5. Poultry

STEWED CHICKEN

1 stewing chicken (yearling)

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 stalk celery

1  T. salt (level)

Dash of pepper

3/4 c. water

3/4 c. tomato juice (or ¾c. canned tomatoes)

2  Ts. chicken fat

Clean chicken and cut into quarters or smaller portions. Cut up and sauté the onion, green pepper and celery. Put chicken portions into the sautéed mixture. Make flame higher until chicken is seared on all sides. Lower flame, add all other ingredients and cook for 11/2 hours, or until chicken is tender.

Should you cook chicken broth with part of the chicken, remove the chicken from the broth before it is quite done and put into stewing pot.

FRIED CHICKEN

1 broiler or frying chicken 1 t. onion salt

1  T. salt

1/4  t. paprika

1/4  t. garlic salt

11/2  cs. matzo meal, cake meal or bread crumbs

2  eggs

3/4 c. water

1/2 c·chicken fat (melted)

Cut chicken into quarters. Remove wings from top quar­ters. Mix seasoning and rub into chicken parts. Put breading into a wooden bowl, chop chicken with chopping knife several times while you are covering it with the breading. When the chicken is thoroughly coated with the crumbs, let it stand while you prepare the batter. Make batter with eggs and water; heat chicken fat in frying pan; dip chicken into batter and fry on high flame until the chicken is browned on all sides. Before serving, place in moderately hot, 400°, oven for 1/2 hour (un­covered).

FRIED CHICKEN IN CORNFLAKE CRUMBS

1  broiler or frying chicken

1  t. onion salt

1  T. salt

1/4  t. garlic salt

1/4  t. paprika

1  c. crushed cornflakes

2  eggs

3/4 c. water

1/2 c. chicken fat (melted)

Cut chicken into portions. Mix seasoning and rub into pieces of chicken. Make batter with egg and water, dip chicken portions into batter, roll in the cornflake crumbs and either fry brown (in 1/2 c. chicken fat) on all sides or bake in moderate, 375°, oven for 3/4 hour. After chicken is browned put on brown paper to drain off excess fat. If you bake the chicken, melt the fat (3 Ts.) in baking dish and be sure to heat the baking dish before putting the chicken into oven.

CHICKEN À LA KING

2 cs. cooked chicken (cut up into small pieces)

1  large onion

2  stalks celery

1 small green pepper

3 Ts. chicken fat

1 T. salt

Dash of pepper

1/4 t. garlic salt

} for thickening

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms (or 1 small can)

1/2 c. water
1/2 c. tomato juice
1/3 c. cold water

1 T. flour

Cut up onion, celery and pepper into small pieces and sauté in fat. Boil the mushrooms in water to cover, with 1 T. salt, for 10 minutes. Cool; cut off tips and slice. Add mushrooms and chicken portions to the sautéed mixture, add water and tomato juice, and cook on low flame for 1/2 hour. Put flour into cold water, mix well, add to the simmering mixture and simmer for 10 minutes, stir­ring constantly to keep flour from settling to bottom of pot.

BROILED CHICKEN

1 broiler or frying chicken

1 t. onion salt

1 T. salt

Dash of pepper

1/4 t. garlic salt

1/4 t. paprika

3 Ts. chicken fat

Cut chicken into portions, rub with mixed seasoning. Coat lightly with chicken fat, sprinkle with breading and broil on both sides. Before serving, heat in moderate, 350°, oven for about 20 minutes uncovered.

ROAST OR BAKED CHICKEN  (whole or in parts)

1  heavy fryer or capon

1  T. salt

1  t. onion salt
1/4 t. paprika
1/4 t. garlic salt

Dash of pepper

2  Ts. chicken fat (melted)
1 T. matzo meal

Clean chicken. Mix all seasoning together and rub chicken with the mixed seasoning, both inside and outside. Brush some fat on and sprinkle lightly with matzo meal. Put into shallow baking dish in hot, 450°, oven, bake for 1/2 hour. Baste with the juice of the chicken, turn and bake for an additional 1/2hour.

If you want to stuff the chicken, choose the recipe for any stuffing given elsewhere in the book under the heading of STUFFING. Close up with skewers or needle and thread, and bake.

To bake, rub portions with mixed seasoning, brush with fat, sprinkle with a little matzo meal and put in baking dish with a little fat. Baste often.

