National Fried Chicken Day Recap

As many of you all know, yesterday was the day of the golden fried and delicious pieces of Southern crispity happiness and we paid homage in the cooling evening air, with friends, family and good music and conversation.  It was a very informal affair and rather unannounced, but somehow, we kind of always end up together.  I made my custom breading for a crust that's hard to beat and a flavor profile bursting with levels, personality and the implement of heat using some Korean Red Pepper Flakes, thanks Mukbangers for turning me on to that gem!  My family adores my fried fare, though I don't make it so often as to worry about it being so bad for us.  

I feel that I've perfected my method over the years and all my tasters so far approve, Winning!  My youngest teen prefers boneless chicken and I credit that to sheer laziness haha, but she is a bit leary about food with bones in general, for fear of shards and bits of bone posing a choking hazard.  I respect that, though sometimes it does seem a tad trivial, but hey "Safety First".  I must admit though, she seems to always end up with that food item with something "chokey" in it.  With this in mind, I fried some boneless chicken breast cutlets, careful to examine the chicken before breading.    I also made some crinkle cut French Fries, along with some Waffle Fries, my girls' favorite of the two.  I served the chicken legs and breasts with all the dipper favorites including Buttermilk Ranch, Barbecue Sauce, Thai Chili Sauce, Sriracha, Texas Pete, Mayonnaise, Ketchup and lots of honey wheat and white bread!

I cooked outside on the patio using a propane burner in my go-to chicken frying pot.   I have a "deep frying" pot, but I just love my Emeril, it is a beast for everything.  I've been using it for years now, even and consistent, it's just awesome.  I've been using my primary fry pot since I was in college, well, just out of college. It was a part of my first set of cookware I purchased as an adult and has a wealth of history and 'meal memory'. Admittedly, it's not pretty anymore, but it sure is special, efficient and a true workhorse in the kitchen.  One of the 'rites of passage' in our family is being able to fry a good bird, one I take great pride in, gravy and 'hoe cakes' are in the same category, and with 7 sisters, I must represent. Though I make them infrequently, I like to keep my skills sharp.  The aforementioned foods are a part of the foundation of Southern, African American cooking.  

We also got together for the Fourth of July and I fried some rounds of fish, Whiting Fillets, (the standard for any summer gathering with many people of color) which is another crowd pleaser.   We had all the other customary foods, like burgers, hotdogs, various cold salads, Italian sausages and so on.  We even had a family member bring some crab legs and these gorgeous whole Dungeness Crabs, I used my steamer pot for those and they were spectacular, a wonderful variant to the rest of the menu.  

Dungeness Crabs ready for a steam bath.

We were very chill on National Fried Chicken Day, much like a regular dinner outside.  We didn't engage in the same activities as we did on the 4th, but I'll delve into that day in an upcoming post.  This is one phenomenal and fun 'holiday'! Until next time, keep your crust crunchy and the interior moist and don't forget the hot sauce!

 

Golden and Floating equals ready to eat!

Soulful Southern "Wrappetizers": Napa Cabbage Wraps w/Colby Jack Frico, Bacon, Golden Apples and Green Onion

Cool, crispy, salty, fresh and crunchy come together in this quick and wonderful appetizer I created on the fly yesterday.  With some simple on hand ingredients,  I was able to come up with a recipe, easy enough that anyone can do it and fancy enough to served as a fabulous dish for your next brunch or even dinner social.  2/3 slices of thick cut bacon anchor this dish, wrapped in a Colby Jack Frico, which is essentially a cheese crisp, named from a north east region of Friuli, Italy, from which it hails.  A Frico was a historically peasant dish by nature, created out of necessity, finding use for rinds of cheese. This is also sometimes accompanied by potatoes and is still one of the regions most popular dishes, respectively.  Next on the ingredient list is green onion.  I used a portion approximately equal to the length of the portion of bacon, encased with the bacon, to naturally steam with the heat of the protein and cheese. 

I used the petite leaves of a head of Napa cabbage to serve as the housing for the whole shebang, deliciously light and fresh and a nice change from the usual Iceberg or Red/Green leaf and Romaine. Additionally, Napa cabbage is somewhat more supple and privy to the folding than its leafy counterparts, enabling a nice snuggly wrap, like a cozy blanket around the goodness.  I finished this off with some small dice Golden Delicious apple, any crisp and firm apple type will do. 

This dish is like taking a bite out of several traditional Southern favorites, all at once; Cabbage, Apples and Onions, Cabbage and Bacon, Apples and Bacon...you get the drift, this is certainly a lighter take on those dishes, easy to manage and done in a few bites.  The flavors marry harmoniously and will soon become a hit with your friends and family and YOU!   This recipe is also Keto friendly. 

Recipe: 1 small head of Napa 🥬, about 2 lbs., 4 oz. Colby Jack 🧀, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, Cooked, thick sliced 🥓, Green 🧅 tops, cut to size, Golden Delicious 🍏, small dice 

Instructions: Prep all ingredients because the Frico goes quickly and is best made one at a time, (though you may have several in a large nonstick pan at once) to assemble before the cheese cools too much to encase the bacon and green onion. To make the Frico, you will need to melt the cubes down and allow them to spread naturally as it melts and crisp around its edges, (it will be about 2 inches in diameter) before transferring it to your work surface to add the 2 bacon portions and green onion portion.  Place the cheese crisp down, add the bacon and onion then fold each side of Frico up and over, then holding in place for several seconds until set.  You may prepare all the wraps before placing on Napa cabbage leaves and garnishing with diced apple.  Make as little or many as you choose, they won't hang around long!