SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN, ANDALUSIAN STYLE

 

Fried chicken dinner for the Fourth of July. The chicken is fried in olive oil. Those ripe tomatoes are Andalusian. The potato salad is Andalusian too.

Where I grew up in the Midwest, we used to spend the Fourth of July holiday at my aunt and uncle’s farm in southern Illinois. My aunt would dispatch a farmyard chicken, pluck it clean and hack it into pieces. They were floured and slow-fried in fat to a golden brown crunch. God, but that was good fried chicken. With green beans from the garden and a heap of corn-on-the-cob. 

I remember sparklers for the kids. And, right outside the screen porch, at the back of the house, was a big round cement cover over a cistern for catching rainwater. My uncle told us kids it was full of ice and cokey-cola. I could just picture those bottles nestled in heaps of ice. 

So, to celebrate the Fourth, U.S. Independence Day, I’m making “southern” fried chicken. But, the south is Andalusia! Wish I had some corn-on-the-cob to go with it.

Andalusian-style potato salad--patatas aliñadas--to go with the fried chicken. The recipe is here.

Crispy Olive Oil-Fried Chicken

Pollo Frito

American-style fried chicken gets marinated in buttermilk before flouring and frying. For the Andaluz version, I’ve used yogurt instead. (Allow at least two hours or overnight to marinate the chicken pieces.) I’ve used lots of pimentón de la Vera, smoked paprika, both sweet and picante, hot, for my seasoned flour. And, of course, the chicken is fried in extra virgin olive oil. 

The olive oil for frying needn’t be your finest. In heating, the oil loses some of the aromatic organoleptic qualities that are present in raw oil. Use enough oil to come up to a depth of about 1 inch in the pan. 

Heat the oil to about 360ºF /180ºC, which is well below the smoking point of olive oil. Don’t crowd the chicken pieces. Lower the heat to medium so the chicken cooks slowly without browning too quickly. If the temperature is too high, the pimentón (paprika) in the seasoned flour coating will darken. Turn the pieces after six to eight minutes and fry until the reverse side is browned. The chicken should be cooked through and golden-brown on the exterior. You may have to cut into one piece to test for doneness. Or test with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of a drumstick—it should read 165ºF. 

Olive oil used for frying can be strained and used again. Store it, covered, in a cool place shielded from light.

For my fried chicken, I’ve used all drumsticks, so timing is easier. You could use a whole, cut-up chicken 

Use plain flour and fine dry breadcrumbs or substitute gluten-free flour and crumbs for breading the chicken. You will not need all of the spice blend for seasoning the flour. The remainder can be stored in a jar and used for meat, fish, vegetables. 

Yogurt marinade.

Serves 4

For the marinade:

½ cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

Milk or water to dilute the marinade

8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 pounds)

Seasoning blend.

For the seasoning blend:

2 tablespoons pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)

1 teaspoon pimentón de la Vera picante (hot smoked paprika) 

1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon thyme

1 tablespoon crumbled oregano

Pinch of celery seeds

Flour, crumbs, seasoning.

For the seasoned flour:

1 cup flour, regular or gluten-free

¼ cup fine dry breadcrumbs, regular or gluten-free

1 tablespoon seasoning blend

For breading and frying the chicken:

1 medium egg

2 teaspoons water

Olive oil for frying

For the marinade: Whisk together the yogurt, salt, pimentón and lemon zest. Add about ¼ cup of milk to thin the marinade. 

Place the chicken in a bowl and pour over the marinade. Add the chicken pieces and turn them to cover all of the pieces. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours. 

When ready to fry the chicken, drain the pieces of excess marinade.

For the seasoning blend:

Mix together the two kinds of pimentón, black pepper, salt, cumin, garlic powder, thyme, oregano and celery seeds. Only 1 tablespoon of the spice blend is needed for the seasoned flour. Store the remainder in a tightly capped jar.

For the seasoned flour:

Combine the flour, regular or gluten-free, with the breadcrumbs and seasoning blend. Spread the seasoned flour in a rimmed tray or shallow bowl. 

Beat the egg with the 2 teaspoons of water. Place in a shallow bowl. 

Drumsticks frying in olive oil.