ROAST DUCK

1 duck

1 T. salt

1 t. onion salt

1/2 t. garlic salt

1/4 t. paprika

Dash of pepper

Clean duck of all pin feathers. Wash thoroughly, inside and out. Remove giblets. Mix all seasoning together and rub duck with the mixed seasoning, both inside and out­side. Place in shallow baking dish, preheat oven to hot 450°. After 1/2 hour drain off all the fat from the baking dish into another vessel. Turn duck and keep on draining off the fat every 10 minutes. By the time the duck sheds all the fat it will be brown on all sides. Test by sticking fork into the drumstick. If the duck is still not done, lower oven to moderate, 350°, cover the bird with aluminum foil and bake until tender.

When roasting duck put one or two heavy broilers in the same roasting pan. The broilers will take on the flavor of the duck. Baste the chicken with the duck fat as you drain off the fat—in that way you save time, fuel, and you have combined giblets to make soup or other appetizers. Also, you will have enough livers to make chopped liver and other meichulim.

ROAST GOOSE

1 young goose (6 to 8 lbs.)

11/2 ts. onion salt

1 T. salt (heaping)

1 t. garlic salt

Dash of pepper

1 t. paprika

Clean goose thoroughly, mix seasoning, and rub goose with the mixed seasoning, both inside and outside. Place in moderately hot, 400°, oven, drain off fat in other vessel as the goose sheds its fat (as with the duck). Allow 20 minutes to the pound. (Be sure to drain off the fat before it scorches—goose fat is one of the Jewish delicacies. Serve with chopped liver.)

To stuff goose, choose the recipe for any stuffing given under the heading of STUFFING; close cavity with either skewers or needle and thread.

POTTED GOOSE

1 goose

1 large onion (minced)

1 green pepper (cut up in pieces)

2 stalks celery (cut up in pieces)
  1 T. salt

1 T. garlic salt (scant)

1/2 T. paprika (scant)

Dash of pepper

1 c. tomato juice

2 large Ts. chicken or goose fat (melted)
  1 c. water

Clean goose of all pin feathers. Wash thoroughly, remove fat and most of the skin. Cut up into portions—put into heavy pot with all the above ingredients, and simmer on low flame, adding water a little at a time if necessary. Put into moderately hot, 400°, oven for about 1/2 hour to brown before goose is done.

The skin is rendered into fat for use as shortening (see directions for rendering fat, p. 22). The gribenes are crisped and quite a delicacy.

ROAST TURKEY

1 12-to-14-lb. turkey

1 T. salt

1 t. onion salt

1/2 T. garlic salt

1  t. paprika

Dash of pepper

3 Ts. chicken fat

2  Ts. matzo meal

Clean turkey; mix all seasoning together. Rub turkey with mixed seasoning, both inside and outside. Brush outside of turkey with a little fat, sprinkle lightly with matzo meal. Wrap in aluminum foil, put in baking dish in preheated, moderate, 350°, oven. Bake 20 minutes to the pound. Remove the foil for the last half hour and raise oven to brown the turkey. After removing the foil, baste turkey several times with the juice in the baking dish. If you wish to stuff the turkey, you will find recipes for various stuffings listed under the heading of STUFFING. Choose your favorite, stuff the cavity, sew up with needle or thread, or fasten with skewers. Bake as directed above.

STUFFED CORNISH HENS

3  or 4 Cornish hens (they come pigeon size)
1 T. salt

1  t. onion salt

1/2 t. garlic salt

1/2  t. paprika

Dash of pepper

4  spiced crab apples

STUFFING

8 slices white bread

2  eggs

1 t. salt

Dash of pepper

1 medium onion

1 stalk celery

1 small green pepper

3  Ts. chicken fat

Mix the salt, onion salt, garlic salt, paprika and pepper together. Clean the birds, and rub inside and outside of the birds with the mixed seasoning.

Cut up the onion, celery and green pepper into small pieces and sauté in 2 Ts. of fat. Soak bread in cold water for about 5 minutes, squeeze out the water. Combine with the sautéed mixture, add seasoning, fold in the eggs. Core the crab apple by pulling gently on the stem. Stuff each hen halfway, insert a crab apple, put in the rest of the stuffing, and close up cavity with needle and thread or skewer. Brush outside of birds with the balance of the fat, put into moderately hot, 400°, oven for about 1 hour. Turn birds so that they will brown on all sides. This is a very festive dish; you can cut it into halves very easily, as the birds are very tender. Nice for a party.

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