This is Chicken Month!
Beef is very popular, getting increasingly expensive, also getting bad press for the manner of slaughter. Furthermore, beef is being made more "lean" meaning that the taste-carrying fat is disappearing. Pork has been made tasteless, virtually, in its evolution to "the other white meat." Ah! But chicken. Chickens are not what they used to be, of course. By now you know that nothing is. Some of us are old enough to remember when chicken was strictly a Sunday dish, or for very special company. We also remember that these chickens were pretty chewy and that there were a lot of "stewers" around because nobody wanted to knock off a chicken that still was laying. There are some drawbacks to today's chicken, but they are cheap and one can do many things with them.
We chickened out on this month's column in hopes that you would enjoy the fowl taste.
Obey the instructions for this one:

Sesame Cornish Hens
• two hens to serve 4 persons with
other menu items or
• two hens to serve 2 persons if main
course
• 1/2 gal buttermilk
• sesame seeds
• breadcrumbs
Split hens by cutting through back then through breast from inside. Wash in salt water, dry and place in large enough container to hold birds and to completely cover with the buttermilk. Cover and soak for at least 4 hours.
Lift from bowl, drain, but do not wipe. Dip in a mixture of half sesame and half crumbs. Place in shallow baking dish, bake in preheated 325 F. oven until done, about one hour. Salt and pepper to taste.

This is a favorite and very easy to make:

Chicken with Lemon
Yield: 4 servings
• 1 Fryer chicken
• 2 tsp unsalted butter
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1/4 cup brandy
• grated zest one lemon
• 1 cup chicken broth

Cut hen into 8 pieces, melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot and saute the shallots with the thyme over medium heat until they are wilted and aromatic, stirring often to prevent sticking.
Add the hen skin side down, cover, reduce the heat and cook until the meat becomes golden and crispy.
Raise the heat and add the brandy, light a match to the pot, standing back and keeping your hair and clothes away from the flame.
When the flame dies down, turn the pieces over to cook the other side. When the hen is evenly browned, stir in the lemon zest, broth, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer until the hen is tender.
Serve hot, preferably accompanied by hot polenta. (Make the polenta with 1/2 strength chicken broth and serve while still sort of mushy.)

You can cook this ahead and hold in oven:

Mexican Flavored Chicken Thighs
Yield: 4 servings
• 4 cloves peeled garlic
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 tbls fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne, or to taste
• pinch ground cloves
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbls peanut or other oil
• 2 tbls orange juice
• 2 tbls fresh lime juice
• 2 pounds thighs, with bones
• chopped cilantro for garnish
Preheat gas grill, charcoal fire, or broiler to moderately hot, rack about 4 inches from heat.
Combine the garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, cayenne, cloves, salt, pepper and oil in a blender or small food processor, and blend until fairly smooth. Add the juices. Taste and adjust seasoning; the flavors should be powerful.
Spread sauce over chicken and if time allows, marinate 30 minutes or so. Grill 6 to 8 minutes a side, or until meat is nicely browned and cooked on the inside. Serve garnished with cilantro.

This might be the very best roast chicken you will ever prepare:

Perfect Roast Chicken Pieces
(Adapted from Gramercy Tavern, N.Y.C.)
Yield: 3 servings
• 3- to 3 1/2-lb chicken, cut into 6 pieces
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbls peanut oil
• 2 tbls butter
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs thyme
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse chicken pieces, dry thoroughly with paper towels. Cut off the last joint of each wing and discard. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Place the chicken pieces skin side down in the skillet and brown about 7 minutes. Turn and brown other side, about 4 minutes.
Transfer pan to oven and roast, basting occasionally about 20 minutes. Add butter, rosemary and thyme. Cook, spooning butter over chicken every 5 minutes, until thigh juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove chicken pieces from pan as they are cooked; the breasts will finish first.
Cover pieces loosely with foil and allow to rest 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Roast Chicken
With Green Olives and Cilantro
Yield: 4 servings
• 2 tbls + 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 2-inch piece cinnamon
• pinch of saffron or 1/4 tsp turmeric
• kosher salt
• 2 cups rich chicken stock
• 2 tbls peanut oil
• 3- to 4-lb chicken, cut into 4 pieces
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbls minced green olives
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbls coarsely chopped cilantro

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place 2 tbls olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, cinnamon, saffron and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the stock and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the chicken. When the liquid has reduced by about three quarters and become syrupy turn off the heat.
Heat peanut oil in a large, ovenproof skillet, preferably nonstick over medium high heat for a minute or two. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place it in the skillet, skin side down and cook undisturbed until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn it over and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. Turn it over, skin side down again, and place the skillet in the oven. Check chicken after 15 minutes and remove pieces as they are cooked through. (Breasts will finish cooking before legs; keep them warm.)
To finish the sauce, whisk in the remaining teaspoon olive oil and olives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes over medium high heat, stirring once or twice. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and cilantro. Remove the cinnamon stick.
To serve, arrange chicken on 4 plates, spoon sauce around it not over it, so that chicken stays crunchy.
La Campana is one of the oldest restaurants in Rome and this dish is its signature:

Roman: Chicken from La Campana
• 1 2- to 2 1/2-pound broiling chicken
• 4 tbls butter
• 6 tbls olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
• 2 whole cloves garlic
Wash and dry chicken; split open along backbone; crack breastbone and spread chicken as flat as possible. Rub with butter, salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet (cast iron is best) with the rosemary and the garlic. Arrange chicken in oil, breast side down; on top of chicken place a cover with a weight on top to keep the chicken as flat as possible. Cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes; turn chicken and cook for 10 minutes longer; again, turn it over for another 10 minutes.
Now it should be ready to serve. It is delicious hot and also very good cold.

The Old is New &
the New is Old
Andriacchi's on Division Street in Ishpeming has been resurrected. This old Italian store first opened its doors in 1896, selling general merchandise. Later it specialized in Italian goods. The present building was constructed in 1912. The original store was opened by Dominic Andriacchi and he ran it until his death in 1956.
Theresa and Joseph Andriacchi, sister and brother, took care of the daily operations for many years. Theresa, who was completely "allergic" to photographs (only one baby picture of her exists) was at the store every day until shortly before her death at age 98 in 2000. I visited her many times and tried, with no luck, to get a photograph of her. She ordered me out of her store whenever she saw that I had a camera with me. I had a very small camera and I would put it in my trouser pocket, where it couldn't be seen. Somehow she always sensed that I had it. I never did fool her.
When I took a picture of the outside of the store, she went to the back of the building on the slim chance that I might capture her image from the street. The shelves became almost bare in the final days of Joseph and Theresa, but Josefa, the present Andriacchi to operate the store, is filling it with an eclectic stock including canned food and Italian sausages. Other merchandise includes a very fine collection, still being improved, of Italian dishware, brightly painted, cheery and excellently priced.
In the old days, Andriacchi's was especially noted for Baptismal gowns and First Communion dresses. No sign of those any more. My father visited this store from time to time for olive oil, Brioschi (still in stock) and various anitpasto ingredients.
The old store is worth a visit and I say, welcome back.
—Don Curto

Marquette Monthly(TM),  *  Site Comments? Web Design