Funky Chicken
Curio has once again stepped onto the Main Stage at Family Dinner with their Edo Spice Blend. From their site:
"Our all new signature blend combines chilies, citrus and the rare and invigorating sansho pepper from Japan. Edo (rhymes with 'meadow') refers to the historic name of Tokyo, as well as the 'Edo period' between 1615 and 1860 when there was great economic growth in Japan. This blend, with its bright, hot flavors and nutty, umami notes is inspired by the traditional Japanese 7 spice (shichimi togarashi) which is believed to have first been assembled in kitchens during the Edo period."
This spice will be beautiful in Barbecue. And that's perfect because Memorial Day is upon us. Erin's Dad would have loved to point out that Memorial Day has it origins in the post Civil War-era, when it was called Decoration Day. It is a time during which we are meant to reflect. If we are lucky enough to have Monday off its an extra day to take time with family, friends and Frank the Dog. In our house it is a time of slowness, a chance to un-busy ourselves. We don't do a whole lot. And maybe that's the point. We hope that this weekend you get the chance to enjoy some good food, good memories and good company.
HALF SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Half Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm
Pescatarian Protein - CORRECTION: This week's fish was Yellow Tail Flounder from Red's Best; Eggs from Brookford Farm and Feather Brook Farms
Vegetarian Protein - Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm (+ extra pasta and veggies)
Paleo Proteins - Half Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Eggs from Brookford Farm
Fruits and Veggies - Salad Mix, Sweet Potatoes and Chives with Blossoms from Busa Farm; Shiitake Mushrooms from Mycoterra Farm
Grain - Hand Cut Linguine from Nella Pasta
Spicy Treat - Edo Spice Mix from Curio Spice Co
Special Treat - Dessert Bars from Forge Baking Co
WHOLE SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Whole Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Greek Yogurt and Eggs from Brookford Farm
Pescatarian Protein - CORRECTION: This week's fish was Yellow Tail Flounder from Red's Best; Greek Yogurt and Eggs from Brookford Farm
Vegetarian Protein - Greek Yogurt and Eggs from Brookford Farm (+ extra veggies!)
Paleo Proteins - Whole Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Eggs from Brookford Farm
Fruits and Veggies - Kale, Salad Mix, Sweet Potatoes and Chives with Blossoms from Busa Farm; Shiitake Mushrooms from Mycoterra Farm; Beets from Brookford Farm
Grain - Hand Cut Linguine from Nella Pasta
Spicy Treat - Edo Spice Mix from Curio Spice Co
Special Treat - Dessert Bars from Forge Baking Co
DOUBLE SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Whole Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Yellow Tail from Red's Best; Kimchi, Greek Yogurt and Eggs from Brookford Farm
Pescatarian Protein - CORRECTION: This week's fish was Yellow Tail Flounder, Haddock and Scallops from Red's Best; Greek Yogurt and Eggs from Brookford Farm
Fruits and Veggies - Bok Choy, Kale, Salad Mix, Sweet Potatoes and Chives with Blossoms from Busa Farm; Shiitake Mushrooms from Mycoterra Farm; Beets from Brookford Farm; Tomatoes from Cornerstalk Farm
Grain - Crackers from Brewers Crackers
Spicy Treat - Edo Spice Mix from Curio Spice Co
Special Treat - Dessert Bars from Forge Baking Co
RECIPES
Chive Blossoms: These little guys are straight - up delicious. Eat them raw in a salad, on top of your grilled fish on on an open face tomato sandwich. The flowers are edible too - chomp away on that whole thing. Ok, this isn't technically a recipe. Its just a round of applause for the glorious chive blossom.
Asian Beer Can Chicken: A classic recipe and a go-to for a lazy Memorial BBQ. Here the beer isn't Asian - we don't expect you to be ripping Tsingtao while playing corn hole. Asian is the reference to the Edo rub, which we think would pair nicely here. If the idea of getting a little to close to comfort to your chicken with a beer can, a ramekin full of beer under the chicken will suffice,
Japanese Yellow Tail: CORRECTION: This week's fish was originally listed as Yellow Tail which is from the Amberjack Family. This was an error. This fish is Yellow Tail Flounder, which is from a different family. We still think you can rub with the Edo spices and pan fry with a touch of soy sauce.
Asian Noodles: This recipe is quick easy and devourable. You don't need Asian noodles. The hand-cut linguine from Nella will do the job perfectly.
Butter Chicken: A classic Indian dish. Yes, the yogurt from Luke is a bit sweet but the other spices will cut through and leave you with a smooth flavor.
Sweet Potato Tempura: Sure you could roast these sweet potatoes or puree them. But what could be more beautiful than bathing them in a pot of oil? Sprinkle a bit of Edo and some Maldon on at the end. Its Tempura time.
TIPS AND TRICKS
To fry or not to fry. Fry... obviously. Chicken, sweet potatoes, fish. Just grab a vat of oil, crank up the heat and you're good to go. Almost. A few questions stick out: what oil to fry with? How much and at what temp?
Bon Appetit has the definitive answer for the first: vegetable oil, plain and simple:
"Frying food at home is already kind of scary. We get it. You're working with a tub of hot, bubbling oil. (They used to defend castles with that stuff, for crying out loud!) So to make things a little bit easier, let's talk about the best oil for frying. Once you've got that down, you can go to town freaking out about all the other stuff. Ready? Okay. If you’re frying at home, you should be using vegetable oil. Bam. There you go. You’re welcome. You better not be wasting a fortune deep-frying in olive oil."
For the quantity, around 1.5"-2" of depth should do it, depending on your pan and the size of what you are frying, adjust more as needed. Using a deep-fat frying thermometer try to get the temperature to 365-375 and maintain throughout your frying process.
Last step, bring us some of whatever you've made. We don't know what it is, but if you fried it- we love it.