Spring Chicken

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 797, 29 October 1954, Page 32

Spring Chicken

OULTRY is no longer so expensive or so scarce-probably since the more general use of deep-freeze. So don’t think only of stuffing and roasting a pair of chickens! for a_ specially nice dinner; or even of the really pleasant steamed fowl with parsley sauce, so useful when an older fowl has to be disposed of; but try some of these ideas, for a change. Chicken de Luxe I saw this cooked by the chef’of a big liner, at a cooking demonstration. Not difficult, and definitely "de luxe." Boil chicken 15 minutes. When cold cut into joints — remove bones or not, as Gesired. Also skin, Have ready some mashed potato, cooked asparagus, slices of cooked ham and cooked green peas. Dip chicken pieces first in seasoned flour, then in egg beaten with a little water, and then in breadcrumbs. Fry in hot smoking shallow fat. When done, arrange high mound of mashed potatoes in centre of dish. Almost cover with fried chicken pieces, pressed into potato. Wrap each slice of ham around 3-4 stalks of asparagus, and put under griller for a few minutes to heat through. Arrange these on dish-three rolls each end of the dish and green peas in between on the sides. Braised Chicken This was publicised some years ago as the favourite dish of the film star, Mary Pickford. Stars may dim, but chicken dinners remain popular. Cut up young fowl, about 3 lb. Dredge with flour, seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika. Fry in butter until light brown, add water and cook slowly until tender. Serve with the following sauce:-One onion (sliced and browned), 1 large green pepper (sliced thin), 1 cup celery (cut fine), 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon paprika, pinch cayenne pepper, 1 cup tomatoes (sliced), 2 cups stock (made from trimmings of fowl). Cook all 1% hour, thicken with flour, and add a few mushrooms cut up and fried in butter. Chicken Pie Take 3-4 large chickens, or 1 large fowl, and stew gently till tender with an onion and some herbs. Strain off liquor and remove meat from bones and cut in neat pieces. Boil 3-4 eggs hard, and make a forcemeat or use sausage meat if preferred. Arrange in a piedish a layer of fowl, sliced ham or bacon, one of forcemeat or sausage, one of sliced egg, and so on, with seasoning of pepper, salt, nutmeg and pounded mace between each. Pour in about a cup of strained stock. Cover with puff paste and bake till pastry is nicely cooked. Leave a hole on top, and when done, add a cup or more of hot gravy. If to be eaten cold, dissolve a little gelatine in gravy before adding. Steamed Fricasseed Fowl Cut fowl up. Put one small onion, parsley, and a small piece of thyme, in a muslin bag. Place all in cooking basin, add pepper, salt and water, and steam 2-3 hours. Depends on state of fowl. When tender lift out pieces of fowl and place in oven on dish. Take out herb bag. Thicken liquid in basin with 1

tablespoon each of butter and flour mixed. Allow to boil, add ¥ cup cream and 1 egg. yolk. When gravy is ready

replace pieces of fowl. Heat through. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice. Creamed Chicken Two tablespoons fat, 1 tablespoor flour, dash of white pepper, 1% teaspoon salt, ¥2 teaspoon paprika, 2 cups cream or evaporated milk, 1 egg beaten, 2 cups diced cooked chicken, 2 cups cooked asparagus tips cut into 2-inch lengths, 2 tablespoons chopped, green peppers. Melt fat, add flour and seasonings. Add cream and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Pour over egg and blend. Add chicken, asparagus tips and green peppers and heat thoroughly. Serve on hot toast. This may be placed in casserole with 42 cup buttered breadcrumbs sprinkled over top, brown in the oven. One cup cooked broccoli cut in 2-inch. pieces may be used instead of asparagus. Chicken Pie A 4 Ib. roasting chicken cut up, salt to taste, 2 stalks celery, 1 bay leaf, 14 small white onions, 4 large sweet potatoes (or kumaras), 9 tablespoons butter or shortening, 7 tablespoons flour, 1 cup top milk, 2 cups chicken broth, pepper, dash of mace, ¥2 teaspoon Worcester sauce, 2 tablespoons sherry (optional), milk. The day before simmer till tender the chicken, 1 tablespoon salt, celery, and bay leaf, in enough boiling water to half-cover (1 to 1% hours). Add more water if necessary, as it boils away. During last ¥% hour add onions. Cool chicken and remove bones. Leave in fairly large pieces, and arrange the chicken and onions in a 2-quart casserole. Store in refrigerator, covered. Chill the broth. Next day, for the dinner, cook the kumaras in their jackets till tender; drain. Meanwhile prepare following sauce: Melt 7 tablespoons butter in double boiler, add flour, stir smooth. Then add top milk and chicken broth while stirring; cook till thickened, stirring constantly, Season with salt to taste, pepper, mace, Worcester sauce and sherry. Pour this over chicken (lifting pieces so sauce reaches bottom of casserole). Mash kumaras (peeled), add 1 tablespoon salt, little pepper, the two tablespoons butter and enough milk to make fluffy and creamy. Beat well with a fork or masher, then heap on top of pie. Brush with salad oil or dot with butter, bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes or till golden brown and heated through. Serves 6. Kentucky Fried Chicken One young chicken, 11% cups sifted flour, 1% teaspoon salt, dash of pepper, 1144 teaspoons baking powder, 1 egg, 2 cup milk. Cut chicken into serving portions, steam or stew until tender. Dry and keep cool until time to fry. This may be done the day before serving if a large quantity is to be cooked. Just before frying mix and sift flour, salt, pepper and baking powder together. Beat eggsand add milk. Combine liquid with dry ingredients. Dip each piece of seasoned chicken into this batter and fry in hot deep fat (380 degrees) until brown, Serve hot. If very young chicken of broiling size (14% to 2 pounds) is

used, it may be cut into halves or quarters ahd fried without pre-cooking. French Fried Chicken: Instead of using batter, dip séasoned chicken into fine crumbs then into egg diluted with 2 tablespoons «milk, and roll again in crumbs,