America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook (11 page)

Craig Robinson’s Mom’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Los Angeles, California

SERVES 4 TO 6

Heart & Soul

Craig Robinson describes his father as African American and his mother as French and black. Mrs. Robinson was, her son says, an avid cook and foodie years before the Food Network, and was ahead of the curve and always trying new, healthy recipes. “My mother was doing California Cuisine before the term existed,” he says. “As a child I never really experienced ‘soul food’ in my house. I primarily enjoyed Italian, French, and Lebanese cuisines growing up in my household.” Despite her experimental attitude, his mother’s old-fashioned fried chicken is one of the things he most misses since she passed away from breast cancer in 2005. Plus, he recalls, “Those Food TV chefs had nothing on my moms. She had the look, personality, and—most important—she could cook!”

1 3-pound fryer chicken, cut into eight pieces
2 cups buttermilk
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, tarragon, thyme)
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon onion salt
salt and pepper
3 cups solid vegetable shortening

Soak chicken in buttermilk with garlic, onions, herbs, paprika, and ½ teaspoon of the cayenne pepper. Refrigerate overnight.

Place chicken pieces in a colander to drain.

In a large paper bag, mix flour with the garlic salt, onion salt, salt and pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Meanwhile, heat the 3 cups of shortening in a deep cast iron pot until it’s about 350º F.

Place chicken pieces in bag with flour and shake, let sit 1 minute, and then shake again. Add chicken to hot pan and fry on one side for 20 minutes, then turn and fry on the other side for 15 minutes more.

Place chicken pieces on a wire rack set over a cookie tray to drain, or on a paper towel-lined plate.

Pass It Down variation:
Preheat oven to 400° F. Substitute plain crumbs for flour in the breading. Grease a large, ovenproof dish. Layer the chicken pieces in the baking dish in one layer. Brush the top of the chicken lightly with cooking oil, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20 minutes more.

Pass It Down TIP

Craig Robinson’s mother’s recipe for fried chicken is, he says, “old skool”—using vegetable shortening rather than oil. For a lighter, healthier version (without the trans fat of shortening), fry the chicken pieces using 1 cup of canola oil in a large fry pan. Turn chicken pieces once they’re lightly browned on one side, about 15 minutes, then turn and brown the other side, about 15 minutes more. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and place them on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet or sheet tray and bake in a 400° F oven for 20 more minutes more. This will allow the oil to drip off the chicken while it continues to cook—while staying crispy!

Calvetta McGill’s Finger Lickin’ Southern Fried Chicken

Wildwood, Florida

SERVES 4 TO 6

Calvetta McGill hopes to one day pass this recipe down to her now-infant son. It was handed to her from her great-aunt.“Each time I visited her as a child, this is what she prepared and it tasted better each time.” Ms. McGill’s method requires covering the pot, which many folks feel leads to a truly tender fried chicken.

1 large fryer (about 3 pounds) cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon brown vinegar
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
½ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2 cups canola oil
2 cups flour

Wash the chicken in cold water. Place in a glass bowl with the mustard, vinegar, salt, and peppers. Mix well until every piece of chicken is well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Heat the oil in a large deep skillet until it reaches about 350º F or until a pinch of flour tossed into the oil bubbles vigorously.

While oil is heating, remove chicken from the refrigerator and dredge lightly in the flour.

Place the chicken pieces in the hot oil and cover with the lid. Lower heat to medium-high and fry chicken pieces for 20 minutes, turning once and frying 20 minutes more or until golden brown and cooked through.

Jessica B. Harris’ Touchstone Chicken Yassa

Jessica B. Harris’ New Orleans, Louisiana

SERVES 6

Jessica B. Harris is a historian of African and African American foodways, a calling that has led her around the globe and to publishing multiple books. She is the first Ray Charles Chair in African American Material Culture at Dillard University in New Orleans and has been granted several prestigious awards for her work. She calls this Senegalese dish, learned on a research trip for her book
Iron Pots & Wooden Spoons,
which covered the foodways of Africans in the Diaspora, her “touchstone.” It is, she writes, “The first dish I tasted and truly enjoyed.”

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 large onions, sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 tablespoons peanut oil
1 habañero chile
1 frying chicken (2½ pounds) cut into serving pieces
½ cup water

The night before, prepare a marinade by mixing the lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper, and 4 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a deep bowl. Prick the chile with the tines of a fork and add it to the marinade as well. When the dish has reached the desired degree of hotness, remove the chile and reserve (it can be minced and served separately to the chile heads).

Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (if you are pressed for time you can marinate for two hours, but the flavor won’t be as intense).

When ready to cook, preheat the boiler. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, reserving the marinade and the onions. Place the pieces on the broiler rack and grill them briefly, until they are just lightly browned on both sides. Set aside.

Drain the onions from the marinade. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a deep skillet and sauté the onions over medium heat until they are tender and translucent. Add the remaining marinade and cook until the liquid is heated through. Add the chicken pieces and the water and stir to mix well.

Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken pieces are cooked through, at least 30 minutes. Serve the yassa over white rice.