William Penn Life, 2015 (50. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2015-01-01 / 1. szám
Perfect Poultry FÁRADJON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBA! Happy New Year 2015 to you all from The Hungarian Kitchen. Chef Vilmos and I worked over the holiday season, helping other chefs so they could provide meals for those who most needed them. After all, it is the season of giving and not thinking of one's self. A wise chef once told me that if you concentrate on helping others and do not think of yourself, you will run into someone who will make sure your needs are met. A true chef does not have the word "no" in his or her vocabulary and is always willing to help out. A good chef is always in demand and never has to worry about work. That being said, Chef Vilmos and I-being true, good chefs--look forward to another year of Magyar cuisine. Let's start off with the trivia question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The answer appears below the recipes. POULTRY is the term used for domesticated birds bred for eating. Poultry is a staple in many diets around the world, particularly since chickens—the most popular and widely eaten poultry in the world-do not need as much room to grow as cattle or pigs. Poultry is different from other meats in that it does not have any intracellular fat, the marbling found in other meats. Most poultry consists of bundles of muscle cells held together by connective tissue. Surprisingly, poultry is composed mostly of water; the composition of poultry is 72 percent water, 20 percent protein, 7 percent fat and 1 percent minerals. The USDA recognizes six categories of poultry: • Chicken has both light and dark meat with relatively little fat. • Duck is used most often in commercial food service and roasted. Popular breeds include Peking and Long Island ducklings. Ducks have only dark meat and large amounts of fat in the skin. Duck has a high percentage of bones and fat to meat: a four-pound duck would only have about 40 percent meat on its carcass. • Goose is larger than duck with dark meat and very fatty skin. This bird is popular for holiday meals and best served with an acidic fruit-based sauce to offset the fattiness. • Guinea fowl is the domesticated version of a game bird. Both light and dark meat is on the carcass and is tender enough to sauté. It contains little fat and must be barded before roasting to keep it from drying out. Guinea is relatively expensive and not popular in the U.S. • Pigeon used in commercial food service operations is referred to as "squab." The meat is dark and tender with little fat on the carcass. It should be barded for best results. • Turkey is the second most popular category in the U.S. It has both light and dark meat with a small amount of fat. Young turkeys are very economical and prepared in many culinary ways. There is also another class of poultry available in specialty food shops and at purveyors of exotic provisions: ratites. Ratites are flightless birds with small wings and flat breastbones, such as ostriches, emus and rheas. Ratite is classified as red meat because it tastes similar to beef with a little sweeter flavor and soft texture. The flesh is cherry-red in color and is low in fat and calories. Each category is further divided by age and tenderness of the bird. Note all the examples:- Game Hens are young or immature birds, only 5 to 6 weeks old, with very high flavor and weighing two pounds or less.- Broilers/Fryers are young with soft smooth-textured skin, relatively lean and with flexible breastbones. They are generally 13 weeks old and weigh 3Vi pounds or less.- Roasters are young birds with tender meat and smooth textured skin featuring breastbones less flexible than a broiler's. They are 3 to 5 months old and weight 3V2 to 5 pounds.- Capons are surgically castrated males with tender meat and soft, smooth textured skin bred for well-flavored meat. They contain a high proportion of light-to-dark meat with a relatively high fat content. They are under 8 months old and weigh 6 to 10 pounds.- Hens/Stewing Birds are mature females, flavorful but with less tender meat and a non-flexible breast bone. They are over 10 months old and weigh 2Vi to 8 pounds. All poultry for public consumption in the U.S. is subject to USDA inspection. Inspections ensure that poultry is processed under strict sanitary conditions and guidelines. USDA inspections do not indicate a bird's quality or tenderness. The USDA inspection stamp can be found on a wing tag or included in any package labeling. Grading is voluntary and not required by law. Birds i6^January 2015 0 William Penn Life The Hungarian Kitchen is a trademark of William S. Vasvary.
