Chicken Lollipop with Plum Sauce and Toasted Sesame Seeds

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Since I started catering  on my own as Coco Cooks,I’m obsessed with presentation. The challenge is to provide high flavor and appeal, low-cost, but not sacrifice taste. Summer is coming and I have some events lined up. An inexpensive option for passed  appetizers is  always a tasty chicken wing. 100 wings can be cut down into 200 pieces easily. But how  can I make it more highbrow , than low brow? Lollipop them! In catering or restaurants starters are either cleverly skewered or lollipop-ed.  It’s easy to pick up, and not messy. One or two bites and your guest is  done, with your server tastefully moving away the small remains left behind. Not to mention the variations in sauces and cooking applications.Spicy, sweet, sour, dry, wet, fried,smoked, baked, etc. The list is endless. You just need a good small sharp knife or poultry shears .

The boning of the chicken wing is most intimidation part. But with a few receptive actions, you will get the hang of it and the work will go swifter. I  would be at a loss without my Wusthof Kitchen Shears. They make quick work and cut through bone in seconds. Much easier than sawing or chopping with a knife.


Chicken Lollipop with Plum Sauce and Toasted Sesame Seeds
 
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Elegant version of chicken wings.
Author:
Recipe type: appetizer
Serves: 12-15
Ingredients
  • 12 whole wings , prepped into 24 lollipop pieces.
  • Kosher Salt
  • Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 jar of plum sauce found in Asian specialty sections
  • 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
  • ⅓ cup toasted sesame seeds.
  • Sesame Oil
Instructions
  1. To Prepare the wing you need to:
  2. Cut off the wing tip of the chicken wing with your shears or knife.( Tip... Don't discard the wing tips, but save and freeze for chicken stock.)
  3. Now cut at the joint between the drumette and the center part, the forearm with wither shears or very sharp knife. You now have two pieces.
  4. Take the drumette and using a small sharp paring knife,slash and loosen the skin at the joint , from the bone. Gently scrape the flesh down and off the bone to push towards the top of the drumette. Leaving the skin on or off is optional. You should have the bone exposed and relatively clean of flesh or tendons. The meat slides back easily once loosened at the joint. Trim off any excess fat or skin you don't want.Set aside and store on ice until ready to cook.
  5. For the forearm loosen and slash the flesh at the base of the joint as before. Pinpoint the smaller of the two bones. Gently push back and loosen the meat away from the smaller bone. The meat will also start to slide of the larger bone. With your shears or knife cut the smaller bone at the top of the forearm. Carefully push back your meat. Again, to use or not the use the skin is optional. Trim off any excess skin or fat.
  6. Keep all meat chilled or on ice until ready to cook.
  7. Pre heat oven to 425 F
  8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  9. Season wings with Kosher salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder.
  10. Place the prepped lollipop wings on the paper. Try to sit upright and leave skin, if any exposed, to crisp and brown.
  11. Bake for approx 30 minutes or until starting to brown.
  12. In a dry skillet , add the sesame seeds and lightly toast until just golden. Don't burn. Remove from heat quickly.
  13. In a small dish mix the plum sauce and fish sauce.
  14. Remove chicken when browned from the oven .
  15. Carefully dip the lollipops into the plum sauce . Try not to get onto the exposed bone ,as it will become sticky for guests.
  16. Place the dipped chicken back on the baking sheet and finish baking for another 10 minutes.
  17. Remove from oven and sprinkle with tasted sesame seeds.
  18. Drizzle with Sesame oil.
  19. Serve hot.
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Pickled Fresh Green Almonds

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“I said to the almond tree , friend speak to me of God, and the almond tree blossomed.”

Nikos Kazantzakis

 

The weather around the globe has been indecisive, but one can tell spring has truly arrived by what’s available in the markets. If you see green almonds in your culinary shopping pursuits, then spring  has arrived. But it’s so fleeting and you must catch it while you can, during the months of April , May and June. I found fresh green almonds at Arax, a Middle Eastern grocery in Niles. I had heard of them but never have seen them before. My co-worker told me of eating them when young in Iraq, and not liking the taste sour taste and gel like inside, so spitting them out.  I did more inquiry and found in some countries like Iran, Turkey and Lebanon, they are dipped in salt water and eaten perhaps with an apertif . I wanted more from the beautiful green fuzzy fruits, and saw a post where in Greece they pickled them and they call them Tsagala. I love a good pickle, and that’s what I decided to do to preserve them  before they get to hard. The pickle is perfect as you eat the green almond whole before they get hard and mature to resemble what most people traditionally think of as almonds. If unpicked the green husk of fresh almonds splits to reveal a more mature nut with a hardened shell . You can read more about green almonds here.


