Chicken Legs with Dry Spices and Lard

This is the perfect kind of recipe you want when you don't have much time in the kitchen, but you want something warm and satisfying. Most likely, you already have the spices in your kitchen.

Everyone should keep some lard. It keeps for quite a long time in the refrigerator and, in many ways, is better than butter or margarine.

This package of five chicken legs was less than three dollars. But I can't figure out why they are not packaged six. I like to think two legs per chicken and that no one's leg travelled afar . . .

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay's
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, lightly crushed
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lard
• Kosher salt

Mix the dry ingredients together. You should have about one tablespoon. Lightly rub into room-temperature chicken legs to cover. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. I'd say no more than 1-2 tablespoons. You are not making a marinade, you just want to wet the dried spices to activate them. If possible, allow to sit, covered, for an hour or so.

Add two tablespoons of lard to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. When shimmering, add the legs. Be careful, they will sputter as they cook and release their juices.

Chicken legs really have four sides. Cook for about 15-20 minutes over medium-high heat just until they are golden brown.

Place in a pre-heated 375 F oven and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, turning once or twice, until golden brown and crusty. Remove pan from oven. Remove legs from pan and place on paper towel then on a rack or plate to cool a bit. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and enjoy! 

You could easily make a pan gravy from the drippings. Or, if you're bad like me, use them to dip in chunks of crusty bread. I served with this cole slaw--the kind you buy in the grocery store already shredded and with it's own pack of dressing. Doesn't get much easier than that!

Apple Slump

Summer fruits are but a memory: juicy, ripe peaches and nectarines; plump, sweet strawberries and blueberries. Much of the "summer" produce now appearing on grocery store shelves is shipped south of the equator, and that includes grapes. 

Let's face it. This is the season of apples and citrus. And right now, produce bins are overflowing with apples: Honeycrisp, Jazz, Fuji, Braeburn, Macintosh, Red and Gold Delicious. We have a way to go before local fruits find their way into our kitchen and back into our hearts. But for now, I'll take this apple cake anytime of the year!

This is an adaptation from my 4-Peach Cobbler. I subbed apples for the peaches. Use a firm tart apple, such as Jazz, which will stand up to the wonderful combination of whiskey, cinnamon and allspice. You don't want a soft apple that will turn to mush.

It's important to use the correct pan for this recipe. I use a glass Pyrex 10 x 7 x 2 dish. Because of the baking powder, this cake has a nice rise to it, so you don't want something shallow.

Is it a cake? A cobbler? A slump? I've settled for 'slump' since the apples will fall or slump to the bottom as the cake batter rises to the top. You could sub rum for the whiskey, or just water. I've made this several times now and I'm hooked. Unlike Quick Apple Cake, this recipe has no eggs.

Apple Filling

• 2-and-one-half apples, peeled and cored
• 1/4 cup whiskey
• 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 allspice berries, crushed with a mortar and pestle
• several grates of fresh nutmeg/a tiny pinch of ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice if you your apples are bland (1-2 teaspoons)

Batter

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Topping

• 2 tablespoons sugar mixed with
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

A melon baller makes easy work of "coring" an apple that has been cut in half.

Cut each half-apple into fourths and then cut them in half so you have nice-sized chunks.  Keep a few slices whole. Place all ingredients in a medium pan and cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes just until the apples begin to soften, release their juices, and begin to make a "syrup." If necessary, add a bit more liquid/butter. In the meantime . . .

The apple chunks are tender soft and have made a lovely syrup.

Place the stick of butter into the 10 x 7 x 2 pan and pre-heat oven to 400 F. degrees. Allow the butter to melt and to begin to brown a bit . . . meantime . . .

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, milk, vanilla and a dash of table salt until smooth.

Remove dish from oven. Pour the batter into the hot dish with the melted butter. Now evenly spoon the apple mixture across the top. Sprinkle with the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Return to oven and bake at 400 F for about 25 minutes or until the top is set. Allow to cool before cutting/serving. This cake improves with age, but it's rare to have it last over one day. If desired, serve with a bit of whipped cream.

