August 2009: 60th Anniversary of the Mann Gulch Fire
Ap Bai 1969: 40th Anniversary
Death in the A Shau: Hamburger Hill
FROM THE LOOKOUT KITCHEN
RECIPE OF THE DAY:
Hotel Lookout Ginger Soy Vinaigrette
Salad Dressing & Marinade 1 ginger root (peeled) and chopped very fine 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic 5 tablespoons ground black peppercorns Tabasco to taste (OPTIONAL!) 2 cups Japanese rice vinegar ¾ cups soy sauce 1 cup pure toasted sesame oil 3 cups vegetable oil (makes about ½ gallon)
When I am making this recipe, I almost always cut it down. I’ll use a tablespoon measure instead of a cup or a quarter-cup instead of a full-cup. Everything is relative. Also, go easy on the Tabasco unless you like the fire. I omit the Tabasco now because my stomach no longer tolerates it.
Fried Chicken Pinyon Peak
Pinyon Peak Lookout Fried Chicken with Rice & Gravy
I have a big cast iron skillet that is as black as a Rothko canvas. I use Crisco augmented with two tablespoons of grease from hickory smoked bacon. I buy fresh chicken at The Eight O’clock Superette. I dredge it in flour spiked with my "secret spices" (heavy on the finely-ground black pepper and garlic powder), but no cute tricks like dipping it in buttermilk before the dredging. Reserve a cup or so of the flour in which the chicken was dredged. I test the grease temperature with a small morsel of chicken before I commit my dinner to the pan (chicken placed in not-yet-ready grease absorbs grease and seldom browns). I fry the chicken until it is the color of a brown paper bag and then I drain it on a brown paper bag (Whole Foods has great brown paper bags!). After I have cooked all the chicken, I pour off the grease and reserve the drippings (starting to sound like Julia Child, eh?). To the hot drippings I add a couple of tablespoons of the reserved, sifted flour, and make a light brown roux over high heat. To the roux I carefully add 100% fat-free chicken stock (OK, I know ... why am I worrying about FAT at this point in the game?). A wonderful addition to the gravy, at this point, would be a couple of tablespoons of sherry vinegar and a half cup of veal demi-glaze .. but those ingredients are entirely optional. Cook the gravy down fast, stirring with a wooden spoon. If the gravy gets too thick, add more chicken stock. Serve with fluffy white rice.
PS: Seeing FAT in the text snapped me back to my airline captain days. We had an chief pilot in PHL who we called Fresno. Why Fresno? Because the three letter identifier for Fresno, California is FAT! Fresno Air Terminal.
FAN-SI-PAN CAJUN/ASIAN SPICY COLLARD SOUP
4 QTS CHICKEN STOCK 1 LB COLLARD GREENS (OR LESS FOR THINNER SOUP) 1/2 LB SMOKED ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE - SLICED OR CUBED 4 LIMES - JUICED 1 T FRESH GROUND BLACK PEPPER (MORE OR LESS TO TASTE) 1 t MINCED GARLIC 1 T 'SRIRACHA' CHILI SAUCE - MORE OR LESS TO TASTE(FOUND IN ASIAN MARKETS) 1 BUNCH CILANTRO CHOPPED FINE (IF YOU LIKE CILANTRO .. IF NOT, OMIT THIS INGREDIENT)
PUT COLLARD GREENS AND CHICKEN BROTH IN LARGE STOCK POT. ADD ALL INGREDIENTS AND SIMMER FOR AN HOUR. IT IS NOT A BAD IDEA TO PRE-COOK THE CUT ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE JUST ENOUGH TO RENDER OUT SOME OF THE FAT. I PUT MY ANDOUILLE ON THE SMOKER FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. THAT TAKES CARE OF THE FAT AND ADDS FLAVOR.