Peruvian Chicken

If you are looking for a quick Peruvian chicken fix, I have found one that is the little brother to Pollo Rico in Arlington Va.If you can find it the name of the restaurant is Wild Chicken(11039 Lee Hwy, Fairfax, VA 22030).It is behind a building, the best way I can describe the directions is to drive towards Fairfax City and take a right after the guitar and big screen store into the next parking lot..down the hill in the back of the building.It offers a solid version of one of my favorites..Peruvian chicken has become quite popular on the East Coast during the last 10-12 years.It has a very unique marinade and is traditionally cooked over charcoal and served with yucca or french fries and a small salad or cole slaw.Here is a quick version of a Peruvian Chicken recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Chile powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Preparation:

Combine vinegar,garlic,chili,cumin,garlic salt,paprika and soy sauce in a food processor to form a paste.. Mix well to form a paste. Add lemon juice to cold water. Trim chicken of any excess or loose fat. Wash chicken thoroughly with lemon water. Place chicken in zip-top bag. Pour spice paste over chicken. Coat chicken completely with mixture rubbing into every surface. Try to get the paste under the skin as much as possible.
Seal bag and place chicken in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. The chicken will have more flavor the longer it "marinates" in the spice mixture. Do not refrigerate for more than 24 hours hours.

Preheat grill and prepare rotisserie. Place chicken on rotisserie and on the grill for approximately 1 1/2 hours at a temperature around 300 degrees F. Test chicken for doneness by measure in the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh. Chicken is done at 165 degrees F.

This chicken is frequently served with a few dipping sauce. A simple version of this sauce is made from combining 1/2 cup of mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons mustard and 2 tablespoons lime juice.If you would like to add some extra heat to this sauce you can add a few pieces of habanero or jalapeno pepper to spice it up to your liking.If you can find it you can also use the traditional Peruvian pepper called "Aji" pronounced AAH_EE, it is very rare that this pepper can be found readily available in the fresh form in the US, it can be found or ordered in some specialty stores and underground markets.Aji is one of the most popular spices used in Peruvian cuisine, this pepper is .originally from the Indies, and was brought to Peru in the 1800's by the Spaniards.There is a jarred pureed version that is readily available in most international markets.Peruvian food has a huge Asian influence in many of its recipes.There was a huge influx of Chinese immigrants to Peru in the mid 1800's and a great deal of their cuisine has some Chinese/Asian influence in its recipes.Currently there are more than 2000 Asian restaurants in Peru also referred to as CHIFAS, which are still sculpting much of the current cuisine today.

Whats hot in 2010

It is always interesting to find out what the latest and greatest culinary trends are for the new year.Here are a few in no particular order.

Small plates- Are becoming very popular in a lot of restaurants.It is a few fold.They offer a better price point for many guests that are on a limited budget and have had their wallets squeezed by the financial world,it offers people a chance to eat several tastes of a menu rather than on big plate and it is a fun way to dine with larger groups.Most chefs and food people LOVE to eat this way, small food is cool.

Back to basics-Many restaurants are getting rid of the "old school" fancy foods and putting some upscale twists on some of the classics.Deviled eggs with maple glazed bacon...build your own mac and cheese with lobster...truffles...kobe...etc...gourmet burgers...grilled cheese with 15.00 a pound imported cheeses..meat loaf....fresh cut fries....cookies and milk or smores for dessert???All of the food that has stood the test of time but is twisted a bit for the palates of our generation.

Hand butchered meats- Long gone are the days of the "real butcher" there was a time when you went to a meat market and a person cut your steaks or chops and wrapped them in brown butcher paper and handed them over the counter with a smile.It seems like the craft of meat cutting has been destroyed by many of the large super market chains.Most people now a days buy their steaks in a styrofoam tray shrink wrapped cut by a machine somewhere..Aged??? not so much..Last year I had the great privilege to meet one of the country's premier master butchers and leading authority of prime meats, Mr. Stanley Lobel, owner of Lobels of New York, for anyone who knows steak is one of the most famous butcher shops in the country.I spent some time with Stanley admiring his case of aged steaks and his butcher teams samurai like precision as the broke down and prepared the various cuts for the day.It was like stepping back in time into this small butcher shop that has been a NY icon for so many years, with its original wooden walls and a wooden walk in door and old school display case.Stanley was kind enough to give me a signed copy of his newest book "The Lobel's Meat Bible" which is proudly displayed on my book shelf.

