Tasty Tips from Tina - June 2009
May 28, 2009
I am so excited about this recipe. It’s called City Chicken. The best part of City Chicken is there’s no chicken. Yep, you read that right. No chicken. This comes from the “Burg”. That’s Pittsburgh for those of you who have either “A”, never read my column or “B”, never heard me talk. When I was pregnant with my oldest I craved this in the worst way. I can remember walking into Giants and seeing a sign for City Chicken. It was the first time I had ever seen it advertised outside of the Pittsburgh area. I literally ran (wobbled) up to the meat counter only to find the spot empty. I almost gave birth right there. I asked to speak to the butcher. When he came out I asked how long the wait would be for more City Chicken. He said he was out of it and there would be more tomorrow. The look on my face must have reminded him of someone telling a six year old there was no Santa Clause. My lip started to quiver, tears came down my face and I started to beg this poor man. I told him that he didn’t understand. I was pregnant and I didn’t want City Chicken but I needed it. I had to have it. Well unless I was shoplifting a watermelon under my shirt I think he knew I was pregnant. As I stood there balling my eyes out, rubbing my Buddha belly this kind soul told me to just relax and he would be right back. He came out holding a tray of 12 pieces of City Chicken. I hugged him and thanked him profusely. At that point I would have named my first born after him but I couldn’t remember seeing Meat Man in my baby name books. This particular recipe comes from a wonderful woman named Sally. Consequently Sal is the sister of our very own Ray Williams and she is from Pittsburgh. She gets extra points for that. She came to visit Ray and his family one weekend and got coerced into making City Chicken for his family and mine. That poor woman cooked for hours. She is such a trooper.
Sal’s City Chicken
Pork roast, 3-4 lbs
Beef roast, 3-4 lbs
6 - 8 eggs, slightly beaten
Splash of milk
Flour, salt and pepper
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Wooden skews
Oil
Cut roasts into cubes to fit on skews.
Beat eggs and milk to make an egg wash
Combine flour, salt and pepper, put in shallow dish
Place Italian bread crumbs into shallow dish
Heat oil in frying pan
Preheat oven 350
Alternate pork and beef (4 cubes)
Roll in egg wash
Roll in flour
Roll in egg wash, again
Roll in bread crumbs
Fry until browned on all sides
Place skews in baking dish, add about 1/8 cup of water, cover with foil and bake for an hour at 350.
May is the month of The Kentucky Derby; so it’s only fitting that my drink recipe be for a Mint Julep.
This recipe is the “official” recipe of The Kentucky Derby from the makers of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. To make a great mint julep you have to start with a julep cup which is silver and metal. Another hint is to make sure your ice is very, very crushed, almost to the consistency of shaved.
You will need:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Kentucky Whisky
Silver Julep Cups
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
Comments
Got something to say?
Advertisement