Dredge the drained chicken drumsticks in the flour, coat them in beaten egg and dredge them again in the flour. Pat off excess flour and lay the breaded chicken pieces on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Heat the oil in a deep skillet or pan. (See headnotes for more about quantity of oil and frying temperature.) Place a layer of drumsticks in the oil and lower the heat to medium. Fry the chicken slowly until golden-brown on one side (about 6 minutes). Carefully turn the pieces and fry them on the reverse side until browned. Remove and drain the fried chicken on paper towels or on a wire rack set over a pan to catch any drips.

Remove and drain the fried chicken on paper towels or on a wire rack set over a pan to catch any drips.

Serve chicken hot, room temperature or cold.

More for the Fourth:

Corn-on-the-Cob.

Crispy-Fried Chicken Wings.

A SUMMERTIME DISH, SWEET OR SAVORY

 A basket of ruby-red cherries and a flat of bright cherry tomates were keeping company on my kitchen table. Why not use them in a joint effort, for a dish, either sweet or savory, full of summer’s essence?

Clafoutis is a baked fruit dish, of French origin. It’s dense and eggy, somewhere between quiche and cake. The dessert version, traditionally made with black cherries, can be made with any sweet cherry, such as the cerezas or picotas now in Spanish markets, or other stone fruit such as nectarines, peaches or apricots. The savory version is with cherry tomatoes and diced zucchini. 

Twins, sort of--cherry clafoutis at the top and cherry tomato clafoutis below. Clafoutis is a baked custardy dish, sweet or savory. 

The batter for clafoutis, somewhat like pancake batter, is quickly mixed in a blender. The sweet and savory versions are basically the same. The cherry clafoutis has sugar —but not much—added to the fruit and to the batter. The tomato version has more salt, some chopped onion and fresh herbs (I used oregano). These cherry tomatoes are so sweet that this version could have been prepared with sugar, exactly like the cherry version. 

Just to keep things interesting, I added almond flour to the fruit version and, for the savory recipe, I subbed gluten-free breadcrumbs and flour. 

Use a round, oval or square baking dish or oven-safe skillet to bake the clafoutis. They will puff up in baking, but deflate as they cool. Serve clafoutis warm or chilled, scooped or sliced. Cream is a nice accompaniment to the cherry clafoutis; Greek yogurt goes well with both the fruit and the savory one.

Cherries bake suspended in a dense custard. 

This fruit dessert is not overly sweet. Whipped cream or a dollop of Greek yogurt goes nicely with it.

The savory version, with cherry tomatoes and zucchini, is flavored with snippets of fresh oregano.

These cherry tomatoes really pop with flavor!

Clafoutis with Cherries

Flan de Cerezas

18 ounces fresh cherries, pitted (3 cups)

Olive oil for the baking dish

4 tablespoons sugar

1 ¼ cups whole milk

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup almond flour (unsweetened)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup flour

Powdered sugar (optional)

Pit the cherries. (18 ounces whole cherries made about 15 ounces, 3 cups,  pitted.) 

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Cherries in baking dish.

Lightly oil a 5-cup baking dish. Spread the cherries in the bottom of the baking dish and sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon of the sugar.

Combine 2 tablespoons of the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a blender container with the milk, eggs, vanilla, almond flour and salt. Blend at high speed until thoroughly mixed. Add the flour and mix at low speed until blended. Pour the batter over the cherries in the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar on the top.

Bake the clafoutis until browned on top and set in the center (test with a thin skewer), about 45 minutes. Cool on a rack. Serve the clafoutis, warm or chilled, dusted with powdered sugar, if desired.

Clafoutis will puff up while baking, deflate as it cools. 

Clafoutis of Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes

Pastel de Calabacín y Tomates Peras

Use gluten-free crumbs and flour for this recipe, if desired. 

1 cup diced zucchini

Salt

Oil for the baking dish

4 tablespoons grated aged cheese

2 tablespoons fine dry (gluten-free) breadcrumbs

8 ounces cherry tomatoes

Chopped fresh herbs

1 ½ cups whole milk

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon chopped onion

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½ cup (gluten-free) flour

Freshly ground black pepper

Place the diced zucchini in a colander and sprinkle it generously with salt. Let it drain 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Spread zucchini, tomatoes in baking dish.

