chicken – THE DUDE OF FOOD

Anchor Bar, Buffalo: The Home of Chicken Wings

As a kid in the mid 80’s we visited the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY. I remember being told the story of the owners wife creating the wings for her kids. After school her kids would bring friends over to the bar and grill and she needed to feed the group, without going broke, so she came up with this recipe using the chicken wings. This part of the chicken wasn’t a popular thing to eat back then. They were inexpensive and easy to procure in bulk. Her creation became a hit and ‘Buffalo wings’ were born. Upon reading up for this story I came across another version of the story on the Anchor Bar web page.

On March 4th, 1964, Dominic Bellissimo was tending bar at the now famous Anchor Bar Restaurant in Buffalo, NY. Late that evening, a group of Dominic’s friends arrived at the bar with ravenous appetites. Dominic asked his mother, Teressa, to prepare something for his friends to eat.

She cooked chicken wings, a part of the chicken that usually went into the stock pot for soup. Teressa had deep fried the wings and flavored them with a secret sauce. The wings were an instant hit and it didn’t take long for people to flock to the bar to experience this new taste sensation. From that evening on, Buffalo Wings became a regular part of the menu at the Anchor Bar.

In the early 80’s in Buffalo, one could get a large beer, a basket of hot wings and a ticket to the Sabres game at Garcia’s for $20. Ahhh, the good old days.

The delicious phenomenon created in 1964 by Teressa Bellissimo quickly spread across the globe. Many have tried to duplicate Buffalo Wings but Teressa’s closely guarded secret recipe is what gives Frank & Teressa’s the opportunity to claim the “Best Wings in the World.” Congratulations and thank you Teressa and family.

Cuba’s Most Famous Cook, Nitza Villapol

**https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/16/481397800/nitza-villapol-the-woman-who-taught-cubans-to-cook-with-just-about-anything**
For decades, Nitza Villapol hosted *Cocina al Minuto,* a popular cooking show in Cuba. In the decades after Fidel Castro took power, she adapted her cooking, teaching Cubans how to cook without certain ingredients while instructing them with new ways.

The most famous chef in Cuban history is named Nitza Villapol. She was born on November 20, 1923. Nitza was born to Cuban exiles in New York but moved back to Cuba by the time she was 11. She learned to cook by watching her mother, who focused on quick and easy meals. Her mother believed that women should spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. Nitza went on to study nutrition in London but wasn’t a chef.

After reading about Cuba’s very first television station launching in 1948, Nitza wrote a letter to the owner pitching her idea for a cooking show. The owner liked the idea and created a space for Nitza.
Her show Cocina Al Minuto ran on television for almost 50 years, airing its last broadcast in ’97. Nitza featured many dishes from around the globe over the years.

Nitza’s cooking show was very popular in Cuba after the fall of the USSR and her cookbooks are now worth a small fortune. There are many versions of her first cookbook and they are priced anywhere from $650 – 750. I saw one book with 315 recipes where the asking price was $2607! It’s not like these books are everywhere either. Currently they are mostly unavailable. Be warned, there are also many fakes. My curiosity about Nitza definitely has been stirred.

Nitza passed to the big kitchen in the sky on October 20, 1998

Evil Dictator’s Eat Too

‘How To Feed A Dictator’ by Witold Szablowski is an interesting book that the curious and food loving Dude came across while wondering about what leaders eat. I bought it on Amazon on 1.20.25 and 9 days later it arrived. An easy and interesting read that still took me a month to finish while reading now and then in some spare time.

It must have been an odd existence to cook for some of these folks Witold wrote about as sometimes these rebels were on the run or hiding in the jungle. In Saddam’s case he ran from palace to waiting palace, all of which ran at full operation as if he were in house, even if he was not. Many chefs who cooked for a dictator didn’t live to tell about the experience. The chefs in this book lived.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/541891/how-to-feed-a-dictator-by-witold-szablowski-translated-by-antonia-lloyd-jones/*How to Feed a Dictator*, by Witold Szablowski

The cover of the book tells all the dictators that these chefs cooked for in the past. This is a light read. The stories are short and this book can be picked up and put down easily without losing track of what’s happening.

Thank you Witold. Keep up the unique and interesting reporting and writing.

Sincerely, the Dude of Food

Wondering About Vortex Plus Air Fryers?

Being the son of pioneers I’m not well rehearsed in modern kitchen tools. One gadget that has been getting quite popular recently is known as an air fryer and has me wondering about kitchen tools. Questions like ‘How am I this old and have never used one of these cooking devices?’ and ‘Do I really need this thing?’ kept floating up to the top of my head along with all the things I daydreamed that I could potentially prepare. My neighbor ended up purchasing an Instant Pot Vortex Plus from Amazon and I had to go over and check out the unboxing.

