We usually poach our own chicken for this dish because we love a freshly poached chicken, and we make our own broth to freeze for other dishes. The reason why we are emphasizing this is because we get really good flavor from homemade stock.
HOW TO POACH A CHICKEN
chicken (whole ), 2 lbs
garlic, 4 cloves , peeled
onion (yellow), 1, halved, unpeeled
rosemary and/or other herbs (whatever herbs getting old in your fridge)
salt (table), 1/2 tbsp
scallions (a bunch), a carrot, celery (whatever vegetables getting old in the fridge)
Place all ingredients in a big pot, cover with water, bring to a gentle simmer. Let it cook for about 75 minutes hardly simmering, until the temperature of the chicken reaches 165ºF. If it doesn’t reach that temperature, cook it on higher heat for 5 to 10 more minutes, allowing the water to boil a bit. Place cooked chicken on a cutting board to cool, then pull it into small shreds. Add chicken bones and skin back to the liquid in the pot, and cook on low heat for another hour. Run liquid through strainer, let it cool, freeze it.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALAD
apple (Gala or Fuji), peeled and cored, diced
chicken (whole ), 2 lbs, pulled into small shreds
carrot (frozen or cooked), 1 cup, diced or grated
corn kernels (frozen), 1 cup, defrosted
lemon (juice), 1 tbsp, to sprinkle over apple as soon as it’s been diced
mayonnaise, 1 cup (look up our recipe for homemade mayonnaise)
olive (green, stuffed), 1/2 cup
peas (frozen), 1 cup, defrosted
raisin, 1/2 cup
shoestring potatoes, 2 cups
Combine all ingredients except shoestring potatoes in a bowl and stir gently. Serve with shoestring potatoes on top.
HOW TO MAKE SHOESTRING POTATOES
We have tried frozen potatoes from D’Agostino and from Fairway here in Manhattan, and the results weren’t satisfactory. So we decided to buy Yukon golden potatoes and make our own, and the result was amazing!
All you need is about 2 to 3 potatoes to make 2 cups. Peel and quarter them lengthwise, then use a grater for turning them into shoestring potatoes. (Look at our picture.) Cook in very hot vegetable oil (48.8 fl oz Crisco at 365ºF) for a few minutes, until it begins to darken. Remove, place on paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
SOPHISTICATED CULINARY by Lucas Eller, New York
