Dec 14, 2015

100 pre-orders reached over the weekend!  On to 250. Don't forget to pre-order if you haven't, and even if you have why not pre-order again for a friend?  In the meantime, how about another recipe? No cocktails this time, but food (because it's usually good to have something in your stomach to soak up all that alcohol, huh?) There's a scene in the book where Susan and Edith Vale cook chicken hash together in Edith's kitchen in Pasadena. The recipe actually comes from Julia Child. Many people, when they think about Julia, think French food, of course, but Julia was born in Pasadena (this is discussed briefly in the book btw) and she died in Montecito, a short ways up the coast from Edith's house at Trancas. She also had very strong New England ties, and in her book "The Way To Cook" she includes many recipes for hearty New England fare. Like all New Englanders, Julia had a thrifty side. So if you have leftover beef, or ham or chicken, turkey, what do you do? You make hash, of course. So here's the recipe for Chicken Hash that Susan cooks (while Edie watches and smokes Parliaments and drinks her Manhattan). It's a great way to use up leftovers. It's crusty on the bottom, but tender inside. If you like, toss a poached egg on top. Enjoy!!

Chicken Hash (recipe adapted from Julia Child's "The Way To Cook"

1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked chicken, skin and bones removed

salt and fresh ground pepper

2 tbsps. olive oil

1 cup onions, finely diced

2 tbsps. butter

2 tbsps. flour

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

2 cups diced peeled potatoes (about 2 large Idaho)

3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

3 tbsps. chopped Italian parsley

1)  Cut the meat into a 1/4 inch dice. In a bowl season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

2)  Place potatoes in saucepan, cover with water. Add a little salt and bring to simmer. Cook, about five minutes, until potatoes are tender. Set aside.

3)  In a 10 inch skillet (non-stick is best for this) melt the butter and saute onions until tender and lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Blend in four. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.  Add in one cup chicken stock. Bring to simmer, stirring, for another two minutes, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. This is your hash base. Fold the potatoes, meat and the remaining stock into the base. Cover and simmer, slowly, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the hash begins to crust on the bottom. Uncover, stir the crust into the body, and if the mixture seems dry, add a little extra stock. Taste for salt and pepper. Cover and let crust on the bottom again, 10 or 15 minutes more.

4) Stir up again. Blend in the cheese and parsley and cook, 5-10 minutes more, uncovered this time, until the bottom is nicely browned and well-crusted.

5) Either flip the hash over in the pan and slide onto a platter, or remove portions and flip over onto plates so the crusty side is up. You could serve this with tomato sauce but good old ketchup works well too.  Edith Vale would insist on Heinz Ketchup and Heinz only because she's insane about this kind of stuff.