high over happy

Fried Chicken - A Tale of Two Ladies

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:55:00 +0000

*This is hopefully the first post of a series about our trip to Savannah and Charleston.

After a week in Savannah and Charleston, I have learned much about the south - I have stood in the fort where the American Civil War started,  read about the secession of South Carolina from the Union and walked through cemeteries of Great Men. And I will get to all that because there is much to share. But right off the bat, I must talk fried chicken.

Like many immigrants before me, I have heard much about the famed Southern fried chicken. I've read about it, I've seen it on television but have never had the courage to tussle with that much hot oil to try cooking it myself. Now, we did not plan to go to the South just to eat fried chicken, but once we were there, we were enthusiastic in our hunt.

Two women's names immediately distinguished themselves - Mrs. Wilkes, a home cook whose restaurant is an institution in Savannah and Paula Deen, the purveyor of no-such-thing-as-too-much butter.  The decision on which restaurant to try first was taken out of our hands because Mrs. Wilkes' was still closed for the Christmas break when we arrived. Off to Paula Deen's we went to get in line.

Yes, get in line. Google the restaurant and you will find suggestions on how early you should stand outside the restaurant for a taste of that fried chicken. Since we were not in town for very long, we did not want to take any chances. We are after all from Singapore - getting in line for good food is second nature to us. S set-off first from the hotel to get a spot while I was layering for the bewildering cold weather the South had cheekily bestowed on us.

The Lady and Sons restaurant was easy enough to find from our hotel; just look out for the row of shivering people.  S was near the top of the line and already making friends with two guys in the line. An hour later, our names were on the list and we walked our self-guided tour before returning for lunch.

Sufficiently ravenous, we were back at the restaurant and led to third level.  There was a salad bar but the hot food bar was where the fried chicken was being regularly replenished - this was the buffet. Surprisingly, despite the size of the restaurant, the line does not get long.

The buffet is modest - about ten items including fried chicken, roast chicken, collard greens, boiled corn, sweet potato, and mac and cheese. In all honesty, none of the side dishes were memorable (the sweet potatoes and corn were good though) and I did not even bother with the roast chicken. We also ordered the fried green tomatoes from the à la carte  menu - this was forgettable. As were the desserts (S had peach cobbler and I tried the gooey cake). But the fried chicken - yum. The chicken skin was crispy without being dry.  And with the set-up of the buffet, you could eat as much as you wanted at your own pace. It was the best fried chicken I ever had.

Until we went to Mrs Wilkes' house for lunch the next day.

It did not matter that we waited almost twice as long in line to step into the family-style service restaurant. We met a genial older couple  also in line, from the south who gave us tips about more places to visit in the US for great food and history. It is one of the things I love about traveling - meeting random people and discovering new places and sharing viewpoints. We don't have to introduce ourselves and can freely voice opinions because we feel protected by the fact we will never meet again.

When we finally got to the front of line, we were ushered into the ground floor of a home which Mrs Wilkes and her husband bought in 1965. It was a modest room with four large tables, each of which seats ten people, fit snugly. We went into the next room which also had four large tables and if you can count, you will realize that the whole  dining room seats 80 people.  Unless you came in a group of ten, you would be eating family style with strangers. We walked towards our table where bowls and plates of food had been laid out and we chose seats close to the fried chicken.

As soon as everyone was seated, one of the servers greeted us in her Southern drawl and offered us unsweetened tea if we preferred that over the the sweetened tea that was on the table.  As strangers do, there was some hesitation about starting the meal.  But once we started scooping food onto our plate, there was a fluent exchange of plates and bowls.  With twenty dishes, yes twenty, we were outspoken about asking for a dish not within our reach. S and I lucked out because there was an empty chair and a kid who did not eat much at our table. This means less waiting for the chicken parts you wanted (yes, it's all about the chicken. Fried chicken).

Let's start with sides - mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, potato salad, 3 (or 4?) types of beans, cabbage, mac and cheese, stuffing, gravy, collard greens, okra, snap peas, jambalaya, corn bread and biscuits. I did not try everything but I liked the rice, potato salad, the black-eyed beans and biscuits. The beef stew was delicious - the meat used was not of the lean kind; it was fatty and flavorful just like the cut my mum uses for some of her dishes.

