Summer Opera Picnic: Part II 


Continue through the second day of food prep with Jim for a spectacular opera picnic tomorrow (well, we can hope). 

I don't know how I ever found time to work. I've been retired now for three years, and just as my friends warned, it takes effort to keep from getting over-scheduled once you're not working. Today, I'm going to spend most of the morning cooking two more dishes for the opera picnic tomorrow. As I told you yesterday, I'm trying to recreate the menu for Summer Canoe Picnic described in Dee Dee Stoval's Picnic. Today I'm making the Lemony Chicken and the Iced Cucumber Soup.

I could make both of them tomorrow. But then I couldn't have free time in case friend, Ann wants to have lunch after church. I certainly can't make them tonight, because Stephen and I will be with friends at the production of Chorus Line being presented as part of the summer theatre program at SIU-E, my workplace for 33 years. And, speaking of being busy in retirement, we'll just have to miss our monthly visit with our beloved Second Sunday Dinner Theatre to get to the opera.

I'm back to the blog after a morning in the kitchen, a bit tired; it's a perfect time to fill you in from my third story lair overlooking Compton Heights. Our building was designed by Ernst Janssen and built in 1895. Janssen also designed a score of elegant homes in the Heights. The Lemony Chicken was fun to make. First the chicken is marinated in lemon juice, then dried and coated with flour and thyme, then browned, and finally baked in the oven until done. I will chill it today, and we will eat it cold tomorrow. To make the Iced Cucumber Soup (our liquid salad) I chopped up peeled English cucumbers and blended them with stock, buttermilk, mint leaves and lime juice until smooth. This will also be chilled and served from a thermos.

I have two pieces of kitchen advice for you this morning. The first is browning advice. What you need, especially with chicken, to get a delicious brown crust, is to use a heavy frying pan. The one I use is the 10" deep covered skillet from Le Crueset. It probably weighs more than five pounds; it is VERY HEAVY. It has an enamel surface that is guaranteed for life. The company replaced an earlier one that I had chipped free of charge. This is technically not a non-stick surface, although if you do things right, the chicken will not stick. That is because there is so much metal that the cold (actually room temperature) chicken does not suck the heat out of it to below frying temperature, even with a full skillet.

To use it correctly for this recipe, what is required is to use enough cooking oil (I used a combo of peanut and butter) to cover the bottom of the pan. I used four tablespoons total. (Fat will not kill most of us, but then you have to decide that for yourself.) Then, while you are coating the chicken with the flour, heat the oiled frying pan on medium for about five minutes. Lay the meat (in this case six chicken thighs) straight down in to the hot oil, and cook for at least 5 minutes on each side. DO NOT MOVE the chicken pieces once they are placed except to turn them! Cook them longer depending on how brown you want them, but not too long, because the cooking is going to finish in the oven. If you have two of these dandy skillets on hand, and two large burners on your stove, you can easily cook a dinner for eight with them. Or cook two batches in the one skillet.

The other piece of advice I have for you concerns making things like gaspacho or cucumber soup. Actually, any blender will do fine, but I have used a VIta-Mix for 25 years. The model I have, a stainless steel one, they don't make anymore, but mine is the equivalent of their Vita-Mix 5000. I got mine at a reduced price from the son of a friend. I often, but not always, get used or bargain kitchen appliances, and I try to get them for life. (There is an environmental issue here, I don't like the idea of throwing away cheap or outdated products. There is no away.) Anyway, if you had to pick just one small appliance for your kitchen, the Vita-Mix would be up there vying for your attention. You can blend, chop or grind ANYTHING with this baby TO SPECIFICATION. You could make brick and pebble soup if you wanted to. I jest.

So to the Iced Cucumber Soup. We are pureeing a lot of cucumbers here. Even though I could have gotten all of the soup in the Vita-Mix container, I did it in two batches. I just feel more in control. Another advantage is that you can taste the first batch, and then adjust the next one for taste if something is out of balance. Then mix them together. What takes the longest is peeling and seeding the cucumbers (English cukes requre less or no seeding). Put the chopped cukes in the Vita-Mix along with stock, buttermilk, lime juice, chopped mint and a bit of salt and let the blender whir away. Mine IS NOISY, perhaps the newer model is more silent. After about 5 minutes, there you are. Chill and serve, but you will have to stir or shake just before serving. Garnish with a mint leaf.

I also dug the big blue plastic cooler out of the basement and cleaned it up. Usually we store these in tall garbage bags, but last year we goofed. All the picnic stuff is on the utility table, Stephen already sorted it for the last outing. So, WE ARE READY. See you on Monday with a full report on the opera picnic results. 

Posted: Sat - June 17, 2006 at 06:56 AM          

©