chicken ragu

 After binging Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix, Kory and really liking Samin's ragu recipe, I checked out the book from the library and we decided to try to poultry variation. We only made a half recipe again and I used Voga Pina Grigio from TJ's.Kory thinks he likes this variation even more than the beef/pork version.

Ingredients

• Approximately 1 cup (200 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 pounds whole chicken legs (drumstick and thighs with skin and bones
• 2 medium yellow onions, minced
• 1 large carrot, minced
• 2 large celery stalks, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1 1⁄2 cups (340 grams) white wine
• 3 cups (450 grams) chicken stock 
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1- by 3-inch (3- by- 7 centimeter) strip of lemon zest
• 5 tablespoons (80 grams) tomato paste
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig (or about a teaspoon dried)
• 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• Parmesan rind
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Brown the chicken in batches 8-10 minutes. Do not season the meat yet—salt will draw out water and delay browning. Use tongs to transfer the meat to a large bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
2. Add the onions, carrots, and celery—the soffritto—to the same pot and cook over medium-high heat. The amount of fat should be sufficient to nearly cover the soffritto, so add more olive oil as needed, at least another 3⁄4 cup (150 grams). Cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are tender and the soffritto is a deep brown, 25 to 30 minutes. (You can cook the soffritto in olive oil a day or two in advance, if you like, to break up the time-intensive steps in the recipe. Soffritto also freezes well for up to 2 months!). For the last 20 seconds or so, add in the garlic slices until fragrant.
3. Return the meat to the pot, increase the heat to high, and add the wine. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits into the sauce.
4. Add stock, the bay leaves, zest, tomato paste, rosemary, mushrooms, and Parmesan rind, if using. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
5. Let the sauce continue to simmer, stirring occasionally. After 30 to 40 minutes, start tasting the mixture and adjusting salt, acid, sweetness, richness, and body. If it needs some acid, add a secret splash of wine. If it seems bland, add tomato paste to bring it to life and lend sweetness. If the ragù seems thin, add a generous splash of stock. It’ll reduce as it simmers, leaving behind its gelatin to help thicken the sauce.
6. Simmer over the lowest possible heat, skimming off the fat from time to time and stirring often, until the meat is tender and the flavors have melded, about 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours. When you are satisfied that the ragù is done, use a spoon or ladle to skim off the fat that has risen to the surface and remove the Parmesan rinds, bay leaves, and citrus peels. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper again.
7. To serve: Bring a large pot filled with at least 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Season generously with salt until it tastes like the summer sea. Don’t worry too much about how much salt it takes to season the water properly: Most of it will go down the drain. You just need to create a salty cooking environment that will season the pasta in the few minutes it spends in the pot.
8. Add 4 portions fresh pasta or 1 pound dried pasta to water and cook until al dente. While pasta cooks, bring 2 cups ragù to a boil in a large skillet. Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss to coat along with butter and a little pasta cooking water. Serve with ample freshly grated Parmesan.

buttermilk roasted chicken

The simplest, most delicious chicken recipe from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Definitely will be making this on repeat. 

Ingredients

• 3½- to 4-pound (about 1.5 kilograms) chicken 
• Salt
• 2 cups (475 ml) buttermilk

Instructions

1. The day before you want to cook the chicken, remove the wingtips by cutting through the first wing joint with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Reserve for stock. Season the chicken generously with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes.
2. Stir 2 tablespoons of kosher salt or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt into the buttermilk to dissolve. Place the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. If the chicken won’t fit in a gallon-size bag, double up two plastic produce bags to prevent leakage and tie the bag with a piece of twine.
3. Seal it, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate. If you’re so inclined, over the next 24 hours you can turn the bag so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but that’s not essential.
4. Pull the chicken from the fridge an hour before you plan to cook it. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C), with a rack set in the center position.
5. Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Tightly tie together the legs of the chicken with a piece of butcher’s twine. Place the chicken in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or shallow roasting pan.
6. Slide the pan all the way to the back of the oven on the center rack. Rotate the pan so that the legs are pointing toward the rear left corner and the breast is pointing toward the center of the oven (the back corners tend to be the hottest spots in the oven, so this orientation protects the breast from overcooking before the legs are done). Pretty soon you should hear the chicken sizzling.
7. After about 20 minutes, when the chicken starts to brown, reduce the heat to 400°F and continue roasting for 10 minutes and then move the pan so the legs are facing the back right corner of the oven.
8. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is brown all over and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and the thigh. Cover gently with foil when the chicken has browned completely.
9. When the chicken’s done, remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.