But what about the fried chicken? It looks crispy enough and then you take that first bite. It was not just crisp, it was richly seasoned without crossing to spicy. S and I looked at each other and we felt grateful that we shared that pleasure together. But beyond the food, the ladies at Mrs Wilkes' who served us defined the meaning of Southern hospitality. Their bright faces reflected sincerity as they ask attentive questions punctuated with words like "honey" and "sweetheart" spoken only like a Southerner can.

Was it the best fried chicken I ever had?

Yes.

The meal ended with dessert - if you have a choice between a fruit cobbler and banana pudding, I highly recommend the latter.  And just as we were done, we were firmly informed that in the tradition Mrs Wilkes' dining room, each of us had to take our own dirty plate and glass to bring them to the sink. Just like home.

The Lady & Sons
102 W Congress St
Savannah, GA 31401
912.233.2600
How to get a seat:
The door opens at 9.30 a.m. to make a reservation. People start to line-up at 8 a.m.  But on the day we were there, even if you arrived at 9.30 a.m., you could get a reservation. You choose a lunch or dinner time, leave and then return for your meal. At lunch time, we saw a couple walk-in without a reservation and another make a reservation for dinner.  So if you can't join the line in the morning, you can still try to see if you can get a spot.    

Mrs Wilkes' Dining Room
107 West Jones Str
Savannah, GA 31401
912.232.5997
How to get a seat:
You must get in line and you will be seated for your meal when you get to the front of the line.  A line starts to form as early as 9 a.m. and the door opens at 11.30 a.m. We heard that locals have a way of getting a seat - no one told us how but we could guess after our second visit. Make sure you have enough quarters for the parking meters if you are driving.

Crown of the Continent

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:01:00 +0000

"My left side – it's my best side."

"Hurry up with the photo! It's cold out here."

The Colombian ground squirrel was shivering as I was snapping its picture.

Well, the cold air was not my fault. We were, after all, in National Glacier Park in Montana.

Where even the goats wear a thick coat of fur.

It was a bit chilly. But how can you quibble about a few bits of Fahrenheit, when you have views like these:

Where the flowers look like paintbrushes.

And the rocks provide the perfect color palette.

While nature sculpts art into stones and tree trunks:

The views were big, but little details were just as rewarding if you paid attention. For example, spot the curly-horned ram here:

How about prairie dogs (why do they not look like dogs at all?):

The aftermath of the Robert Fire of 2003 provided us with the unique opportunity of walking through a young forest where new pine trees barely came up to the waist:

We supplemented our hikes with a ride on the legendary red bus. I highly recommend it.

Especially if you get Norman as your guide:

Not only did he regale us with the history the park, he also led us straight to a black bear!

Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the bear.

Count on a return visit, Montana.

A Happy Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:47:00 +0000

Interrupting my break from blogging to bring you this video - it made me tear a little bit.

In May, the two major public transportation companies in Copenhagen, Movia and Arriva launched a “Better Bus campaign” with the express goal of spreading love, positivity and smiles among passengers.

There were 3 parts to their campaign. Part 2 is where they celebrated the hard work of their bus drivers by staging 21 birthday surprises in the form of a “Flash Mob” event. Below is the video of one driver, Mukhtar’s birthday (They are singing “happy birthday in Danish). When he gets to the protest blockade, and they all turn around holding signs that say "Happy Birthday Mukhtar".

(via Superforest)

Twitter quote

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Mon, 17 May 2010 20:32:00 +0000

via 5tevenw

Morels and Fiddlehead Ferns

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:47:00 +0000

When S saw the green spirals, his reaction was "Hey, those look like they are vegetables from an Enid Blyton book!" I couldn't agree more and they even had a name to match - fiddlehead fern. Don't they sound like they belong to the Magic Faraway Tree?

Fiddlehead fern and morel mushrooms appear to be all the rage because they are in season. S and I had never tried fiddlehead fern before and morels are not so common either, so we decided to try them together. I stuffed the chicken I had planned to for dinner back in the fridge since I read that the fiddleheads should be cooked on the same day you buy them.

