LAZY FRIDAY MEALS WITH FRIENDS

I am quite a foodie but a different kind of a foodie.

I think that as a lover of food it is not only enough that you enjoy a fine meal but more importantly, that it should be shared.

I am a lazy cook but a fairly good cook, which ofcourse is just my way of saying that I don’t cook that often.

This past weekend I did venture into the kitchen and made a simple dish which I thought I’d share with you as many of my unmarried friends keep asking for simple dishes to make. And the ‘simple’ request usually means that most Indian dishes are ruled out.

Anyway this was the menu for the Friday lunch

Studded & Braised Chicken Thigh
on a bed of Mashed Potatoes
with a side of Caramelised Onions
and Sautéed Spinach

All washed down with a nice Chilean Merlot

Recipe:
Take a chicken thigh (not drumsticks) and score it with a sharp knife all over. Into each insertion add a sliver of garlic. (Once cooked this garlic will make each bite a warm and soft explosion of flavour) Mix a teaspoon each of red chilly flakes, dried oregano, fresh black pepper, salt (to taste) and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and massage the mixture into the chicken. Rub it in well and leave to marinate overnight.

Put into an oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour or till it turns slightly brown. If you dont have an oven you can also microwave it on High for about 20-30 min. Microwave's vary according to their brand and power options etc so keep checking the chicken consantly and dont blame me later if it turns into a black lump

Note1: White pepper powder will not work. It must be freshly ground black pepper and the olive oil must be extra virgin or the smell will be slightly ‘raw-plant’ like.

Note2: Drumsticks also don’t work because, as much as the middle class love to order drumsticks at every restaurants and feel ‘stylish’, it is not exactly the best cut of meat for anything that does not involve masking all flavours with deep-frying.

Mash Potatoes, I presume, you know how to make but I’ve found that it almost always turns out better if you add some cream (fresh is always better but even tinned ones will do) and some butter (salted ofcourse).

For Caramelised Onions slice the onions into slightly thick rings. In a pan (what else) heat some butter and when it is very hot (it will begin to foam) add some EVOO. Immediately add ½ a tea spoon of sugar (this is what helps to caramelise and colour the onions and NO, Honey will not do). To this, add the onions and sauté till translucent and slightly brown. Add salt to taste.

Note: If you add the EVOO along with the butter, it will begin to smoke and lose all flavour.

Sautéed Spinach: Wash and roughly tear the spinach leaves (tearing as opposed to chopping, makes the final dish look more homemade and adds a touch of individuality) Heat some butter (no EVOO this time) and when it starts to foam, add lots of chopped garlic and before they can brown add the spinach. Lower the flame and salt it now as the salt will help to extract the water from the spinach.

At this stage it will look bad. Green leaves in a watery sauce. Don’t panic and whatever you do don’t turn the heat up. If you do, the iron in the spinach tends to react somehow and thats when you end up getting the slightly tannic after taste.

Most people I know hate the slightly strong taste of spinach compared to other greens and I’ve found that if you add half a cube of chicken stock (when it is looking watery and bad) it becomes very palatable indeed. There I’ve given you one of my secrets now.

Chicken is considered white meat but with this particular combination a good red wine, I find works best.

A Shiraz a little too fruity and a Cabernet Sauvignon (even though it sounds sufficiently french and high-brow) is too full bodied and will overpower the chicken. A good Pinot Noir would be best if you have one but last Friday we made do with the next best option.

A warm Merlot.

Which incidentally is also the best wine to introduce new drinkers to wines, especially most of us who grew up thinking all wines were meant to be sticky and sweet and usually made in Goa.

Ours was a Chilean Merlot and being the first wine I’ve ever tasted from Chile it was surprisingly decent.

I hope you too have a nice meal and if you have some favourite recipes to share do write in.

P.S: With all the garlic in this recipe, this is probably NOT the best meal for a date, esp if you have some tonsil hockey planned for later. Just thought i'd mention that.

Ciao & Bon Appétit.

Love
Vish