Glazed Chicken Shichimi, Black Rice Noodles
Locally pastured chicken breasts are skinned and boned, then dusted in rice flour and quickly shallow-fried in peanut oil until golden in color. The chicken is then placed in a hot oven for about 15 minutes, basted twice with a mixture of wild honey, fermented tamari, Shichimi tōgarashi and a pinch of sea salt. The finished chicken is served over organic black rice noodles and topped with chopped peanuts. The whole dish is gluten-free..
“Dating at least to the 17th century, Shichimi tōgarashi (Japanese: 七味唐辛子, “seven flavor chili pepper”) is a common Japanese spice mixture containing seven ingredients:
coarsely ground red chili pepper (the main ingredient)
ground sansho (Sichuan pepper)
roasted orange peel
black sesame seed
white sesame seed
hemp seed
ground ginger
nori or aonori
Some recipes may substitute or supplement these with poppy seed, yuzu peel, rape seed or shiso.
Shichimi should be distinguished from ichimi togarashi (一味唐辛子), which is simply ground red chili pepper, and means literally “one flavor chili pepper” (ichi meaning “one”).” –Wikipedia
Orange and Fennel-Roasted Chicken
Orange and Fennel-Roasted Chicken, risotto with green beans, browned pearl onions and fried capicola..
Orange and Fennel-Roasted Chicken
Marinate locally-pastured chicken pieces (I’m using bone-in, skin-on thighs) in a mixture of raw olive oil, freshly-squeezed orange juice, garlic and cracked fennel seeds for 4-8 hours, turning once.
Remove chicken from refrigerator, wipe off excess marinade and season liberally with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then roast in a 375 degree oven until crisp and the juices run clear, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute pearl onions and roughly-chopped dry coppa (capicola) in a bit of olive oil until nicely browned and slightly crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions & coppa to a plate, then add bomba rice to the pan, stirring to coat each grain with the flavored oil that remains.
Add three times the amount of vegetable stock, chicken stock or water to the pan as you have rice, and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add cut fresh green beans and allow to simmer, stirring continuously until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Add the onions and coppa, stir to combine and remove from heat. Allow to stand 3-5 minutes before spooning onto a serving dish.
Top cooked rice with the roasted chicken and pour the pan juices over the top. Garnish with fennel fronds and serve immediately.
Speaking of leftovers..
Here’s last night’s chipotle-roasted chicken on a crisp cornmeal pizza crust with sliced red onions, fresh pineapple and some slightly burnt asadero. Fresh cilantro from the patio..
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For the Crust [makes 2 7-inch crusts] (adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/3 cups warm water
3/4 cups sprouted wheat flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup organic, stone-ground cornmeal, plus more for pizza stone
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water. Let stand until yeast is dissolved and mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.
Combine flour, cornmeal, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and add the yeast mixture and oil. Slowly stir ingredients with a wooden spoon just until dough starts to come together. Turn out dough on a lightly floured work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 7 to 10 minutes.
Divide dough into four 4-ounce balls. Place balls in a shallow oiled bowl, turning to coat with oil; cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone on lowest rack. Stretch dough into 7-inch rounds. Sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel or inverted baking sheet. Place dough rounds on top, and cooked until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Slide rounds onto pizza stone, and bake until crust is crisp and golden and toppings are bubbling, 5 to 7 minutes.
Chicken Adobado Pizza
Farm-fresh chicken pieces are marinated overnight in a mixture of ancho chiles, garlic, cumin, cloves and Mexican oregano, then slow-roasted, cooled and torn into chunks. The pan juices are reduced with chopped fresh tomatoes until thick, then spread over a rustic cornmeal crust and topped with the chicken, yellow onions, fresh green chiles and queso anejo..
Chicken Adobado Pizza
For the Chicken and Sauce (adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless)
2-3 joints of chicken
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon piloncillo
3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn
2 tablespoons raw cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
sea salt
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1-2 fresh Anaheim chiles, sliced
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, toast the chiles for a few seconds per side, then transfer to a bowl. Don’t let the chiles burn or they will be very bitter. Add 1 cup hot water to the bowl, cover and let stand 20 minutes to rehydrate the chiles.