To prepare fiddlehead ferns, rinse them over several changes of water. Then put them in a pot of boiling water for about 5-7 minutes. These steps will remove the toxins in them. Immediately submerge in a bowl of cold water after removing from the heat, to keep the pretty green color.

I don't quite have a recipe. I just made a potato salad with less dressing. Saute the morels with butter and garlic. Do the same with the fiddleheads. Mix them together and sprinkle with pine nuts and slices of spring onion.

Exit Through The Gift Shop

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Mon, 03 May 2010 04:18:00 +0000

S and I don't go to movies often and I take the blame for that. In the last couple of years, whenever I am in a cinema sitting in front of that big screen, I am likely to fall asleep. Yes, even with all that technicolor and surround sound going on, I get so relaxed, I am lulled into dreamland within 20 minutes of opening credits. If you have an explanation for this phenomenon, please share.

But I really wanted to watch this documentary (or "mockumentary"?) by Banksy and did not want to wait for the DVD. And yay, I enjoyed all 87 minutes eyes wide open. Touted as "The world's first Street Art disaster movie", the movie lives up to its hype. It does not have a mass distribution, but catch it in an independent film cinema near you. My advice – don't read anything about the movie before you watch it so that you won't have any pre-conceived ideas. But here are a few related articles that won't spoil your viewing:

Banksy in San Francisco?

White-washing over a Banksy.

I'd change the name of my band too if Banksy asked (and if I had a band).

Banksy - a list of controversies.

Twitter in 9 words

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:37:00 +0000

(via Brain_Wash)

Crab and Asparagus Soup

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Life is busy again. And I love it.

I enjoy cooking Malay food which require nine types of spices to be toasted, ground and sauteed. The process of watching over a hot stove for three hours while the dish stews and develop flavors as you stir every five minutes to prevent the ingredients from scorching, may have its therapeutic value. But I enjoy it just as much when my to-do list is long and I am pushed to be more creative in the kitchen because I don't have a whole morning for prep work. So I turn to simple dishes, like this crab and asparagus soup which we had with brown rice.

It barely takes 15 minutes to cook. Less if I omit the onion and garlic. 'Cos sometimes, you just don't feel like cutting onion and garlic. Or, you forget to buy to them. Doesn't matter. The soup still tastes good.

Crab and Asparagus Soup

¼ medium-sized onion, finely minced
1 garlic, finely minced
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
8 oz. asparagus, cut into inch-long pieces
8 oz. cooked crab meat
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sliced spring onions
1 teaspoon oil

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pot. Saute the onion and garlic for about 1 minute. Add in the stock and asparagus. Bring to a gentle boil and then down to a simmer. Add the crab meat.

2. Break in the eggs into a bowl and pierce the yolks. Stir the soup, making a whirlpool and then slowly dribble in the eggs slightly away from the center of the whirlpool. Let the eggs set for about a minute.

Serve with a sprinkling of sliced spring onion.

The Infidel

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:42:00 +0000

I can't wait for "The Infidel" to come to theaters. It's a movie about a Muslim man who's horrified to discover that not only was he adopted, but he was born Jewish. The trailer made me laugh.

Dinner Tonight

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:41:00 +0000

Ramen - with braised short-ribs and homemade noodles.

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Frittata

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:30:00 +0000

It must be spring – it's hard to walk two feet in the farmer's market without seeing asparagus. I've roasted them, made soup, stir-fried and here, in my favorite everything-but-the-kitchen-sink recipe, added to a frittata. Not only does a frittata absorb leftovers in my refrigerator, it's also easy to make. I like the look individual servings so I used a muffin tin. Good with a salad. We had ours with stir-fried watercress and baby shitake.

Salmon and Asparagus Frittata

4 eggs
¾ cup smoked salmon, chopped
¾ cup asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup whole milk
½ cup grated parmesan

Pre-heat oven 400°F. Lightly oil a muffin pan.

Whip the eggs and milk in a bowl. Add parmesan cheese, asparagus and smoked salmon. Pour mixture into muffin tin. Bake for about 25-30 minutes.