Notes: Use whatever spices you wish. Always go easy on cloves since they are overpowering. I use about less than one tablespoon baking powder (which is about 3 teaspoons). Use less if your baking powder is fresh. You should always keep it in the freezer. One could, of course, add nut meats, such as walnuts to the apples. Or dried fruit, such as raisins or cranberries.

Quick Apple Cake

This simple, buttery apple cake is from  Richard Sax' masterpiece of a cookbook Classic Home Desserts:A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes from Around the World, published in 1994.  It is called "Ligita's Quick Apple Cake" and of it he says:

"Stick a bookmark right here, and leave it in. Sort of a 'quick apple pie without the crust,' this cake has become one of my all-time favorite, most-often made recipes."

That's quite a claim. That, and the quirkiness of the recipe, convinced me to give it a try.

Sax says it's not necessary to brown the butter once it has melted, but it does add a certain richness to the cake. Use a quality butter, such as Plugra.

Think of this as a large butter cookie with apples. Or a a huge apple doughnut. Sax insists "it wants vanilla ice cream." Perhaps. But a good cup of tea or fresh-brewed coffee is just as wonderful.

I ground 4 fresh allspice berries to add to the cinnamon. Next time, I will omit the lemon juice and add a bit of vanilla extract instead. I used two large Honey Crisp apples and one Granny Smith. They were just beginning to get a bit soft, so I sliced them thick.

The "black" apples are heirloom "Black Twig" apples. They are sweet-tart and better in cakes
than in pies . . . that is if you can find them. It's a bit easier if you live near
the Appalachian chain of mountains here in North Carolina.

Serves 8

• 3 medium-sized tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced, about 3 cups
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon mixed with ...
• ... About 3-4 whole allspice berries, ground. 
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sifted, all-purpose flour

How easy was that?

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 10-inch Pyrex pie dish, not using the butter called for in recipe.

Toss the apples in a bowl with the lemon juice, vanilla, if using, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the cinnamon mixture. Spread apples evenly in the buttered dish.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until lightly golden, about five minutes or so. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Pour the clear, browned butter into a bowl, leaving any sediment or foam in the pan.

Stir the 3/4 cup sugar into the butter. Gently stir in the eggs; stir in the flour until blended. Spoon the batter evenly over the apples and spread into a layer. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake until lightly golden and crusty. 40-45 minutes.

Cool in the dish on a wire rack. Cut into wedges and serve from the pan warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Flea-Market Bargains!

This past weekend was the flea-market "extravaganza" outside of Charlotte, NC. There is one extravaganza in the spring and then the autumn. Neither is to be missed. The others are the first weekend of each month.

We had great weather. And great bargains. The first was a motherlode of restaurant dishes that I collect. They are not easy to find and then there I was staring at an entire box! The woman who owned the booth said, "Oh, you can have that whole box for twenty dollars." I was dumbfounded. The cheapest I ever paid for one dinner plate was eight dollars! I didn't argue and handed over a Jackson!

The box had one dinner plate with dividers. Very cool. Lots of coffee cups but only one saucer. Restaurant wear is heavy, doesn't chip easily, takes the heat of a dishwasher, and keeps food warmer for longer than most other dishes.

The next bargain was a McCoy 11-inch mixing bowl. I've always wanted a vintage bowl, but the prices can be a bit steep. This one was in great condition. No cracks and the glaze was not crackled. It was $98.00! But the price was crossed out and I thought it said $25. When I finally put my glasses on, it really said "Booth # 25. The new price was 70.00. I told my sister that if it was 50 I'd take it. And then a voice behind me said, "I'll take fifty dollars for it." It was from the woman who owned the booth. I handed over a Grant immediately.

This is the McCoy "window pane" bowl. The next day I saw a smaller one in another shop. It was 98.00! LOL . . . This bowl will sit on my dining room table.