Middle Eastern and Chinese chic THE FRUGAL GOURMET CHICKEN HAS always been a favorite of mine. When I was a iittle kid in Tacoma my mother raised chickens in our garage, thus assur- ing us of gocd meals no imatter how bad the economy became. I had to feed the messy little rascals, so we_were not fond of one another, but | liked the chicken once it was on my plate. Most of the fat on the chicken is to be found in the skin, so if you want te cut down on fat, simply remove the chicken skin before cooking. CHICKEN THIGHS IN YOGURT AND ONIONS Gerves 4) While this dish is terribly easy and quick ‘to prepare, it has enough depth of favor for a fine dinner party. 3 tablespoons olive oi! 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced 8 chicken thighs Salt and freshly ground black Pepper to taste 2 cups plain yogurt 1 tablesgoon chopped parsley GARNISH: Sumac or Zartar (found i in Middle Eastern markets) Heat a large frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the gariic and onion and saute until the onion is tender. Do not brown. Season the chicken with salt and Pepper to taste. Heat another fry- ing pan and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Brown the chicken on both sides and remove to a 13’’x 9” glass baking dish. When the onions are tender stir in the yogurt and parsley off the heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken thighs and bake at 375°F for 35 minutes. Garnish with sumac or zariar. CHICKEN WITH TWO ONIONS IN SAND POT (Serves 4-6 as part of a Chinese meal) This dish will have an unusual flavor due to the use of the wonderful five-spice powder. I[f you do not have a sand pet you can use a stove-top casserole. 1 3-pound chicken, hacked into 2-inch pieces MARINADE: 2 tablespooss light soy sauce 2 tablespoons dry sherry or Chinese rice wine 1 teaspoon = ginger, julienn< or grated 4 tablespoons peanat oil 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped % teaspoon salt 1 cup Chinese Chicken Soup Stock (recipe below) 2 yellow onions, peeled asd cut into 8 wedges each; divide the wedges into leaves 6 green onions, slivered Pinch of brown sugar % teaspoon five-spice powder (find in oriental mzrkets) Yo head iceberg lettuce, torn up Cut the chicken and mix with the marinade. Allow to sit for 15 either cut -Tninutes. Heat a wok and add one-half of the oil. Chow the garlic and salt for just a moment. Add the chicken, drained of the marinade. Reserve the marinade. Brown the chicken well on all sides and add the broth. Cover and cook until! the chicken is dene to your taste. Remove the cover and allow the broth to reduce a it. Remove all from the wok and set aside. Heat the wok and add the re- maining oil. Chow the onions un- til the yellow ones begin to brown a bit. Return the chicken to the wok along with all remaining in- gredients except the lettuce but in- cluding the marinade. Chow for a few moments so that ail is hot. Place the lettuce in a 4-quart sand pot or stove-top casserole. Top with the chicken and onions and cover. Place on the stove and heat until the pot is very hot. Serve immediately. . CHINESE CHICKEN SOUP STOCK (Makes 44 quarts) THE chicken dishes from China are characterized by the use of a five-spice powder; olive oil is common in the Middle Eastern preparations. 5 pounds chicken backs and necks 2 slices fresh ginger, each the size of a 25-cent piece 2 Chinese dried turnip balls (preserved iurnip or preserved radish, coarsely chopped and rins- ed with fresh water — find in ori- ental markets) Place the bones in a 12-quart stockpot and cover with water. On high heat bring the bones barely to a simmer. Foam and scum will form on the top of the pot. You do not want this to boil. Drain the bones, discarding the water, and rinse. well with cold water. Add 1 quart of fresh water for each pound of bones, along with the ginger and rinsed dried turnip. Bring to a simmer and cock 1! hour, uncovered. Strain the soup stock and discard the solids. Remove the fat by chilling the stock overnight and removing the fat when it has congealed. CHICKEN WINGS IN FIVE SPICE POWDER (Makes 24 nieces) It takes a pile of these to fill a family, but they make a wonder- ful addition to a Chinese meal of several courses, 32 chicken wings, whole MARINADE: ¥2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger Ys cup light soy sauce Ye cup dry sherry or Chinese rice wine %2 teaspoon five-spice powder (find in oriental markets) 1 cup water-chestnut flour (find in oriental markets) 4 cups peanut oil for deep-frying Cut each wing into three