Recipes One

Wow, this is one of my one of my favorite dinners that Nan makes (you can see why, right)!  If there is a downside, it seems to be Nans favorite dinner to prepare, as well.  I think I have probably featured these exact recipes many, many times so far this year, but this is "Amys Dinner" afterall and this is, in fact, what Amy had for dinner....again! Kidding aside, they are excellent recipes and have certainly stood the test of time in our family, so I do hope you will give them a try at your house as well.  

We grilled skin on, bone in chicken pieces over an indirect flame on a gas grille for approximately 40 minutes total. Starting with the skin side down and over indirect heat to prevent flame-ups from burning the chicken pieces, grill them until the skin has rendered its fat and becomes crispy, about 20 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165- 170 degrees. If using BBQ sauce, brush on the chicken during the last 10 minutes of grilling.

My mom has been making this potato salad forever! It is a basic recipe, but a perfect application for the phrase "an oldie but a goodie". Place scrubbed whole red potatoes in a sauce pan with cold water and heat until boiling. Turn the temperature down and cook the potatoes at a simmer until they are fork tender or about 15-20 minutes. Drain them in a colander and let them cool. Once cooled, peel them if desired, and cut them into a medium dice. Add chopped celery, chopped onion and one chopped hard cooked egg. Stir in enough mayonnaise, a little vinegar and some olive oil to bring the salad together and season with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve and garish with a traditional sprinkle of paprika.

The sweet and sour green beans is also a recipe from my childhood. Interestingly, we never have them unless it is with this exact dinner. I think because, strange as it sounds, the sweet and sour vinaigrette tastes so good when drizzled over the potato salad. Weird, I know, but someone tried it once years ago and ever since then, everyone eats it that way. It is one can of green beans and one can of wax beans, drained and placed in a large mixing bowl. Then, add about 1/2 of an onion, chopped and sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Combine 1/2 cup canola oil, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup sugar and combine well until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the beans and stir to combine. While this salad is delicious when made early in the day, it is best when it has the chance to sit in the refrigerator over night.

Finally, the deviled eggs. Boil the raw eggs until they are hard cooked, about 20 minutes or so. Rinse them under cold water to cool them down and to prevent them from over cooking and developing that unattractive green ring. Peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Place the hard cooked yolks in a bowl and combine with mayonnaise, a drizzle of apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper (I like to add a little Dijon mustard...Mom does not). Refill the eggs with the yolk mixture, chill and sprinkle with paprika as a garnish. Another fabulous dinner by Nan!

Posted in: again, and, bbq, but, chicken, nans, potato, salad, still, tried, true | 0 comments | |  

To bring everyone up to speed, my family (myself, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces) meet at my Moms (now Nan, thanks to the grandchildren) every Sunday night for dinner.  Therefore, most of the time, Mondays entry will be from what we ate at Nans the night before.  Nan does not always like having her food on display and sometimes feels that the pressure is too much.  But the rules are, I write about what I had for dinner every night, whether its Nans food, fast food, take-out food and or my food. If you go back a few weeks, you will find where Nan attempted Coq Au Vin, but had to terminate the attempt and call in a stunt chicken for dinner due to an unfortunate flambe incident. Last night was her Coq Au Vin grudge match and, fortunately for us all, she prevailed. 

Here is the recipe which she has been making since we were children.  She actually got the recipe from my aunt (my Dads sister), but I do not know the exact origins beyond her.

One 3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken, cut up

1/4 cup flour

1 tbsp. season-all (similar to seasoned salt but it will say "season-all" on the label)

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup cognac or brandy

12 small white onions

12 small whole mushrooms

1/2 tsp. rosemary

1/4 tsp. thyme leaves

1/8 tsp. parsley flakes

1 cup dry red wine

Dredge chicken pieces in mixture of flour, season-all, paprika, pepper and nutmeg.  Brown slowly in hot butter.  Without removing from heat, pour cognac over chicken; light immediately and flame.  Add whole onions, mushrooms, remaining seasonings and wine.  Cover and simmer one hour or until chicken is tender.  May be cooked ahead of time and reheated. 

*My note - I copied down this recipe exactly as it is written.  I would, however, suggest fresh herbs as opposed to dried, particularly with regard to the parsley.  Fresh herbs are widely available in the supermarket and would work very well in this dish.  I would recommend adding the rosemary and thyme before cooking and waiting until just before serving to add a 1/4 cup or so of chopped fresh parsley.  Also, when using fresh herbs be sure to use quite a bit more than the amount of dried herbs suggested.

Posted in: au, coq, finally!, nans, vin | 0 comments | |