Makes 6.

Oh Happy Day

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 06:59:00 +0000

Congratulations H & J!

Wow

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:02:00 +0000

(via All Things Pakistan)

Macaron shells #2 - peanut

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:51:00 +0000

For peanut butter and jelly macarons.

Macaron shells #1 - orange zest

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:09:00 +0000

Haberdashery - Fauna

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:02:00 +0000

When I first saw the picture of the pandas, I thought the men were carrying stuffed toys! But they are not. More pictures here and a video here.

Cat owners "more educated" than dog owners. Word.

Super fat cats – Dexter does not belong in that gallery. Yet.

Maybe he should be featured here?

Some good looking dogs.

Rabbits have their day.

This made me laugh.

This made me cry.

Crispy Mushrooms and Squash Soup

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:37:00 +0000

The lack of food posts does not in any way indicate the state of my kitchen. The stove has been heating-up but the shorter winter days meant that the light was not cooperating so it was tough to take decent pictures. We've been eating well. We've been having plenty of soup. Like butternut squash soup. My new favorite thing is roasting mushrooms until crispy and putting them in the soup. I've been these throwing crispy mushrooms in everything we eat - salad, fried rice and sandwiches.

But back to the soup – to put it in the OTT category, I also microwave pieces of apple and stir it into the soup. Recipe? Make your favorite butternut squash soup. Mine is about 4 cups roasted butternut squash and 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock mixed with a teaspoon minced ginger and a tablespoon ground cumin. Line a baking pan with parchment paper, then roast oyster mushrooms (salted and peppered) at 425°F for about 10 minutes or until crispy. You have to scrape the mushrooms off the baking pan. Dice an apple and blitz it in the microwave for one minute. Serve both with the soup and dinner's ready.

I've also been cooking with recipes off the internet – I am still amaze at this resource. I have many cookbooks but the recipes in the blogosphere continue to tempt me. Here are a few, tried and tested, in our kitchen:

Oatmeal pancakes from Orangette. I made these the first time only because I had so much oatmeal. But I've made it four times since. It's that good.

Citrus and beet salad. This is a dish inspired by Sassy Radish. I added roasted beets and used honey instead of maple syrup for the dressing. My new favorite way to eat oranges. Three times.

Fish & chips. I used No Recipe's, err, recipe. I've made it only once but I used 3 lbs worth of fish so that I could freeze some of the fried fish. I just pop a couple in the toaster oven when I feel like a savory snack.

Ma pu tofu. Userealbutter's version is the easiest and tastiest I've ever made (I use ground chicken or turkey). Made this too many times to remember how many exactly.

Marshmallows. I had all the ingredients so while S was assembling new furniture, I whipped this up. I flavored them with orange zest. And then coated them with chocolate.

Macarons – Ok, I didn't make any. But D did - and they were awesome. Have been meaning to try making some myself but never got round to it. Soon. And other recipes that I hope will be heating up the kitchen in the near future – shrimp salad in wonton cups, morrocan fish stew and chestnut torte.

Starman

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:40:00 +0000

Happy that Jeff Bridges won best actor at the Oscars last night. But have you seen "Starman"? One of the best romantic films I've seen – poignant and heartbreaking. Jeff Bridges is brilliant in it. As an alien. So it's a romantic film about an alien. No, really, it's good. I highly recommend it.

Alice In Wonderland circa 1903

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:40:00 +0000

The damage to the film makes it, sort of, magical.

Vintage Crochet Blanket

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:37:00 +0000

Ever since we had our own home, I have fallen into the trap of "collecting". Wooden carved animals? Check. Pretty tins? Check. Vintage cake stands? Check. Globes? Check. I need to join "Collector Anonymous."

My latest obsession is the crochet blanket. I love the look of the stitches, the texture and most of all, how it adds a homely look to an otherwise a bland decor of our home. I recently acquired this white blanket with dark aquamarine circles because it matched the colors of our bedroom perfectly.

And more importantly, Dexter likes it because the color matches his eyes.