I brought some into work today to show my co-worker who remembered them with distaste from childhood. Ironically at a lunch a week back she was offered some green almonds by another,dipped in salt water and loved it. So naturally she was curious to have my pickled version.  She loved them and the mild heat from the Serrano Pepper infusion. She offered some to a Russian coworker who went nuts for them , no pun intended. I have to bring the rest of stash to them to share some more. The Russian, who wasn’t feeling well said it was just what she needed. Trust me she’s not easily impressed. Almonds are magical and blessed.  Perhaps there is a reason they mentioned in the Bible on numerous  occasions.  I was inspired to pickle the almonds from this post, but naturally made it my own. The flavor gets better in the brine over time, but they are delicious even a few days later. Eat them alone, or add to salad ( green, tuna, or chicken) for a crunchy treat with a bite.


Pickled Fresh Green Almonds
 
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Pickled green almonds
Author:
Recipe type: appetizer
Ingredients
  • 1 lb of green fresh almonds ( available April, May, and June)
  • 3-4 cups white vinegar
  • ¾ cups Kosher Salt
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 5-7 Serrano Peppers, halved with seeds
Instructions
  1. Wash green almonds and pick away leaves or any debris.
  2. Dry.
  3. In a pot combine vinegar , salt and peppercorns.
  4. Bring to a boil and make sure salt is dissolved.
  5. Pack your almonds into the either two small clean jars or one larger one with garlic cloves and Serrano peppers.
  6. Pour the hot vinegar salt liquid over the almonds and make sure they are covered with brine.
  7. Seal the bottle and let cool.
  8. Store in the refrigerator . Flavor develops more after one or more weeks.
  9. Almonds can keep in the brine for several months under refrigeration.
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Tomato Stelline and Escarole Soup with Anchovy Toast. Kiddie Soup with a Grown Folks Taste.

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Life is frantically busy these days. A co worker asked me today , what was wrong, and why I’m so quiet lately. I snapped back and told her to walk in  my shoes the past few weeks and try being fun and sociable. I think she wanted something more to be wrong, and was taken aback. You can’t be everything to everybody, and I’m not even going to try.  By the time I come home from my varied schedule and commute, I force myself to cook something decent.  Because I owe  myself that.The thought of what I’m going to create that night takes the edge of of crazy day.It centers me. The dish need not be elaborate, as most times I’m doing a mental inventory of whats on hand. If I have to, I make a quick stop at the store for extra ingredients. Sometimes I just want a soup. I’m very picky about soup, and am never really satisfied with the offerings around me when out to lunch. I like to be creative with soup and have good clean, yet strong flavors. I whipped up this soup in my head and knew it would be a quick easy pantry type of meal for Certain Someone and myself  . One bite of it took me back to those cans of Chef Boyardee, when I  was a kid. Granted it tastes better, but the childish tiny Stelline pasta was a very Proustian moment for me. The childhood flavor was ramped up with adult tastes and textures of escarole. And then the clincher was toast rounds with a divine anchovy butter. Can you say heavenly satisfying. If your not a fan of anchovy’s, be pedestrian and make plain old garlic toast ( Certain Someones option). That will leave more anchovy toast for the connoisseurs.  Give yourself about 45 minutes to prepare .I cheated a bit with  a chicken soup base. But of course homemade stock is better, if you have it laying around. It’s worth the little extra effort, after a hard days work.

Tomato Stelline and Escarole Soup with Anchovy Toast. Kiddie Soup with a Grown Folks Taste.
 
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A childlike tomato soup, with grown up tastes.
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Recipe type: soup
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup of diced carrots
  • ½ red onion minced
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp of Vegeta ( optional seasoning mix)
  • Dried Italian Herbs
  • 1 28 oz can peeled stewed tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp chicken soup base and 6 cups of water or
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 head of Escarole washed and chopped
  • 1½ cups Stelline Pasta
  • salt and pepper to taste.
  • Baguette cut into rounds about ½ inch thick
  • 4-5 tbsp of unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 tbsp of anchovy paste
  • dried parsley
Instructions
  1. In a large stock pot, add the olive oil. Heat on medium high.
  2. Add the chopped carrots, onion, garlic. Saute on medium heat for a few minutes until softened.
  3. Add the Vegeta (optional) and dried Italian Herbs . Stir.
  4. Add the tomatoes and the liquid. Pulse with a immersion blender until pureed.
  5. Add either the chicken soup base and water or the chicken stock.
  6. Pulse again with the immersion blender until completely pureed.
  7. Bring up to slight boil, and then reduce heat to simmer.
  8. Add the escarole. Simmer until wilted.
  9. During the last 10 minutes of cooking add the Stelline pasta.
  10. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper or more Vegeta.
  11. While the soup is simmering , preheat oven to 375 F.
  12. Cut the baguette into rounds.
  13. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  14. Mix the butter at room temperature with the anchovy paste until spreadable.
  15. Spread butter onto bread .
  16. Sprinkle dried parsley flakes.
  17. Bake , watching carefully until golden. You may raise the temp slightly to 425 the last few minutes to ensure golden crispness.
  18. Serve with the soup while hot.
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Classic Stracciatella for a Beautiful Spring Day