Oil a 5-cup baking dish. Combine 3 tablespoons of the grated cheese with the breadcrumbs. Spread the cheese-crumb mixture in the baking dish.

Spread the tomatoes in a single layer in the baking dish. Pat the zucchini dry and tuck it around the tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little chopped herbs.

In a blender container, combine the milk, eggs, onion and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Blend until smooth. On low speed, blend in the flour and pepper.

Pour the batter over the tomatoes. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of grated cheese. Bake until the custard is set and the top is golden-brown, about 45 minutes. Serve, hot, warm or cold.

More recipes with cherries:

Cherry Gazpacho.

Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Ketchup.

Sangría with Cherries.

More recipes with cherry tomatoes:

Sauté of Beans and Cherry Tomatoes.

Pear Gazpacho with Cherry Tomatoes.

Cucumber Gazpacho with Cherry Tomatoes.

SALPICÓN IS THE SALAD YOU NEED THIS SUMMER

 

Salpicón con pulpo--chopped salad with octopus and shrimp. 

Here’s a salad that will fit any need for your summer entertaining—lavish dinner party to grilling on the terrace. Starter or main dish. Grownups or kids. 

Salpicón is a chopped salad. (The word derives from sal, salt, and picar, to chop.) The popular tapa bar version of it is salpicón de mariscos, a shellfish cocktail with diced peppers and onions and a vinaigrette dressing. 

But salpicón as a cold supper dish goes back, at least, to the end of the 16th century. Remember the lines? En un lugar de La Mancha—Una olla de algo más vaca que carnero, salpicón las más noches— What Don Quixote ate most days of the week: an olla—boiled dinner—with somewhat more beef than mutton, salpicón—leftovers—on most nights for supper. 

Don Quixote’s salpicón was a cold hash, made from chopping together the leftover cooked meat and vegetables from the midday olla and dressing them with salt, olive oil and vinegar. While you could use boiled beef or pot-roasted brisket in your salpicón, I’ve chosen to use grilled steak.

Strips of steak grilled medium-rare are tossed with diced potatoes, slivered onions and a tangy dressing.

Following are recipes for a seafood chopped salad with octopus and a chopped salad with grilled steak. 

Chopped Salad with Octopus

Salpicón con Pulpo

Colorful and fresh, this seafood salad can serve as a starter or main dish.

Cooked octopus tentacles.

You will need cooked octopus for this recipe. Vacuum-packed cooked octopus can be purchased in supermarkets and from fish vendors. (See directions below if you have whole, uncooked octopus.) The cooked octopus tentacles are ready to be used straight from the package. But, for this salad, I chose to add flavor by grilling the octopus tentacles on a plancha before cutting them up.

Instead of octopus, you can use any combination of shellfish and fish that you like—lobster and mussels, crab and scallops, monkfish and shrimp. You get the idea. Although not traditional, a little chopped jalapeño is a nice addition.

Serve the salpicón as a starter, as you would shrimp cocktail, with shredded lettuce in the cocktail cups. Spread it on a platter or shallow bowl for a buffet meal. Toss it with cooked pasta shells for the best pasta salad you’ve ever had!

Diced octopus and shrimp with peppers for salpicón.

Serves 6 as a starter

8 ounces small shrimp

8 ounces cooked octopus tentacles

Oil for the grill pan

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup diced green pepper

1 cup diced red bell pepper

1 cup chopped spring onion

1 small clove garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)

Pinch of cayenne

3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 hard-cooked egg chopped

3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Salad greens, to serve (optional)

Cook, peel shrimp for salad.

To cook the shrimp, have ready a bowl of ice water. Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp. When water returns to a boil, remove the pan from the heat. Let the shrimp set 1 minute. Drain the shrimp and place them in the bowl of ice water. Once cooled, drain the shrimp well and peel them. Cut them in pieces, more or less ¾ inch. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Octopus tentacles on grill pan.

Heat a grill pan and brush it with oil. Grill the octopus tentacles until they are very lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Remove them from the grill and allow them to cool. When the octopus is cool, use kitchen scissors to cut it into ¾ -inch pieces. Place them in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil. Cover and refrigerate until ready to make the salad.

