The Louisville Chef

This has always been a favorite dish of mine. After looking at so many recipes, I finally settled on this version, which is inspired by Fuchsia Dunlop. Her understanding of Chinese cuisine is impressive as she speaks Chinese and studied at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine in Chengdu.

Ingredients:

2 boneless Chicken breasts/Thighs (about 300g or 3/4 pound in total)

3 cloves of Garlic and an equivalent amount of Ginger, sliced. 

1 Red Pepper, cubed.

5 Green Onions, white parts only

4 Tbsp Vegetable oil

A handful of dried red Chillies. I like Chao tian jiao, Zi Dan Tou or facing heaven chilies – Medium heat and fragrant.

1/2 tsp toasted and crushed Sichuan Peppercorns

75g (2/3 cup) roasted Peanuts

For the chicken marinade:

½ tsp Salt

2 tsp light Soy Sauce

1 tsp Shaoxing wine

1½ tsp Potato flour or Cornstarch

1 tbsp Water

For the finishing sauce:

3 tsp Sugar

¾ tsp Potato flour or Cornstarch

1/2 tsp dark Soy Sauce

1 tsp light Soy Sauce

3 tsp Chinkiang Vinegar

1 tsp Sesame Oil

1 tbsp Chicken stock or Water

Preparation:

Begin by marinating your chicken and setting it aside.

Heat your wok with 4 Tablespoons of oil and heat until smoking, then add chicken and allow to brown slightly. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon or spatula and set aside. Pour off almost all of the extra oil, as you will get plenty from the chicken.

Reduce heat and add dried chilies, garlic and ginger. Making sure not to burn. Then your red pepper and green onion and sauté just until they begin to soften. Increase heat and add back the chicken and stir fry to combine. 

Add your sauce and allow to thicken, reduce heat and finish with sesame oil, Sichuan peppercorns and peanuts.

This dish is wonderful. So many layered flavors. You have the smoky flavor of the seared chilies, the slight spicy bite of the white pepper and then the crispy pork belly. The green onions and garlic chives come in at the end for a kick of freshness. 

If you can get the flowering chives, they work very well, but standard garlic chives are fine. Both can be found in most Asian markets. If neither are available, just sub normal chives. 

Note: You can also use pork tenderloin in place of the chicken and pork belly. 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Pork belly, sliced into strips. 

1/2 lb Chicken breast, sliced thinly. 

5 cloves Garlic, minced

2 inch piece Ginger, peeled and minced. 

7-8 Xiao mi la Chilies, sub other dried chilies if you need to. 

1/4 tsp ground White Pepper

1 Tbsp Soy sauce 

1 Tbsp Rice Wine

4-5 Scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces 

1/4 cup Garlic chives, cut into 1/2 inch pieces. 

1 tsp Sesame oil

Preparation:

Begin by preparing all your veggies and meat, as the cooking goes fast. 

Heat your wok to smoking hot. Add oil, then pork belly and cook until crisp. 

Add chilies, white pepper, garlic, ginger and chicken. Stir fry until chicken is cooked. 

Add green onions, chives, soy and rice wine, stir fry and finish with sesame oil. Serve with steamed rice.

Sometimes the simplest recipes can be the best. A roasted chicken on a bed of vegetables is a miraculous thing. It’s a common French country dish and yields a moist and tender crispy chicken. 

And as an added benefit you can use the chicken carcass to make a superior stock when you’ve finished.

Preparation:

I use a cast iron Dutch oven and cut up, celery, carrots, onions, garlic and baby potatoes and put them in the bottom of the pan. 

Brush the chicken with olive oil and then season generously with salt and black pepper. Stuff with a quartered lemon, fresh rosemary or tarragon and whole garlic cloves. 

Place the chicken on top the the vegetables and pour about 1 cup of chicken stock or wine in the bottom of the pan. 

Into a preheated 425F oven uncovered for approximately 1.5 hours. Optionally, you can cover for the first 30-45 minutes and then remove the cover to brown. 

Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest under foil for 10 minutes. Serve with vegetables.

This is classic Neapolitan cuisine. The traditional recipe is made with beef, but some Italian Americans make a sausage version. Almost impossible to find either version on a US restaurant menu. Simple food, that is incredible. It’s all about the onions. Low and slow is what develops the flavor. 

Tip: I use a cast iron Dutch oven or a large sauté pan, but a crock pot could work also. If you choose to use a crock pot, you’ll need to sauté the vegetables and onions before adding them in. 

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp Olive Oil 

5 cups of sliced Onions

1/2 cup of diced Celery

1/2 cup of diced Carrots

2 lbs Beef chuck/shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 4-6 pieces. 

1 Bay Leaf

3/4 cup White Wine

Parmesan Cheese 

Preparation:

Sauté your vegetables until fragrant, then add your onion and sauté until it reduces by half, then add your meat, throw in your bay leaf, cover and cook on low simmer for 3 hours. Stirring regularly. If it seems dry, add a spash of water or beef broth. 

After 3 hours, add the wine and simmer uncovered for another hour and serve with ziti or any other tube pasta and Parmesan cheese. 

Note: This sauce benefits from resting overnight in the refrigerator, and it freezes well.

A khoresh is a Persian stew. There are many variations and all sorts of flavors, but this is a personal favorite.

In Farsi, khoresh means stew and bademjam means eggplant. This particular khoresh is often made with beef or lamb, but I enjoy the chicken and find it lighter.

All of these ingredients are available online or in most Middle Eastern markets. It’s worth searching out the authentic ingredients.

Ingredients

2 lbs Chicken Thighs, or boneless skinless chicken thighs.
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, sliced
2 cloves Garlic, minced.

1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 tsp Tumeric
1 stick Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Saffron
Salt and Pepper
1- 2 cups Vegetable Stock
1/2 cup Sour Grapes
4 Dried Limes, pierced.
4 Tbsp Sour Grape Juice.

In sauté pan, heat olive oil and brown chicken thighs. Remove from pan and add sliced onions and garlic and sauté until browned. Add tomato paste and cook further, add vegetable broth and turmeric and cook until a sauce is formed. Loosely chop the eggplant and add to the dish.

Add back the chicken and then add sour grapes, dried limes and sour grape juice. Crush the saffron and add to sauce and allow to cook gently for 1 hours. Serve with basmati rice.

This is super easy to throw together and the flavor is off the charts. I have made it with both ground chicken and sliced chicken. Either way is good, but sliced is likely more traditional. You may use breast or thighs. Although thighs will be better cut into cubes.

Fermented black beans can be found in most any Asian market. They normally need to be rinsed before using. In Chinese they are called Douchi.

Ingredients