William Penn Life, 2015 (50. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2015-02-01 / 2. szám
■hhmmhí with Főszakács Béla Perfect Poultry, Part 2 FÁRADJON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBA! Winter is the best season to enjoy the warmth of your kitchen while preparing food for your family. The vapors of cooked food fill your house with pleasing aromas, beckoning all to the kitchen. Cold weather makes the scent of hot food especially welcoming to both young and old. No housekeeping this month, so let's enjoy a little trivia: (1) What is the only poultry breed native to the Western Hemisphere? (2) How many pounds of feed must a chicken eat to gain a pound? (3) Where is the chicken capital of the world? As always, the answers await at the end. In last month's column, I introduced the many types of poultry. This month, Chef Vilmos and I will share some very tasty recipes that go beyond what a beginner in the kitchen would prepare. There was a time when prosperity meant preparing a meal that included a chicken prepared in a variety of ways: sautéed, pan-fried, roasted, grilled, broiled, braised or stewed. There are also many ingredients to enhance the flavor of poultry. Among the most frequently used are olives, capers, garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, paprika, tarragon, chives, olive oil, chardonnay wine, burgundy wine, lemon juice and celery salt. Seven of the most popular techniques for preparing poultry are: • Provengale - cooked with garlic and olive oil, garnished with grilled tomatoes and mushrooms. • Paprikás - onions braised in lard with paprika, then mixed with sour cream and chicken stock. • Supreme - chicken stock thickened with roux, then cream is added creating a sauce. • Maréchal - supreme sauce with a liaison of cream and eggs, garnished with diced mushrooms. • Fricassée - cooked in fat but not browned before liquid is added. • Piccata - thinly sliced, lightly floured, sautéed in butter, then sprinkled with lemon juice, capers for garnish. • Florentine - served on a bed of sautéed spinach, topped with a cheese sauce, usually Mornay. There are also several ways you can fabricate poultry, trimming it into portions with the bone in or boneless and leaving the skin on or removing it, depending on the recipe of your choice. • Halving - cutting the bird into equal half pieces (usually for smaller birds). • Quartering - cutting each half equally to make four total pieces for grilling, stewing or roasting. • 8 Cut - producing two drumsticks, two breasts, two thighs and two wings, usually for frying. The remaining carcass should be used to make stock with a mirepoix, a mixture of carrots, celery and onions. • Supreme - boneless breast with the inner-wing joint attached and frenched (bone is scraped clean of any meat and exposed). • Airline - same as supreme style but with the inner-wing joint intact. Here are a few tips to make your poultry extra tasty and juicy.- For larger birds, low-temperature roasting between 250°F and 325°F is recommended to keep the bird juicier and reduce shrinkage.- Seasonings and mirepoix placed inside the poultry will give it extra flavor and also make for extra pan juices from which you can make gravy.- Parsley, sage and thyme, along with celery salt and white pepper, make a great flavor profile to season your fowl.- Before roasting, lightly oil the skin of your poultry to give it a golden color and keep it from drying out.- For best results follow the directions on the package of your frozen product when thawing and preparing to roast. It is better to thaw your fowl in refrigeration instead of under running water. A well-thawed bird cooks better than if partially frozen, especially if you will be frying.- Make sure the temperature of your poultry is at least 165°F measured with a thermometer at the thickest part of the bird or fabricated piece. This will avoid any food borne illness. Enjoy the recipes and stay warm eating poultry this winter! 0 William Penn Life The Hungarian Kitchen is a trademark of William S. Vasvary.