Half Price Books

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:41:00 +0000

Nothing makes me happier than discovering a new book store. Over the weekend we drove to the Fremont branch of Half Price Books. We spent over an hour browsing and I bought the five books above for $1 each! Love.

Taco Hunting in Oakland

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:13:00 +0000

Taqueria Sinaloa

Neighborhood: East Oakland
2138 International Blvd
Oakland, CA 94606
(510) 535-1206

Oyster Omelet

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:39:00 +0000

It has been said that the best thing about Singapore is its food, and I wish I could disagree, but I can't. A few years ago, three friends from the US visited me in Singapore. I don't think, at the time, that they had much experience with Singapore food. I picked them up at about midnight at the airport, and after dropping off their luggage, we headed to a temporary hawker center at a car park off Somerset Road. The property was about to be developed but in the meantime, they set up stalls serving well-known Singapore dishes. It was like a "Best of" of hawker stalls. If you know Singapore food, you know what a brilliant idea that was.

There was no hesitation — I ordered three dishes for us to share — sambal stingray, sambal belacan kangkong and oyster omelet. That is spicy and rich meal but my friends could not stop declaring the deliciousness of each dish in-between bites. And I think this was borne out not just from their praises, but how crowded it was despite it being 2 a.m. in the morning. Here is a picture of that night in 2004:

As lucky we are to be in the Bay Area where there is no shortage of Asian food, I have yet to see oyster omelet on the menu. Thus, S and I have been cooking it our own kitchen. Luckily, all those times spending in-line to order and buy the oyster omelet paid-off. As the dish is prepared only when ordered, we always have a front-row view of the cooking. An intense-looking cook, pouring the ingredients on the sizzling griddle, and the final dish served hot with the equally important sambal (chili sauce). I love biting into a briny oyster in a mouthful of lightly crisp fried egg with the added heat from the sambal. It makes me wonder why there is no tussle over oyster omelet between Singapore and Malaysia. Here is a list of dishes claimed by Malaysia as "Malaysian dishes". Much ado about nothing, me thinks. Why can't we all be friends and just enjoy the food?

Re-creating the dish at home gave me some room to makes changes to the recipe. Oyster omelet, in its original hawker style, is incredibly oily. While I love it as it, I didn't like the greasy aftertaste. So I reduced the oil. It is best to cook it on a flat griddle or, as we did, on a wide, flat frying pan. This will allow the flour mixture to spread out and crisp, which is important because I don't like it too gooey. Using rice flour also helps with the crisping. We prefer a 'less flour and more eggs' ratio, but feel free to add more of the flour if that is your fancy. The oysters should not be overcooked — the juices will ooze and you will be left with shrunken oysters! I like to char it just a little. Garnish with spring onions or cilantro. The resulting dish really looks more like scrambled eggs than an omelet. Hey, I didn't name the dish! A video of how oyster omelet is made just like at the hawker stalls follows the recipe below.

Oyster Omelet Recipe

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch
2 tablespoons rice flour
¾ cup water
4 eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoon fish sauce
8 fresh oysters
2 sprigs of cilantro (or spring onion)

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in the griddle or a flat frying pan to high heat. Mix the flours with water. Pour flour mixture into the pan. Cook for about 30 seconds to let some crust form on the underside.

2. Break four eggs over the flour mixture. Spread the eggs without breaking the flour 'pancake' underneath. Using the edge of a spatula, divide the mixture into 3 or four pieces, and turnover each piece separately. Cook until the egg is slightly crispy - about 30 seconds.

3. Make space in the center of cooking surface by pushing aside the omelet. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil, then the garlic. Add the oysters. Cook for about 20 seconds. Pour the fish sauce. Then break-up the omelet and mix with the oysters. Serve immediately with cilantro/spring onion and sambal (chili sauce)*.

*when I don't have time to make my own sambal, I use Glory's Nonya Sambal Chilli. It's not not too sweet and tastes close enough my mum's sambal.

