re looking for something that pours but isn’t runny.  Stir the chicken chunks back into the sauce and then serve it over rotini pasta with the rest of the wine and maybe some grilled tomatoes (sliced, under the broiler with some parm or asiago cheese on top) on the side.  And don’t tell anyone where you heard about this.  It’ll be our little secret.