Crispy Chicken Thighs

The second thing I ever cooked for my then-boyfriend was Chicken.  "How boring," I thought, "but, it's what I can afford to make!"  Living on my own in San Francisco was fun, but expensive.  As he made the drive from San Jose, I was in full "how-the-heck-can-this-possibly-impress?" mode.  "I know, I'll coat it with an egg wash, that's fancy-ish."  Truth be told, I'm fairly certain I called my Mom to ask her advice on the subject. 

Any dish that garners a "All chicken should be cooked this well" comment is worth humble-bragging about.

4-6 chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 eggs

2 cups flour

salt and pepper to taste 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Preheat an skillet, medium-high heat. Make egg wash assembly line - bowl of flour, bowl with 2 beaten eggs, bowl with flour. Season flour bowls with salt and pepper to your taste. Rinse and pat dry chicken thighs. Taking one at a time, dredge the thighs in flour, tapping to remove any excess flour. Then bathe them in the egg wash. Remove, making sure any excess egg is drained. Then finish with a final coating of flour.  Add olive oil to your skillet, wait for oil to give the slightest whisp of white smoke. Carefully place the well coated thighs into oiled skillet, skin side down. Leave in place for at least two minutes. It will depend on your stovetop temp, but you want the skin to be crispy! When crisped on one side, use tongs to flip the thighs over, cooking for another two to three minutes.  Once crisped, transfer thighs to an oven safe dish, and finish cooking in your pre-heated oven. 

Tacos. The fallback.

Tacos are easy.  They are also my favorite.  This made them the ideal candidate for the first meal I was to cook for chef. 

Knowledge of my Sister's minimal compensation had me convinced that this handsome chef I was dating was quickly going to go broke.  Our first few dates were not cheap, but he kept asking to take me to dinner.  Who was I to turn down this generous man?  After a few weeks I realized there was no way he was going to let me pay.  My only option was to cook.  Before I could stop myself I had invited him to my apartment for dinner.

My spin on Mama's tacos:

The filling:
Ground beef - 1 pound
Chopped onion - 1
Chili Powder - 2 Tblsp
Garlic Powder - 1 Tblsp
Beef Bullion - 1 cube
Cumin - pinch
Cinnamon - less than a pinch

1/2 - 1 cup water, if needed

The toppings:

Chopped iceberg lettuce

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped onion (I like red, you can use any variety)

Sour cream

Shredded cheddar cheese

La Victoria Green Taco Sauce

Side options:
Dad's (well, Grandma's) spanish rice
Frijoles (who are we kidding, not on a first at home date)
Salad (heck no - vegetables?  <- this was previous to my frequent viewing of Food Matters)

For the filling, I like to start by browning the meat first, in a little veggie or olive oil over medium-high heat. You can break up the meat as you go, but try not to pulverize it, unless you like chewy filling.  Add the onions and cook both meat and onions together on a medium heat until the onions are translucent.  Add your desired spices and mix well.  If you are thinking, cinnamon, really? Don't knock it 'til you've tried a bite.  If you have purchased and used ground beef with a lower fat content this is the point when you will want to add some water and mix in the beef bullion cube.  Let the meat simmer on low heat and absorb all those tasty spices get happy with the meat.

The secret really is in the taco filling. Keep things interesting and mix up your meats.  Give ground turkey a spin, or ground pork for a different flavor.

What you put the filling in is entirely up to you. I like flour tortillas sometimes, other  times its corn. Heck, make 'em with lettuce cups/leaves instead of those carb-ridden discs.

This is the beauty of a good taco. There are thousands, millions even, of flavor combinations and toppings. Fire up the stove and enjoy!

Chef and I are married now. I think the first meal was a hit.

Amuse-bouche

A little known fact about professional chefs: they rarely cook for themselves.  At the end of a long day in the kitchen, when you strip away the chef whites and fancy tall hats, there is nothing left but an overly exhausted, ravenous being.


After my Sister graduated from culinary school in 2004 and we moved in together, I operated under the assumption that it would be "all gourmet, all the time." Slowly (read: reluctantly) I came to realize that after a twelve or fourteen hour shift in a kitchen, the last thing she wanted to do was come home and cook for me.  Any mention of that bubbly girl on TV, and her creation of meals in 30 minutes, would be met with expletives as punctuation and questions regarding the location of my mind and the can opener.


By the time I met my husband-to-be in 2009, I had it figured out.  My inventive pick up line I threw at him was, "I get it."  Feeling like I had to prove myself further I rambled, "My Sister is a chef, her husband is a chef, and I work in hospitality so long hours are a given."  Little did I know that long hours would quickly become the least of my worries.

A few months into our relationship I had gotten into the habit of asking, "What did you eat today?"  The answer generally included a taste of this dish or that, a piece of bread, or coffee.  Always coffee.  The day he told me he was just to busy to have anything that resembled a meal, that was the day.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I could hear my Italian Mother's voice, "He didn't eat?!  Anything??"

I desperately want to cook for this man.  But what?  He is a professional.  What could I possibly bring to the kitchen that he doesn't have access to or couldn't make himself?  Cooking for chef?  Sounds like fun.