Cooking with Lucia - Roasted Chicken

I've never roasted a chicken before (although for many years I never owned a roasting pan), so I figured now would be the time.  To prep, start with large bowl and mix together white pepper, a little bit of oil, soy (light and dark if you have it), sugar, a bit of brandy or cooking wine, about an inch worth of cut up ginger (squeeze into the bowl), and finally oyster sauce (optional). 

Now to start on the chicken.  We had one that was between 4-5 LBs.  First thing you need to do is reach in and pull out the excess fat and guts and all of that fun jazz.  Do it from both ends.  Cut off any excess fat that you see.  Then bathe it in the mixture (insides also) that you've prepped.  Let that marinate for at least an hour and turn it midway through. 

Preheat the over to 350.

Stuff the insides with some larger pieces of ginger and green onions.

Place the chicken (drumsticks up) on the roasting pan and put it in the oven.  Then its a waiting game for the most part.  About every half hour, flip the chicken.  It should take about an hour and a half, maybe 2.  Near the end, with about 15 - 30 min left, you can brush the chicken with honey if so desired to give it a darker hue and make it a bit more crispy.  You can also, turn the broiler on near the end to get desired crispiness as well.  Finally, to check 'doneness,' poke into the drumstick.  If its bloody, its not done. 

All in all, an easier process than expected.  However, my cutting of the chicken was a disaster.  I may have to revisit that later on in this blog.

Cooking with Lucia - Beef Broth

Now that I'm home, I've decided to make a concerted effort to learn to cook more things.  I already like to cook and do most of the cooking for Kelly and I, but there are certain things I've never made and want to try to make them.  Since my mom is an awesome cook, I figure now is the time to take advantage of her expertise.  I'm attempting to make this a weekly ritual and gain more cooking knowledge.

My first cooking episode was last week.  I wanted to start with just basic beef broth.  I've already screwed this up when trying to make pho, so I thought I'd give it another try. 

What you'll need:
Large pot
Beef bones (we used beef shank)
Ginger
Salt

We start with the beef.  We started w/between 4 - 5 lbs. of beef shank.  Oxtail was also considered (I've heard that is a better, but more expensive choice), but ultimately decided on the shank.  To start out, fill and heat a large pot of water and heat on high until boiling.  While waiting for the water, you need to trim the outer fat layer from the shank. When boiling, put the beef in the pot and cover again.  Also, cut up some ginger and add it to the pot.  The ginger is used as a clarifying agent.  After a few minutes, you can start skimming the fat from the top with a ladle.  After the first skimming, lower the heat, but keep it covered.  Skimming is something you'll have to do periodically throughout.  The whole process should take around 3 hours. Near the end, salt to taste and strain.  Put it in your fridge or freeze it and use it at your convenience.

For a cleaner/clearer broth, after boiling at the beginning for a few moments, strain meat and ginger and rinse.  You can boil this in just a little water.  Then take the meat/ginger and put into a large boiling pot of water and continue as you would normally. 

Secret Menu cont'd

We went to Fortune this past Easter.  There is where I was able to confirm the 2 menus.  The green menu is only in English.  The orange menu is in both English and Chinese.  I didn't get a real good look at either menu, so was unable to see if there are 'secret' items in the orange menu.  I was actually somewhat surprised that the orange menu even had English on it at all.  I'll have to get a closer look next time and/or just aska waittress there so that I can confirm.