That sneaky chicken…

At some point, KFC, Popeyes Chicken or any other kind of fried chicken has tempted and lustfully conquered even some of the most discerning of pallets. If everything tastes like chicken and more specifically organic free range fried chicken then everything must be delicious. But, if you are like the rest of us who suffer from New York’s square footage malnutrition and live in tiny spaces with tiny dogs and tiny kitchens probably don’t have the ability or the desire to purchase a deep fryer for the occasional glutinous submersion. As you have no option, but to love The Roots and to enjoy the occasional clove cigarette, you succumb to the fast food industry’s siren-like call of the delicious and obscenely detrimental to your health fried chicken.

So, what’s the answer? Do you pack it in and invest in bigger pants in the anticipation of a greasy deep fried future or do you grab your laptop, throw your play list on shuffle and give an alternative a chance? The alternative is the right combination of spices, a little grape seed oil and a little grape seed oil and a little something on the side.

Chicken drumsticks

Butternut Squash

Hungarian Hot Paprika

Morton & Bassett Cajun Spice Blend (paprika, celery seed, garlic, basil, white pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme and parsley)

Chili Powder

Pangu Salt

Nigerian Cayenne Pepper

Grape Seed Oil

The preparation of this meal is extremely simple. Chop all of the drumsticks in half, season to taste with the above listed spices (use only a little bit of the Nigerian Cayenne Pepper), drizzle with grape seed oil and place in the oven at 450 degrees. After 30 minutes, turn the chicken and don’t be shy make sure that it’s covered in its own juices. Continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes. Peel, clean and cut butternut squash, place it in the pan right next to the chicken (do not season) and once again baste it with the chicken juices. Continue to cook for 15 minutes and you’re done.

The beautiful thing about this dish is that you can use as much chicken and butternut squash as you need. The most important part is that you cut the drumsticks in half and use the right spices; everything else is up to the chicken, that sneaky chicken. Enjoy!

What is the nature of the farmer’s market, the organic and the all-natural? I believe that it’s simplicity. If I may venture down the cliché alley, in my opinion it’s the simple things that make our lives worth living. The undemanding and the effortless welcome us in an array of circumstances and unanticipated probabilities; an unexpected smile, the laughter of a loved one or may be just a lazy Sunday walk at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

Personally, the memories of my favorite meals are not set in bold Soho establishments, but are a part of treasured slide show filled with family dinners, friend’s apartments and my great aunt’s loving touch. Back in the day when organic was the norm, the farmers market was just a market and dinner conversation was not just a clever dialogue on ones favorite sitcom, meals were born and past down to our generation. I believe that we need simple recipes for simple markets with simple produce. The simple is the organic and the true. Today, I am going to introduce a simple recipe with ingredients that can be found at any market and prepared by any one.

Sauce

2 medium onions

1 green pepper

1 head of garlic

1/3 bunch of celery

2 yellow squash

2 zucchini squash

7 small tomatoes

Molasses

26.5oz Pomi strained tomatoes

Preheat a large pot with a little olive oil. Chop the onions, celery, eggplant, peeled green pepper, garlic, yellow squash and zucchini squash. Brown the vegetables over high heat. Add fresh tomatoes and continue to sauté. When the vegetables are ready and you’ll know when they are add 26.5oz carton of Pomi strained tomatoes and just as much water. Bring to a boil, add three tablespoons of molasses and reduce to simmer. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Continue to cook the sauce until it thickens to the desired consistency and add more water if necessary. If you are a vegetarian then your pasta sauce is ready and if you are an omnivore like myself add meatballs 10 minutes before the sauce is finished.

Meatballs

3 lbs ground pork

1½ lbs ground beef

1½ lbs ground lamb

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs

1 extra large egg

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

½ cup of water

½ cup of chopped cilantro and parsley

Mix everything in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Shape the meatballs to your desired shape and size and place into an oiled aluminum pan. Preheat the over to 500º F and brown the meatballs. Add the meatballs to your sauce 10 minutes prior to completion.

Cooking does not have to be complicated and ingredients do not have to be expansive in order to prepare a delicious meal. All you need is the knowledge of a couple simple cooking techniques and the courage to use any ingredients that you think will work for you. And trust me, a couple of good friends and plenty of wine alongside your newly found love for the homemade is that one perfect and necessary garnish for any meal.

So, its Labor Day weekend and you realize that the summer is coming to an end. You start to feel the evening chill in the air and you try to get your last minute natural tan, before emptying out your wallet for spray-on-tans and UV lights.  Aside from the excitement of approaching sweater-weather, the next best thing about fall is of course the abundance of farmer’s markets. These are full of grandmas and delicious organic produce brought to you straight from the farm by the people who are truly dedicated to the cause of the “all-natural” and like most of us are discouraged by the plethora of steroids and pesticides in our mainstream food products.

What’s another name for pirate’s treasure? Well, in this case it’s the avocado squash (warning: do not search on Wikipedia – its not there). I discovered these little guys during my weekly trip to Wednesday’s farmers market on 47^th and 2^nd. Until, that magical day, I’ve never heard of heard of the avocado squash, but I was quickly convinced by the enticing sign above this freshly picked produce. The sign stated that it has the nutty flavor of an avocado, but is still by definition a squash. My co-chef (this blog’s editor-in-chief) and I took the plunge into the wonderful world of the avocado squash and sautéed them with a little butter, olive oil and organic soy sauce that very same night. The dish was simple and in a word, delicious.

Now, that you are properly introduced to my new best friend, the avocado squash, I’m going to bring to you an original recipe utilizing the scrumptious qualities of this delectable little treat.

Ingredients:

5 avocado squash (cut the avocado squash in half and spoon out the middle)

1.5lbs to 1.75lbs fresh ground meat (beef, pork and veal)

½ cup basmati rice

14oz can organic diced tomatoes

2 tomatoes

10 cloves of garlic

Celery leaves

2 parsley roots and parsley leaves

1 onion

Fresh dill

Fresh Thai basil

2 teaspoons brown sugar

To make the sauce, sauté on medium to high heat for ten minutes: olive oil, seven garlic cloves, 2 chopped fresh tomatoes, and celery leaves. Continue to sauté and add 14oz can of organic tomatoes and 14oz of hot water. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn the heat down to simmer.  Continue to cook on simmer for about fifteen to twenty minutes, while adding Thai basil leaves, finely chopped squash insides, salt, pepper and two teaspoons of brown sugar. Add water and hot red pepper flakes as needed.

To make the stuffing, mix: one finely chopped onion, three garlic cloves, two grated parsley roots, parsley leaves, finely chopped dill, one egg, one half cup of basmati rice, ground meat and salt & pepper. Add a little bit of the sauce to the mixture to bring to stuffing to the desired consistency.

Load the squash with the stuffing and allow half of the stuffing ball to be exposed above the hollowed out squash. Pour the sauce into a deep aluminum pan. Place the stuffed squash into the pan. Spoon some of the sauce over the stuffed squash. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for one hour at 400 degrees. Uncover, spoon some of the sauce over the squash again and cook for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. When finished cooking allow the squash to rest and then welcome the upcoming autumn season with this delicious meal. Enjoy!