Fun in the kitchen

          

We had a fun dinner tonight—chicken wings. I found a recipe for marinating them all day in olive oil, lemon, oregano, garlic, etc. The recipe called for baking them an hour, stirring frequently—Christian did them in twenty-five minutes in the air fryer.

I have not been a fan of air fryers and InstaPots. In fact, I’ve been outspoken about not wanting such gadgets. I have no counter space for them, and frankly, I don’t need all that fast, convenient cooking. If I want to cook something all day I can. But Christian really wanted an air fryer, and so it was my Christmas present to them.

Unbeknownst to me, he uses it all the time. I think tonight though was only the second time he used it for an entrée. Worked wonderfully. The wings were tender and juicy. Served with a sauce of olive oil, lemon, a bit of cayenne, and a bit of garlic, then topped with chopped parsley and feta. Made a lovely presentation.

The recipe came from Bon Appetit, so I can’t share it, but if you cook at all, you can probably approximate it. This was one of the few recipes I’ve found lately in cooking magazines that really speak to me. Increasingly recipes are too complicated—and too unfamiliar. Friend Carol sent me an article today by a chef about the virtues of absolutely following a new recipe to the letter and not trying to impose our own cooking experience on it. I confess I am guilty in several ways—I am increasingly less interested in trying recipes, say, from the Middle East or Africa (I don’t like peanut sauces) and more interested in exploring the wide variety and depth of traditional American cooking. And when I do explore, I superimpose my own tastes on the recipe—just what the chef said not to do. But I am leery of spicy things—or should I say my stomach if leery—and if you say fiery to me, I bolt in the opposite direction.

From time to time I think about discontinuing all my subscriptions—think of the paper footprint I’d save—and relying on the web. But then I come across a recipe like our supper tonight and I weaken.

I still have a ginormous folder of recipes to try. We went through it tonight and I picked out Swedish meatballs and lamb ragu to try next week. Think I”ll serve the ragu over polenta. One night this weekend the kids have plans and so I sorted through things I want to cook for myself that they won’t eat. My choice came down to a couple of bean and tomato dishes—Christian is a meat and potatoes man and doesn’t think a bean supper is really dinner. But I decided on an old favorite that many decry—creamed chipped beef. Done right with a really rich cream sauce, it’s a delicious treat. Think I’ll accompany it with some crisp green beans.

I’m so glad to be back to having fun in the kitchen and enjoying my meals. Can’t wait for leftover chicken wings for lunch tomorrow. Trying to think of ways to make food writing more central to my career, but all I’ve come up with so far is a title for a mystery: “Helen Corbett Cooks Up a Little Murder.” No plot, no victim, no idea—just the title. I’ll keep working on it.