Hello everyone and welcome back to Prix Fixed, Lifehacker’s column of menu planning advice.
This week’s email is a request for a meal for parents – parents whom the email sender hasn’t seen or hugged for in too long:
Hello Claire!
I want to make a nice dinner for my parents next month. This is the first time since autumn 2019 that we can see each other in person; That’s the longest time we’ve ever been without a visitor.
Number of people: 4 adults
Diet Restrictions: Both my parents and I are on the noom diet. Basically, this means that we are really looking at fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and white meat. We can still make a dessert that isn’t too high in calories (think of a foam cake with fresh fruit or something like a date bar). As for the side dishes, we make a lot of soups on broth, large salads with vinaigrette; not so much mashed potatoes (I miss you all the time, potatoes). We all drink; and most of us like gin. (You can make me temporarily cut back on my potato consumption, but you’ll take my liquor out of my clenched fists, Noom.)
Cooking utensils: We have a good set of pots and pans (stainless steel and antique cast iron), baking pans, etc. There is a 35 year old kitchen help, a food processor, but no mixer. We also have a Sous Vide and an Instant Pot (both bought on my recommendation because I won’t be silent about your columns). My parents have a gas stove / oven and grill (I’m bad at grilling but ready to practice).
Cooking: I’m a pretty competent home cook. Knife skills can always improve; but I am fully able to follow a recipe, and I can ripple a little if necessary or if the mind moves me to do so. Baking skills are greatly improved when I use mixes. I can make a mean meringue though.
It is also remarkable that my parents live in the middle of nowhere and regularly buy “special ingredients” in the Mennonite shop in the middle of nowhere for an hour in one direction.
Please let me know if there is anything else you want to know. Many Thanks!
I’ll admit that I’m not familiar with Noom and its parameters, but “loading up fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and white meat” is a concept that I can really get my brain working on. The first time I read this sentence, I paused, closed my eyes and enthusiastically whispered “poached chicken” in an empty living room. I know poached chicken doesn’t sound exciting, but trust me – it is.
Like AA Newton in. explained her iconic blog In terms of poultry preparation, poaching is the method used to maximize the bird’s potential. “Oh, but what about the skin?” Hater will moan. We will remove it after the chicken is poached and fry it, oh you of little faith. (Did you really think I had no plan for the skin?)
Not only is a poached chicken the most tender and juicy form of chicken, the poaching broth is – in a word – divine. You can toss any flavoring in the pot, but I usually use a whole clove of garlic, a whole shallot, and a very large piece of garlic, like in “one that takes up 80% of the palm of my hand”.
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The result is a simple looking but complex tasting and immensely soothing dish. It feels healing, much like a good, long hug with a loved one you haven’t seen in over a year.
A word of caution: you need to start preparing the dish about 3-5 hours before consumption, but only 20% of that time requires your active participation, as the chicken gets its flavor from a long steeping time.
For one side, I’m a huge fan of a crushed cucumber salad. (Smashed Cukes hold the dressing so much more effectively than smooth slices.) For dessert, I would take advantage of the enormous abundance of late spring and grab the fruit that is most in season in your area. If that’s a melon, grab it or do something Chili salt; If it’s a berry, use half a liter of heavy cream. If you want to have cocktails – and I would think you do – I suggest Meyer lemon white women or Gin Old Fashioneds with fresh lemon syrup.
The shopping list
Enough chat – let’s go shopping. You will need:
- 1 chicken
- 1 large piece of ginger (get a thick knob that is at least 2 inches long)
- 1 shallot (or a bunch of spring onions)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Whatever kind of quick-cooking vegetables you like – spinach, baby pak choi, and sweet pea leaves work well (you’ll need a large handful per person)
- 2 large (or 4 small) cucumbers
- Toasted sesame oil
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sambal Oelek (or Sriracha)
- Fish sauce
- The freshest seasonal fruit your local shop has to offer
- If that fruit is melon or pineapple: chilli salt (or the ingredients for making it) this chili salt)
- If this fruit is a berry or a stone fruit: cream
- Whatever cocktail ingredients you use for that Old-fashioned or White ladies
Pantry Staples You May Have But Might Need To Buy:
- sugar
- salt
- Brown sugar
- I am willow
The plan
To prepare the poached chicken you will need:
- The chicken
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 shallot
- 1 very large piece of ginger
- A large handful of salt (to exfoliate the chicken)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 tablespoon of white sugar
- 4 large handfuls of these quick cooking greens. (Or 4 Baby Pak Choys)
About five hours before dinner (or three hours if your chicken is very small), take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature on the counter for an hour. (Starting a room temperature chicken in room temperature water will ensure that it is fully cooked.) Once it has lost its chill, take it out of its wrapper, remove any giblets, and place it in a colander in the sink . Pour a large handful of salt on the chicken, scrub it inside and out, and rinse it off. This will remove any dirt from the skin and create a clearer, better tasting broth.
Put the chicken in a saucepan, fill the hollow with water, then turn it so the breast is facing up and add enough water to cover it. Cut the first 1/4 inch or so from the top of your garlic to expose the cloves (and be sure to rinse the root end well), cut your shallot in half, and remove the outside papery stuff (or rinse Some spring onions). , and chop the ginger, unpeeled, roughly into 1/4-inch slices.
Put everything in the saucepan with salt and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for half an hour, then cover, remove from heat and let steep for 2-4 hours, depending on size. (Most medium-sized chickens are great at three hours, but you can’t really overcook them using this method.)
Do something else up to an hour before serving, then start with the cucumber salad. (If any of the chicken sticks out during boiling, add a little more water.)
For the cucumber salad you will need:
- 2 large or 4 small cucumbers
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of white sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons of Sambal Oelek or Sriracha
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
When the chicken has another hour to steep, take your cukes, rinse them well, put them in a gallon freezer bag, and mash them with a heavy ladle or small pan. Break the large pieces into bite-sized pieces with your hands. Add the salt and white sugar to the bag, shake it to coat it, then place the cucumbers in a colander in the sink or large bowl. Put the whole thing in the fridge for an hour. Mix the remaining ingredients in a jar, seal the jar, and shake it to make your dressing. Set aside until dinner.
After your chicken has brewed time is up, carefully remove it from the pot by inserting a sturdy, long-handled spoon into the recess and gently tilting it up so that the broth in the recess flows back into the pot. (While you are doing this, have someone else start making the cocktails and tell them to make yours first.)
Gradually lift the chicken out, using another spoon for extra support if necessary. Place the chicken on the cutting board and remove most (or all!) Of the skin. Then, lay the pieces of skin flat in a non-stick pan over medium heat, turning occasionally to ensure that both sides are crispy. While the skin is crispy, strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and pour it back into the saucepan. Bring the broth back to a simmer, rinse and toss the vegetables in the broth and cook until they are light green. Scoop the vegetables and broth into bowls, slice the chicken and bless each bowl with white or dark meat, depending on the bowl owner’s preference. Dab the chicken skin briefly on kitchen paper, season with salt, and place the skin on the poached chicken. Toss the cucumbers with just enough dressing to coat them and serve the salad next to the bowls of broth and chicken.
If you’re serving pineapple or melon for dessert, chop them up and serve them with chili salt. If you serve berries or stone fruits, Get them out of the fridge If you are serving the chicken to allow it to reach room temperature, rinse (and slice if necessary) just before serving. Divide them into small bowls (or tea cups) and pour them in so much cold cream how you feel comfortable upstairs. You can even add a pinch or two of sugar if you’re prone to it. I’m not going to tell Mr. Noom.
