edna lewis

Many, many years ago, before I even started writing about food, I went to Atlanta on a business trip. I have no idea what the business trip was about, but what I really went to Atlanta to do was taste...

The Best Fried Chicken Recipe Ever?

salt salt

water

three-pound chicken,

buttermilk

lard

unsalted butter

all-purpose flour

cornstarch

salt

black pepper

To make the brine: Stir kosher salt into cold water until dissolved. Place chicken parts in a nonreactive bowl or pot; add enough brine to cover completely. Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours.

Drain the brined chicken and rinse out the bowl it was brined in. Return chicken to the bowl, and pour the buttermilk over. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Drain the chicken on a wire rack, discarding the buttermilk.

Meanwhile, prepare the fat for frying by putting the lard, butter and country ham into a heavy skillet or frying pan. Cook over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter ceases to throw off foam and the country ham is browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ham carefully from the fat.

Just before frying, increase the temperature to medium-high and heat the fat to 335 degrees. Prepare the dredge by blending together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or on wax paper. Dredge the drained chicken pieces thoroughly in the flour mixture, then pat well to remove all excess flour.

Using tongs, slip some of the chicken pieces, skin side down, into the heated fat. (Do not overcrowd the pan or the cooking fat will cool. Fry in batches, if necessary.) Regulate the fat so it just bubbles, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Drain thoroughly on a wire rack or on crumpled paper towels, and serve.

Fried chicken is delicious eaten hot, warm, at room temperature or cold.

My family has a dinner-table tic: whether we’re at a restaurant or at home and especially good bread is served, someone always says, “You know, I could just eat bread for dinner. This is all I need.” When my father...

Classic Cookbooks: Edna Lewis's Oven Brisket Recipe

beef brisket

Vegetable oil

butter

onions,

Fresh-ground black pepper

allspice

bay leaf

Salt

Wipe the meat with a damp cloth. Heat a skillet, grease lightly with oil or lard, and add the beef, searing well on all sides until well browned. Place the seared meat in a heavy pot or pan. Wipe the skillet out and then add a tablespoon of butter and put in the onions. Stir the onions until they are pretty well browned. 

Sprinkle the meat over with fresh ground black pepper, then add the browned onions, allspice, and bay leaf. Cover closely and see that the pan is good and hot before placing it in the oven. Set into a preheated 400°F oven until the meat begins to cook. Turn the oven to 225°F and leave to cook undisturbed for 2 1/2 hours. 

When finished, remove the meat and press the onions through a sieve. Add to pan drippings and season this sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with the beef.

My modifications: I used a larger brisket and increased the amount of onions. She notes that the weight of the onions should be 1/2 the weight of the meat. I seasoned the meat generously with kosher salt and pepper before browning, and I browned each side for about eight minutes. I sliced my onions about 1/4 inch thick and cooked them until they were a pale caramel color, not truly brown. Instead of using a separate skillet for browning, as she suggests, I browned the meat in a large Dutch oven, removed it to a board while I cooked the onions, and then returned the meat to the pot, scooping most of the onions up and over it. I didn’t see why I should get two things dirty, especially when that might mean losing some cooked-on meat and onion juices. I was not sure how to tell when the meat had started cooking in the oven, so I left it at 400°F for 15 minutes and then turned the oven down and let it go three hours more, which seemed to work out well.

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