Food Network says the following about the Vortex Plus;
“While it’s very similar to the 4-in-1 air fryer, the standout feature in the Vortex Plus is the dehydrator. If you’re looking for a reliable air fryer that can also produce perfectly dried fruits and veggies, the Vortex Plus is for you. Just like the 4-in-1, the Vortex Plus has a roomy, 6-quart basket with a nonstick coating for easy cleanup. Equipped with pre-programmed settings and a temperature-controlling dial, the interface is also super user-friendly. The only downside to this model is the broiler function, which is preset to 400 degrees F for two minutes and didn’t perform well for us in testing.”

The Instant Pot Vortex Plus has 6 cooking options:

             Air Fry (increments between 180°F and 400°F)
             Roast (180°F–400°F)
             Bake (180°F–400°F)
             Reheat (120°F–360°F)
             Broil (350°F–400°F)
             Dehydrate (95°F–175°F)

Chef Carmen Spillette has created 31 Best Air Fryer Recipes that are worth checking out by clicking on the photo below. Thank you Carmen.

I’m still curious and can hardly wait to prompt my neighbor into making some cauliflower buffalo wings and some of the other things that look really good on the Eat with Carmen page.

Bon Appetit, the Dude of Food

Project Angel Food Hollywood really delivers.

In 1989 Project Angel Food was founded by a woman named Marianne Williamson. She was joined by David Kessler, Ed Rada, Howard Rosenman, Freddie Webber and dozens of volunteers who bonded to create a program that prepared and delivered food to folks living their lives with HIV/AIDS.

Their Mission Statement:
‘Project Angel Food nourishes the health and spirit of vulnerable people facing critical and life-threatening illness, by preparing and delivering medically tailored meals with love, care and dignity.’
Their service is an outreach of the Los Angeles Center for Living which helps people with life-threatening illnesses. The Center for Living provides numerous programs such as The Clean Team, Project Night Life and hospice care. They would also prepare lunch for drop-in clients, but as fewer and fewer were able to leave their homes, lunch was delivered to them.

It was then that Project Angel Food was born and 36 years later the program is still cooking and delivering.

After running a red light in a scam supported by disgraced, racist idiot and former LA City Council member Kevin de Leon at the 1st street bridge, I was ordered to do community service. Being interested in food I chose to help out at Project Angel Food. Their operation is set up in the old Otto Nemenz camera rental store on Vine St. in Hollywood which I was familiar with.
Upon entering I noticed the place is organized and very clean.
In the kitchen the first thing you notice is a huge banner announcing the million meals prepared in 2020 spread across the wall. Their brochure claims they produce 2700 daily meals or 1.5 million meals a year. Once you see how this place operates you’ll see how they’re able achieve these big numbers. Project Angel Food can produce large amounts of food and they have technology helping the pro-active staff to package the numerous nutritious meals. There is a huge amount of kitchen activity and the team keeps this place extremely clean.

Project Angel Food operates by an extremely efficient kitchen staff led by Chef Juan who sees all and keeps all the meals rolling out on time.

The people here worked really well together and everyone seemed genuinely happy. This operation is doing so well in their Hollywood location that they are expanding.

Check out their page https://www.angelfood.org

Thank you Chef Juan and the Project Angel Food supporters for all the good things you do for US.

Keep up the great work Chef Juan and Project Angel Food.

Sincerely, the Dude of Food

Deviled Eggs are delicious.

2 photos from
https://www.seriouseats.com/great-deviled-eggs-variations-and-hacks

You may find it interesting that the ancient Romans actually began the deviled egg tradition. In ancient Rome eggs were boiled and slathered with various spicy sauces. The eggs were served as an appetizer and usually found at the homes of wealthy citizens showing a sign of status as they could afford the eggs and the cooks to prepare them. Wealthy Romans had a saying for starting a meal with eggs called “ab ova usque ad mala” meaning ‘from eggs to apples’. It meant the host could entertain with the best.

There is a reference to deviled eggs in a really old book titled ‘Satyricon’ where a wealthy Roman citizen throws a feast. The book states, “The meat of songbirds is marinated in peppered egg yolk and stuffed into the white part of boiled peahen eggs.”

In the 1200’s stuffed eggs began to appear in the south Andalusian regions of Spain. A cookbook from this era suggests grinding boiled egg yolks with cilantro, onion juice, pepper and coriander with a fermented fish sauce. 200 years later similar recipes were common across much of Europe.

The term ‘deviled’ first appears in 1786 Oxford English Dictionary used to describe dishes that included foods with very hot or spicy ingredients or foods that were boiled or fried. The original deviled eggs in the US were boiled and would be prepared spicy and the name stuck. It wasn’t until the late 1800’s that we started seeing deviled eggs that resemble the modern looking version.

In 1896, the Fannie Farmer cookbook was used by The Boston Cooking School. It was the first to mention using mayonnaise as a way to bind crushed yolks together which eventually led to today’s classic recipe that calls for mayo, mustard and paprika.