logical pieces. Seve the tips for soup and use only the two meatier parts for this recipe. Prepare the marinade asd Marinate the wing pieces foi one-half hour. Drain and toss in the water-chestnut flour. Deep-fry at 360°F until golden brown, about 5 minutes. CHICKEN AND PORK IN LETTUCE (Serves 4-6 as part of 2 Chinese meal) If you have never had such a dish in lettuce leaves you are in for a treat. % pound pork, coarsely chopped Y% pound chicken, skinless and boneless, courscly chopped MARINADE: 2 tablespouns tight soy sauce 1 egg white, beaten 1 tablespuon cornstarch 1 tablespoon dry sherry or Chinese rice wine Y% teaspoon freshly grated ginger 3 tablespoons peanut cil 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons peanut oil chowing 3 eggs, beaten 1 ounce black tree-ear fungus (find ia oriental markets), soaked in fresh water fos t hour 1 tablespoon oysier sauce 1 tablespoon sesa..e oi? 3 green onions, chi pped 1 head iceberg lettuce, separated into whole leaves Chop the meats and marinate ONLY THE PORK in the marinade mixture for 15 minutes. Heat a wok and add the oil and salt. Chow the chicken first, just until barely done, and remove. Add the pork along with the marinade and chow until done to taste. Remove. Heat the wok zgain and add the oil for the eggs. Beat the eggs and chow over redium heat so they become scrambled but not dry. Chop them up in the wok with the wok paddle and remove to a plate. Add the remaining ingredients except the lettuce to the wok and chow until the fungus is hot. Add the pork, chicken and eggs to the mixture and toss until all is hot. Remove to a serving bowl. Serve by wrapping a few table- spoons of the meat mixture in a lettuce leaf. for Impeccably poached pears rival fresh counterparts inquisitive Gook SUE WILSON ANNE GARDINER THERE ARE few fresh fruits as delectable as a ripe pear — mellow, juicy and aromatic. So it’s somewhat comforting to know that pears are available throughout the fall. Though some varieties are more suited to cooking than others, a pear impeccably poached easily rivals its fresh counterpart. Pears are an ancient fruii, even older than anoles. ‘They were cultivated mare than 4,000 years age. By the 17th veniury, early Malian fruit catalogues named over 200 varieties. There are far fewer varieties grown today, but those that re- main are the best of the early specimens. Pears are picked green, for they are particularly prone to develop- ing grit cells or stone cells. These unusual cells, found clustered sear the core, cvntain lignin, a com- pound lending a woody charuc- teristic to some fruits and vegetables, Pears with stone cells have a grainy texture, which remains even after cooking. Because ripe fruit produces grit cells more plentifully, fewer stone cells form in pears picked while immature. Green pears ripen more quickly when placed in a lightly closed paper bag on your kitchen counter, They'll be sweet and suc- culent is a matrer of days. Hut a perfect pear is a fragile fruit. As it ripens, check often to see if the stem end yields to genie pressure, The degree of ripeness ta easy to misjudge as pears mature from the inner core to the outside. Any browning at the core means the pear is past its best. Some varieties, such as Anjou and Seckel pears, may still look quite green even while ripe. The ever-popular Bartlett ripens to a pale yellow with undertones of green, and the Red Bartlett to a crimson. The Bose pear, which matures in late October, colors to a rich tusset. it’s particularly well-suited (co poaching. Pears selected for poaching should be just-ripe. If 100 soft, they "Hl be mushy when cooked. A wine and sugar syrup mixture often forms the poaching liquid. A dry red wine fends pears a rosy blush, while a fruity white wine spiced with fresh ginger, cin- namon, cloves or even a pinch of cayenne, adds zing to mellow fla- vors. In addition to coloring and fla- vor, the acidity of the wine acts with sugar to help pears hold their shape. Whole or half-pears are peeled so the poaching syrup reaches to the centre of the fruit during gentle cooking. As simmering pears become slightly translucent and just tender, remove them. Poaching takes 10 to 20 minutes but will vary according to the ripeness and size of each pear. ‘{ syrup does not cover fruit, turn whole cored pears halfway through cooking. Hurried poaching may result in shrivetied fruit. Cover and chill before serving. Accompany pears with an crange custard sauce for @ contrast in both flavor and texture, This may well be the finest dessert of the fall.