Place the garlic, oregano, pepper, cumin, cloves, paprika, piloncillo, salt and vinegar into a food processor along with the chiles and and its soaking water. Process into a smooth, thin sauce.
Place the chicken in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning once.
Drain the chicken, reserving 1/4 cup of marinade. Roast in a heavy skillet in a 300 degree oven until just done, then set aside to cool, taking care to collect the juices.
Pour the reserved marinade and collected juices into a clean pan set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes and cook until disintegrated, about 10 minutes. Add onions and Anaheim chiles, reduce heat and simmer until thick, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning and set aside to cool.
For the Crust [makes 2 7-inch crusts] (adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/3 cups warm water
3/4 cups sprouted wheat flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup organic, stone-ground cornmeal, plus more for skillet
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl
In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water. Let stand until yeast is dissolved and mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.
Combine flour, cornmeal, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and add the yeast mixture and oil. Slowly stir ingredients with a wooden spoon just until dough starts to come together. Turn out dough on a lightly floured work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 7 to 10 minutes.
Divide dough into two balls. Place balls in a shallow oiled bowl, turning to coat with oil; cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
Stretch dough into 7-inch rounds. Sprinkle cornmeal on a skillet, pizza peel or inverted baking sheet. Place dough rounds on top, and cook in a 400 degree oven until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
For the Pizza
1 cornmeal crust
1 cup roasted chicken, torn into chunks
1/2 cup thickened adobado with peppers and onions
1/4 cup Anejo cheese, shredded
chopped cilantro
Toss the chicken and adobado together, then spread over the top of the cornmeal crust. Top with cheese and bake at 500 degrees until crisp and bubbly, about 8 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro, cut into wedges and serve immediately.
Chicken Char Siu
Char siu translates literally as “fork burn/roast”, an ancient method of fire-roasting wild boar. While most modern Chinese BBQ uses domestic pork (and lots of red food coloring), the flavors are also well suited to chicken. Here I have marinated chicken pieces in a mixture of fermented soy, sherry, hoisin, 5-spice, local raw honey, chili and red bean paste (with organic beet powder for color), then slow-roasted (3 hours at 15 degrees) them until fork-tender. The sticky, hot, sweet and sour flavors play well with sesame-roasted asparagus on the side..
Chicken Char Siu
Sopes de Pollo Poblano
Yesterday’s leftover roasted chicken is slowly simmered in a deep red chili sauce with strips of fresh poblano, cumin and garlic, then spooned into a fried masa boat and topped with crisp white onions, fresh cilantro, avocado and bits of fresh cheese..
Sopes de Pollo Poblano
For the Sopes
8 oz fresh corn masa for tortillas
sea salt
1/4 cup asiento (dark lard)
Using a few drops of water if necessary, knead masa and salt together into a smooth dough. Roll into a ball, wrap and let stand 1 hour. Divide dough into 2 large or 4 small balls then press into to ovals about 1/4 inch thick. Flip the dough onto a hot dry comal and cook until slighty crisp and brown in spots, then use a spatula to transfer the tortilla to a clean surface. Working quickly, use your fingers to pinch up a border about 1/2 high around the edge, forming a boat. Place the sopes into a well-greased skillet and brush liberally with melted lard. Shallow fry over medium heat until golden brown.
For the Pollo Poblano
2-3 pieces of roasted chicken, torn into long strips
2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 small poblano, stemmed, seeded and cut into strips
salt
Briefly toast the chiles and cumin in a dry skillet, then transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic and pulse to combine, then slowly add water and process into a smooth, thin paste. Pour chile paste into a saucepan and add torn pieces of chicken and strips of poblano. Cover and simmer until heated through, about 20 minutes.
To serve, spoon chicken mixture into hot sopes and garnish with minced white onion, cilantro, fresh cheese and avocado slices.
The post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday!