Inexpensive meat cuts- Flat iron steak,pork shoulder,pork belly,shanks all making a come back.

Local- Is the hot rage. Many Chefs are sourcing the local items to promote and support the farmers and community.There is a well known chef in the DC market at one of my favorite restaurants that is known to deal with over 100 suppliers to keep his menu evolving.All of it local.Think of it, a cardboard hydroponic tomato grown in a warehouse in California or a real tomato grown down the street by a farmer who loved it.Support your local farmers and businesses, it will create a ripple effect..Where do you think the local farmer goes out to dinner and spends the money he made from his tomatoes?HMMMMMMM

Bar Chefs- Creative cocktails are becoming quite popular in the hip restaurants.Long gone are the days of the gin and tonic and now drinks have recipes and a methodology in their preparation.House made syrups, fresh muddled fruits, herbs, micro distilled spirits, hand crafted LOCAL beers and wines, garnishes that look like a chef made them.

Flights- Wine flights, sake flights, dessert flights,cheese flights you get the hint. Once again...the best way to try a lot of different things and find what you do/don't like.

Super fruits- Acai berry, gogi berry,mangosteen, purslane.Food for the mind....

Exotic fruits- Guava, passion, durian, dragon fruit

Mini "everything"- desserts, drinks,plates,appetizers,bottled beer,sandwiches..

Allergies-It seems that everyone is allergic to something now a days, chefs are taking less offense to custom tailoring some of their offerings for those who have a reaction to eating certain foods.The hottest allergy out there currently is the Gluten free diet for those that have the Celiac disease.Celiac is when a persons body can not process the natural gluten's found in most foods.Gluten is a found in rye,barley,flour and many grains.Preparing food for those who are allergic to something takes great time and care to do it properly.

Gourmet street food- Many chefs are taking their menus out on the road in gourmet food trucks.Many can only be found if you follow them on twitter as they tend to move everyday to a different corner or neighborhood.Kogi Roja in LA serves Korean style meats on flat bread...All over the country there are "gourmet trucks" serving sushi,bbq,Cuban,Mexican,desserts and anything that you could find in a fine dining room.

Ethnic- Ethnic food will always be hot...as many of us who love it can not duplicate it in our own homes.We can all cook a burger or a steak, but we cant wok cook on 1500 btu's of heat, many of us don't have tandoori ovens, or charcoal ovens to replicate our favorite foreign fare.The big ones are Korean,Middle Eastern and Indian that are having a lot of success on the dining scene.

Gone with the wind...to name a few..Huge portions,restaurants that use microwaves,puffy chef hats,old style hounds tooth chef pants,chefs that wear combat boots,baggy chef pants with fruit and chili peppers on them,tira misu,flourless chocolate cake,gourmet salts,seabass,expensive bottles of wine in a restaurant,food served in a martini glass,smoking in bars,calling for a reservation,call ahead seating,mesculine mix,mozzarella sticks,nachos,rice pilaf,frozen bread,spinach dip and croutons.

Rare find NYC

As you can see, I have been spending some time in NYC as of late.I wanted to turn you on to one of my rarest finds.Let me start by saying that if you have not figured it out yet... I am OBSESSED with Asian food of all kinds, as it is one of the oldest cuisines in the world and much of it is heavily based on peasant cooking and street food.Don't get me wrong....I have seen some very upscale Asian cuisine that would make even the most pretentious aristocrats jaws drop...but my passion truly is the street cuisine.Street food is world wide, and much of the history of it was/is based on feeding the blue collar workers of the world.Yes...many of today's favorite foods have made their mark in history feeding the factory worker, pipe fitters, iron workers street sweepers and so on.Anyway....back to my rare find...for more than four or five years I have searched many of the far off corners of the country and scoured many of the dark back alleys of countless Chinatown's looking for "FRESH" noodles.I got to the point that it was driving me crazy....So last year I was on an eating/R&D expedition in NYC, with my friend Philip, who I consider one of my "Grandmasters" of Asian cuisine, culture, art and philosophy..and he took me to the east end of Chinatown in NYC, where the "tourists" do not go, and brought me down into a small noodle joint that I can not even share the name with you, as the menu and their business cards are all written in Chinese.I can tell you that the address is 27 Edlrich Street.Finally.... Philip introduced me to what I was looking for for YEARS, a noodle shop that makes fresh pulled noodles.Not only did they make the pulled noodles, but they pulled each order..It was the best noodle experience I have ever had. We ordered three or four different types of pulled noodle dishes and we ordered a bunch of "peel" noodles.For those who do not know what a peel noodle is I will try to explain it as best as I can.The chef has a 2-3 pound ball of rice dough and wen you place an order, he shaves the dough into boiling water and the noodles take on a slightly chewy bite similar to a chow fun noodle crossed with a rice cake noodle.They finish the noodles with a savory broth and top it with fresh baby bock choy and a soft fried egg.The egg is the grand prize, because if you wait until you are half way through your noodles then crack the yolk it is soft and smooth and tastes great with the broth.The value in this joint is fantastic, as none of the noodle bowls are more than 5 bucks and the attention and craftsmanship that goes into each bowl is amazing.

