Saturday, March 31, 2012

beer-battered chicken.

What's better than Heineken? Why, Heneiken battered fried chicken, of course!

During our last Costco run we purchased 2 dozen bottles of Heineken. All for the ridiculous price of $24. This means that we have more beer than what we know what to do with it. Drink, for sure. But why not beer battered chicken?


Are you ready to take notes?

Heat oil in a pan.

In a large bowl mix together:
one cold bottle of beer, one cup of flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, dried parsley flakes and some paprika for an added kick. Be sure to season the batter adequately otherwise it might taste a little bland.

As I am obsessed with my recently purchased electric hand beater, I used it to whip the batter into a smooth, glossy, consistency but I am sure you could do the same amount of damage with a whisk and/or fork. Cut chicken thighs (or breasts) into thin (or thick) strips. Dip chicken fillets into the batter, coat carefully, and shake off excess batter.

Drop into the pan and cook for several minutes on each side. The aroma of the beer cooking will slowly begin to pervade through your kitchen and your mouth will begin to salivate long before the chicken is cooked through.

So yum.

You know what goes best with beer battered chicken. More beer!

Monday, March 12, 2012

corn au gratin.

I found a lone can of sweet corn languishing at the back of the pantry while trying to retrieve some chilly powder last night. What to do with it? This morning I decided upon corn au gratin. I figured I'd add some chopped red onions and baby spinach since I had only one can of corn. This dish is super easy and super delish -- I mean how could any one go wrong with oodles of cheese?


Ingredients:

Corn, onion, spinach, milk, flour, butter, salt, pepper, parsley.

Method:

Melt two tablespoons of butter on a hot skillet. Fry two table-spoons of flour in butter. Mix in the corn, spinach and onions. Pour half a cup of milk and half a cup of whipping cream. Bring to a boil. Season with salt, pepper and parsley. This is probably the only dish I have perfectly seasoned on the first go! Transfer to a baking dish and generously top with shredded cheese. Broil till the cheese melts, ten to twelve minutes. Yummy, oozing cheesy goodliness. I ate it as a side with a hot-dog for dinner.