Recipes Auntmama started cooking when everyone showed up hungry. And what did she start cooking? Those old recipes from Dixie. We will be featuring some of those old recipes and updating some of them for our vegetarian and vegan folks. Of course as Auntmama’s family grew and moved around the globe her family recipes are expanding to include foods from around the globe. Since Nephew Max is getting married this summer, his new family wanted the fried chicken recipe. They’ll be sening over the family adobo recipe in time for a sizziling summer.
The Recipe Box To: Max Blackburn Joy, Nephew by Choice From: Auntmama Re: New Family Max Joy was the cutest, tow headed three year old I had ever met. His curls tumbled over angel blue eyes and his laugh could reverberate from Puget Sound to Mount Rainer. When he was about ten years old, he kept me company on a trip back to Virginia. We were going to pack up a Uhaul and drive straight across country with a friend of mine. Being a true daughter of the south, it took me years to actually move most of my belongings all 3,000 miles. That would mean I had actually moved and I never really wanted to leave Virginia, I just liked living in the northwest. So every now and again I’d head back, pack up a suitcase or a truck and bring out a load of collectibles. This was a rather ill timed middle of winter trip but I had a driving companion on the return so I thought it a good idea. We flew to Roanoke, packed up the truck in two days and prepared to leave. My companion couldn’t go till the next day. So we ate dinner with Daddy and Mabel and get up to leave the next day. My companion wasn’t really quite ready to go. This went on for nearly a week and I had to get Max back to his soccer game. I had promised we’d be home in a week and I felt bad that he had been such a trooper and his thanks was missing the thing he loved the most. So on the predictable final day when we rose and my companion explained that something had come up and he needed one more day, I said goodbye to him for the last time, hopped in the truck with Max and set about on a 64 hour cross country excursion arriving just in time for him to trade his newly acquired North Dakota cowboy hat for his soccer clothes. Max has traveled the world now. Served his time in the Navy. Settled in Australia for some darn fool reason. I think it’s the girl. Yep, pretty as a picture in her picture. A Filipino girl who once lived in Seattle like Max. Her whole family is in Australia and the date has been set. Seems the about to be brother in law is a cook and wanted the fried chicken recipe. SO I thought I’d gather up a few things Max grew up eating when I cooked southern, and exchange recipes with my new Filipino family. Hopeful, an Adobo recipe will be forthcoming, as I have never mastered that. But one day there are things from that cross country trip I want Max and his new wife to have. Seem only fair but a whole lot more complex to move the china cabinet to Australia than it was to cross the Rockies. First we cook. Later we can figure. Southern Fried Chicken Ingredients: 2 young fryers 1 or 2 cups of flour 1 tsp salt plus ¼ tsp. pepper 1 cup oil/butter/lard paprika/hot sauce to taste 1 cup of water for Maryland Style The most important, the key, the most essential thing to understand about frying chicken is the grease/fat/lard. You can substitute and you can skimp but you can’t make it southern fried without the fat. The new Crisco low trans or no trans fat seems to work. Lightly coated Pam sprayed won’t. Use butter, use lard, use canola oil if you want. I have called for one cup but you cannot have too much. If in doubt, add more. The second most important consideration is the pan. Large is essential, a crowded chicken doesn’t fly or fry. Old, grease stained is preferable. If nothing ancient and corroded is in the kitchen, iron is best. Teflon works well for the frying but is awful for the gravy and what the heck are you frying a chicken for if not to smoother in gravy????? Now for the actual chicken. Young fryers are good. How do you know if they are young? You can ask, just for entertainment. But unless you are on first name basis with the mother hen, you don’t. Start with two. The object is to have some left over for cold chicken the next day. If you are having a feast, fry three. Aunt Mabel said to allow ¾ lbs. Or more per person. She was an accountant and talked like this. My mama just bought all she could afford and cooked. Yes you can use pre cut pieces to guarantee the dark meat and the white meat folks get what they want. Extra wings are always a good idea; especially for the young uns. Wings go in last or come out first. The Preparation: Wash the chicken. If you plucked it yourself, singe that baby. Probably not an issue, right? Dry it. Put two cups of flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a sack…any kind of sac. Plastic bag, paper, cloth whatever is handy. Mix two eggs with a splash of milk. Add a dash of hot sauce and salt. Start melting fat in pan. Very low to start warming it up. Dip chicken parts in egg, drop in bag, and shake rattle and roll. Do as many pieces at one time as fits in the bag. When you are done shaking, do it three more times, you really want to coat that chicken and have driblets for gravy. See above: Gravy is essential. Driblets are the parts of flour that fall into the pan during frying. They are used for gravy and we want as many as possible without offending those gravy folks who like it lumpless. Turn up the heat. If you want to be sure the oil is hot enough to fry, use some fancy gadget for gauging temp. If you have no gadget, drop a tiny bit of the flour mix in oil and see if it sizzles. Sizzling says it is ready. Drop in chicken pieces when hot. Cook as slow as possible, which may mean turn the temp down while maintaining a tiny sizzle—still gotta fry. Want to cover the frying pan? Go right ahead. Maryland covers. Virginia doesn’t. Aussies can suit themselves and call it right. Cook slowly. Turn pieces over in about 15 to 20 minutes. Try and use tongs to turn so you don’t puncture the chicken skin. You may burn yourself. Wear scars as a badge of honor. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Cooking process should take about 30 to 40 minutes. NO MORE. Virginians turn chicken only once. Alabamans turn on all sides to brown, reduce heat, add a cup of water and turn again while simmering. Still takes about 30 minutes. The object of the exercise is to have chicken crisp on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. If you let it fry toooooo long, the object is lost. Take that chicken off the fire after 30 minutes and if the oil has been hot enough, it’s done. Remove pieces, drain on paper towels or paper bag serve hot with afore mentioned gravy. As with Adobo, each family does it to suit themselves. Master the basics and then customize to your taste. Some folks add a cup of water while cooking and call it Maryland style. Add water after first browning and then reduce heat. Dipping in egg is also optional. Flour is not. This is white flour, right? Not soy, not wheat, WHITE FLOUR. The Gravy I do not have a recipe for gravy. Southerners have gravy running through their veins and are suppose to know how to do this from birth. However, if I were to guess I’d try this: Pour out grease and save it. Leave all those yummy little driblets. Set temp low. Mix two teaspoons of flour with one cup of milk. Add salt. Blend till smooth. Pour a little at a time into the frying pan and stir until thick and creamy. Want more? Add a little more grease-or milk to mixture. Want it thicker? Add more flour. I use more flour than this to start with and if it taste a little floury, add more milk. I have yet to make too much gravy. The Mother of Max taught me to add about a half teaspoon of ketchup to gravy. Try it sometime; it’s a good idea though I wouldn’t admit it south of the Mason Dixon. The Mason Dixon runs through Runnymede, Maryland. If you fry chicken, you should know this. Eat while hot. Max may remember the mashed potatoes that should also be served. They make another container for eating gravy. Eat slowly. Think of the people south of the Mason Dixon who love Max and would be glad to know that his new family has the good sense to eat cookin from ‘way down South in Dixie. Y’all have fun now. Would love to have a good adobo recipe when you have time. Don’t send yet. Wait till my recipe section is up on the Auntmama.com web site. I believe aunties and uncles and cousins are a universal culture so maybe we can do a recipe exchange? Much love, Auntmama.
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