Salt Cod Fritters

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:57:00 +0000

How long has it been? The dates suggest that it has been only 2 days since my last post. But it has been much longer than that, hasn't it been? Never mind, we will continue as if nothing happened. Except one thing did happen. See this picture of Dexter? He was at the vet, yes. Sedated, yes. Last Thursday, when I was preoccupied with preparing for a presentation for my evening Spanish class, Dexter was nowhere to be seen. I figured it was just one of those days — his alone time. He would be either in the closet or under the bed, just chillin'.

When I came home from class, he was still in hiding. S told me that he hadn't seen Dexter either, but he must have come out for dinner because the plate was licked cleaned. I decided that his time-out was over and found him in the closet. I picked him up and put him on my lap. It's part of my training him to be a lap cat. I would like him to be a lap cat. Him — not so much. But for the first time, he let out this growl so I released him immediately. Then S and I noticed he was limping badly when he walked away. His right hind leg was bothering him.

So first thing the next morning, we took Dexter to the vet. He was very resistant at attempts to check his leg. He had to be sedated. The effect was immediate. His jaw dropped to the table and his eyes were glazed. It made me laugh so I took out my camera to immortalize the moment. After the X-ray, the vet told us that everything looked fine - no ligament tear, no arthritis, no fracture. It was probably a soft tissue injury which means he should recover in a few days. Whew.

It's been a few days and his leg is much better. I was sad to see him try to walk. He moved slowly and took ginger steps with the foot that hurts. I'm not sure how cats react to pain, but Dexter was less meowy than usual. The vet said he should rest the limping leg as much as possible, so I tried to carry him to his food for meals and to his cat bed at night. He usually sleeps with us on our bed, but that requires jumping which he didn't quite have the strength for. I think the rest worked. There is less limping and he is now snoring next to me as I type. Life is good again. So I thought some deep frying was in order. Deep frying salt cod, specifically.

S and I had never tried salt cod before. But it seems like the perfect food for us — I like fish and he, well, likes anything salty. I bought one pound's worth. I used half of it for a salt cod tart (recipe coming) and I made these salt cod fritters with the other half.

How was it?

We enjoyed every lush morsel. It was the cliche of a perfect fritter — crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Steaming hot, it was tough not to grab a fritter and bite into the richness, even as you are dropping batter into sizzling oil. But when you do grab one, you do it with your fingers, gingerly, so you don't break its fried coat. Right after you bite into it, you must resist the urge to let its buttery, salty smoothness make a quick getaway straight to your stomach. Chew, roll it around your mouth, just enjoy. I also made a spinach aioli as a dipping sauce. I wonder, does the addition of spinach make it a vegetable side dish?

Salt Cod Fritters (Buñuelos De Bacalao)
adapted from Colman Andrews

½ lb salt cod, soaked 24 hours with 2 water changes
1 medium-sized potato, peeled and sliced thin
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 heaped tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
oil for frying

For the spinach aioli
adapted from Rick Stein

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
½ tsp salt
1 egg yolk
¾ cup/3 oz olive oil
a handful of spinach

1. Put the cod in a pot of water and bring to a simmer. After 10 minutes, remove the cod. When cool, removed the skin and bones (if any).

2. Put the sliced potatoes in the pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes or until soft enough to mash.

3. In the meantime, make the aioli. Put the garlic and salt in a food processor. Grind for 5 seconds. Add egg and blend for about 10 seconds. While the food processor is still on, slowly pour in the olive oil. Then add the spinach leaves and blend until the leaves are grounded. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

3. In the pot, bring the water, milk and olive oil to a boil. Lower the heat and then whisk in the flour until dissolved. Remove the pot from the stove to cool. Heat oil (about 3 inches) in another pan to bring up to a temperature of 350F. If you don't have a thermometer, the oil should be hot enough so that it will sizzle when you drop in the batter.

4. Stir-in the egg, parsley and lemon juice into the flour mixture. Add the mashed potato, mixing well, and finally, the fish. Taste the batter and add salt and pepper as needed. When the oil reaches the right temperature, drop a heaped tablespoon of batter into the oil. Don't crowd the fritters. Fry for about 1 minute or until lightly browned. Scoop out and drain on a paper towel.

Best served warm. Makes about 24 fritters.

Dinner Tonight

noreply@blogger.com (high over happy) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:45:00 +0000