For the dressing, place the crushed garlic in a small bowl or jar. Add the pimentón, cayenne, vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper.Stir to mix well, then whisk in (or shake) the remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil.

Combine the two kinds of peppers, onions, chopped egg and half of the chopped parsley in a mixing bowl. Add the cut-up shrimp and octopus. Add the dressing and stir gently to combine. Cover and chill the salad at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. 

Serve the salad on a platter or in individual dishes, with salad greens, if desired. Sprinkle with remaining chopped parsley. 

Serve salpicón with chunks of bread or crackers for dunking. Pictured are pieces of regañá, a crispbread typical of Andalusia. 

Steak Salad

Salpicón de Carne

Steak salad could be served as a main dish. Add greens, sliced radish, tomatoes.

Grilled entrecôte steak.

I used thinly-cut entrecôte steak for this recipe, cooking it on a ridged grill pan to medium-rare. Any tender steak can be used, char-grilled or pan-cooked.  Alternatively, use deli-sliced roast beef. Use any cooked ham. I used lacón, Galician smoked shoulder-ham. 

 Soaking the slivered onions in salt and vinegar smooths out the onion’s harshness. They are not a true pickle. You will not need all of the sliced onion for the steak salad. Keep the remainder covered and refrigerated. 

By the way, Sherry vinegar, although mellow in flavor, is actually more acidic (7 percent) than white or red wine vinegar (6 percent). If substituting one for another, add more or less, to taste.

Serves 3-4 as a main dish.

Soak onion slices in vinegar.

1 red onion

Salt

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 cup water

1 medium potato

1 carrot

1 egg

8 ounces grilled steak

4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

Salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon crumbled oregano

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon drained capers

1 cup (3 ounces) diced cooked ham

1/3 cup finely diced celery

Chopped parsley

Salad greens, to serve (optional)

Peel the onion, cut it in half and thinly slice from root end to stem. Place the sliced onion in a jar or bowl. Combine 1 teaspoon of salt, the white wine vinegar and 1 cup water. Pour over the onions and macerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. 

Cut steak into strips.

Cook the whole potato, carrot and egg in boiling salted water until the potato is tender when pierced with a skewer. Drain and cover with cold water. Drain again.

Slice the steak into strips or cubes. Place in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the Sherry vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper and oregano. Let the meat marinate while preparing the dressing. 

In a small bowl whisk together the garlic, mayonnaise and mustard until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of Sherry vinegar and the oil. Stir in the capers.

Drain about ¼ cup of the red onions and add them to the macerated steak in the bowl. Peel the potato and carrot, cut them in dice and add to the steak. Add the chopped hard-cooked egg. Add the diced ham and celery. Stir the dressing into the meat and mix well. 

The salad can stand at room temperature for up to 30 minutes. If it is to be kept longer, cover and refrigerate.

Mix chopped parsley into the salad immediately before serving. Serve with salad greeens, if desired.

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To prepare octopus: Fresh, uncooked octopus must first be tenderized by freezing it for three days. Defrost before cooking. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with salt, bay leaf and a quartered onion. Lowering the whole octopus, tentacles first, into boiling water three times then drop it into the pot to cook. The initial hot water dip causes the appendages to curl and the skin to tighten so that it is less likely to split during cooking.

Figure about 10 minutes per pound cooking time. Test after 20 minutes by probing the thick part of a tentacle with a skewer. The octopus is done when the skewer easily pierces the flesh. If not tender, cook 5 minutes more and test again. 

Remove the pot from the heat and leave the octopus in the cooking liquid for 20 minutes before draining. Remove the beak—a hard bit in the center of the tentacles. Turn the head inside-out. Discard the eyes and all the viscera inside the head. The fleshy head and tentacles are now ready for cooking according to the recipe.

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More octopus recipes:

Grilled Octopus with Pimentón Mayonnaise.

Octopus with Tomato Sauce.

Galician Style Octopus and Potatoes.

Octopus with Chorizo and Chickpeas.

More steak and beef recipes:

Spanish-English Steak Glossary.

Steak Sandwich with Mushroom Ketchup.

Hash with Beef.