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Certain Someone is a simple man in his dessert tastes. So naturally the divine duo of a rich vanilla based custard , with a semi sweet chocolate  ribbon stream  stracciato ( torn apart) while churning, is bound to be a favorite.  I decided to serve this up for the Easter holiday following a simple fresh slow grilled ham , pan fried leeks and potatoes, and a pea and carrot medley. Even stuffed , Certain Someone made room for two servings of ice cream.

I used to think Certain Someone would be a bit pretentious asking for Stracciatella in American Ice Cream parlors.It’s the European in him of course. But it’s more than differentiating between the naive assumption of  thinking this is something akin to the chunky American Chocolate Chip ice cream. Stracciatella was invented not to long ago, in 1962 by Enrico Panattoni at La Marianna, in the picturesque city of Bergamo in Northern Italy, not far from Milano.It’s based on the Italian egg drop soup of the same name, where beaten eggs are added to a hot broth. The chocolate is more interspersed into the ice cream and broken up into little bits, creating a alternating smooth and creamy yet crunchy sensation on the tongue. Stracciatella definitely has more finesse than the good ole chocolate chip from the USA.

You can find the recipe here. This was adapted from the renown David Lebovitz, who most definitely knows a thing or two about ice cream.

 

Meat Fest BBQ at Coco Cooks

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As I mentioned in the last post, I now have an amazing Weber Genesis grill. As a charcoal grill type of gal I was a little worried about the results of using gas. But our new home owner association only allows gas grills. So Certain Someone and I invited the guys who helped us move and the lovely Chicago newcomer and fellow food blogger Esi over  for a little BBQ. This was our 2nd gathering since we moved in. The first one was for my family. And I’m in the midst of planning a more formal like dinner for Certain Someones partners and business associates  soon.

Here is what I served up. The photos were an afterthought as we just wanted to dig in to the food.

 

 

I cured  this  corned beef brisket for about 3 weeks  and slow roasted it on the grill with indirect heat for a total of six hours. A nice crust formed and it sliced up beautifully after roasting. The only way to go with corned beef in my opinion. This was the all around favorite. It could stand alone or be topped off with sauerkraut and Russian dressing.

 

Naturally this half German household can not have a BBQ without beer bathed Bratwurst. I sourced my brats from Peoria Meat Market ( they sell long rolls of uncut brats frozen and fresh made in-house) and boiled them up in Franziskaner Weissbier first then finished up on the grill with periodic splashes of more beer.  We served these on Pretzel buns and a choice of mustard’s and sauerkraut.

Lighter fare of Old Bay Shrimp tossed in olive oil and generous amounts of Old Bay. Then skewered and grilled.  Chicken breast tenders  marinated in a quick pesto I made with some crushed walnuts, cilantro, parsley, garlic, lime  and olive oil. I adapted this recipe from a Weber cookbook.

Certain cuts of meat intimidate me but I feel I seared this up to perfection.  Outer skirt steak , cleaned and trimmed,rubbed in cumin, chili, paprika, garlic , kosher salt , pepper and some oil.  Marinated a few hours  and seared for approx five minutes on each side.  Cut the pieces with the grain in 4 inch cuts, and then slice thinly against the grain.  Served with Chimichurri sauce.

Assorted charred veggies marinated in balsamic , olive oil, and herbs.

A variation of my favorite recipe from Plenty. Winter Slaw. I use honey sesame , lime, sesame oil, red chili flakes, etc for a fab dressing tossed over red  cabbage and Nappa/ and or white cabbage, mango and chopped candied nuts. Certain Someone loves it.

Red, yellow and blue mini potatoes, boiled and scooped out a bit. Topped with sautéed Crimini mushrooms cooked down with cognac and sage and topped with sour cream. I adapted this recipe from a small great cookbook called 5o Great Appetizers. I have served them for catered events and love to use the multi colored potato medley I find in my Restaurant Depot. If time permits top with a leaf of fried sage.

I also grilled up pineapple and made a batch of the worst cookies ever which I threw together. They were dry puffy chocolate chip and dried cherry . However not bad the day after dunked in coffee. I cant wait to experiment some more on the grill which will become my outdoor summer kitchen as the temps rise in Chicago. Naturally we have leftover for days. I envision some pineapple fried rice with the shrimp and chicken as Certain Someone polishes off the corned beef brisket.