Finished in NYC and heading back

We started our meetings on Thursday morning at a new restaurant in the Tribeca area called Locanda Verde.I always get a bit apprehensive when trying a new restaurant, especially in a city like NY, but I kept an open mind.The cab dropped us off on a quiet corner and we made our way over to the restaurant.Upon entering I had the feeling that this was going to be a pleasent treat.The building made of old heavy timber construction with old exposed brick was very inviting.The first hint was that there was a wood burning brick oven in the kitchen and all I could smell was fresh bread.It has been my experience that when a dining room looks and smells good it will be good.We started our meetings in a large farmhouse style room with large oak tables and we were surrounded by lots of old world construction.There was a decent continental breakfast for us, but I was waiting for lunch.FINALLY it was lunch time and the food started pouring in.It always works well when your with a large group because there is usually a continuous flow of food and it turns into a super tasting event.We started with fresh hot artisan crusty bread with sheep's milk ricotta and olive oil, so simple, but in the food world, simple is the best.We then moved on to the lamb meatball sliders with shaved cucumber and pecorino,seafood stuffed agniolotti(ravioli), then to wood roasted sea scallops with crisp apples and stewed lentils finished with crispy pancetta.Then on to the roasted and shaved porchetta sandwiches wit grilled onions and provolone and the BEST lamb bolognese I have ever had over hand made rigatoni.The atmosphere and the food were all true and authentic Italian.During my conversation with one of the employees, it came up that this restaurant was not only one of the newest un publicised hot spots, but it also has a famous owner, Mr Robert Deniro..Once again it seems like Mr.Deniro got involved in another home run restaurant deal to add to his collection of other hits.Nice job Bobby!!!!Today was definitely a day of celeb sightings,Meryl Streep was having breakfast in Locanda in the morning and we ran into the man himself(Bobby D) on the way out, waiting quietly for his coffee at the espresso bar with a stack of newspaper's under his arm.I will say that this is one of my new favorites in NYC and I can not wait to return.

First Post NYC

I'm in NYC for a few meetings for the next couple of days, and wanted to share a few of my new NYC finds.When you are Chef and you get to a new city the first thing that runs through your mind is where are the cool food spots? Where do the locals eat?Will I find a new place to add to my "list".Most chefs keep a list of places that are their favorites and the "need to try"Try it, keep a list and jot down the name and address of an interesting restaurant that a friend tells you about, or when your flipping through the latest issue of Gourmet or the food section of the newspaper.Today my brother and I ventured down to Chinatown to one of the best dim sum restaurants I have ever visited.Vanessa's dumpling house located on 118 Eldrich street between Grand and Broome is a small dumpling house where EVERYTHING is hand made throughout the day and as a bonus...it is one of the cleanest restaurants I have visited in the city.We had the steamed shrimp dumplings,pan fried pork buns,pan fried pork and chive dumplings traditional red sauce wontons(just as good as they were in China)and my favorite new find....a wok grilled sesame bread filled with fresh cucumbers, carrots and cilantro with a light soy/vinegar sauce and 4 iced teas for $18.00.The dumplings and bread are prepped and cooked constantly throughout the day and all of the ingredients are high quality and fresh.This is probably one of my favorite restaurants in the city.High quality and excellent Value.
For dinner we went with some of our wine distributor friends to a cool spot in SoHo named LURE, which is a sushi/seafood restaurant that was jamming for restaurant week.The raw bar and sushi were fantastic and the pan seared bronzini was excellent.Bronzini is commonly referred to as the European version of sea bass and is now gaining popularity in the US.The desserts were made from scratch and with a lot of care.Molten chocolate cake, fresh sorbets and home made ice cream sandwiches.Put this one on your list.More to come....