Looking for great variations? Consider things like bacon, Sriracha, Kimchi, crab meat, salmon or dill relish as additions that can perk up your deviled eggs flavor profile and aesthetics.

photo from: https://www.theflavorbender.com/miso-ramen-asian-deviled-eggs/

At home my ‘go to’ deviled egg recipe is something I call “simple eggs”. I boil a dozen eggs at a time and then put them back in the carton so there are always hard boiled eggs in the fridge. In the morning when I desire a quick ‘simple egg’ I peel one, cut it in two and wipe a little relish and mayo onto each half. Next I top it off with a small squirt of mustard and pop it in my mouth. Simple and easy. Sometimes I squish a couple eggs up with the same ingredients and smear it on top of a warmed English muffin which is always a delicious breakfast treat. I have even tried adding hummus to yolks with onion, celery, relish and mustard and a little mayo sprinkled with paprika or cumin.
In 59 years of living, doctored or deviled eggs are still right up there with quality fresh ground coffee, giant micheladas, free tacos, fresh sushi, ripe fruits and warm tapioca pudding for me regarding incredible, edible satisfaction. As long as there are chickens the Dude of Food will continue to enjoy these stylish and delicious egg treats.

Lastly, I liked the following Creole Shrimp deviled egg video by AB. Check it out.

Aloha, the Dude of Food

Did someone say Chicken Cacciatore?

The old adage about ‘nice guys finish last’ comes to us from the world of baseball by Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher in 1946. In the cooking world it’s a bit different as a nice dish can finish first and be very popular among restaurant eaters. Having just returned from 2 weeks of hell in the Pacific Northwest I was craving a nice, easy home cooked meal and decided a chicken cacciatore style plate is what I’d like to eat to bring some joy back into my life.

Many things in life start with desire and once I set my taste buds on this plate my mind focused and this dish was easy to pull together.

Sauce is a big part of a pasta dish and making a good one from scratch usually takes the better part of a day or a second day to have it set right. The Dude of Food believes that sauce is always better the second day. I decided to cut corners and use Private Selection sauce made in Italy and distributed by Kroger of Cincinnati. I actually used 2 jars of sauce. The first jar was Porcini Arrabbiata and the second jar was Tomato and Black Truffle.

Below is the simple ingredient list and procedure for preparation.

Kroger Private Reserve sauce – 2 jars
1 Porcini Arrabbiata and 1 Tomato Black Truffle
1 chopped yellow onion
6 chopped garlic cloves
1 tray of rubbed chicken: 8 legs
salt
pepper

Mushrooms, grated carrots, celery, olives or any other favorites are ingredients that could also be added to this dish.

Start by chopping up the onion and garlic. Put a small amount of wine in a pan and warm. Once the wine has warmed, the alcohol will lift. Then add a little olive oil into the pan with a touch of butter, salt and the onions. Simmer the onions on low to medium heat. When the onions begin to clear up add the garlic and let them warm up together. Once the garlic has had a chance to expand and release its flavor it’s time to add the 2 jars of sauce. Stir, cover and let simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally.

As the sauce does its magic it is time to start heating the rubbed chicken. Get another pan and add a small amount of olive oil and a touch of water and heat. As the pan heats add the 8 rubbed chicken legs, lightly salt and cover. Pan fry the chicken on stove top over low to medium heat. You are trying to heat the chicken thoroughly but not overcook it or dry out. Low and slow is the way to go.

Time to check the sauce and stir.

Next add a pot of water to the stove top to boil the pasta and begin to heat. Salt can be added to this water if you salt your pasta water. Some folks do.
Boil enough water for 1lb of fettuccine or your favorite noodle shape.

Now you have all the moving parts working and it’s time to clean up as you monitor and stir the heating pans.

The noodles will be ready first. Drain the pasta and add a little of the starch water to the sauce. Cover the drained noodles and let sit.

Once the sauce has simmered enough to be considered ready and the chicken is cooked enough to eat turn all of the heat off and prepare to plate these items.

Start by adding a lump of pasta in plate center.
Surround pasta lump with chicken legs.
Scoop sauce over noodles with plenty for the chicken too.
Sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Bon appetit.

Eggs, bacon, eggplant and potatoes for breakfast.

It’s not very often that you see eggplant on your breakfast plate but the other day that is exactly what happened. I had some eggplant and potatoes left over from the night before. I cooked up some bacon, wiped the grease and heated the left over eggplant and potatoes in the same pan. Next, I fried up a couple of eggs and ending up making a hearty and delicious breakfast as seen above.

Using leftovers is a fun thing to throw in your breakfast recipe mix. In the past I have warmed up Chinese food from the night before and scrambled a couple of eggs into it. Another cool thing is scramble up some eggs and throw them on top of slices of warmed up pizza from the night before.

Eggs have been in the diets of humans for many centuries. Records from India show that by 3200 BC wild birds were captured and kept for their egg production. Roman soldiers would eat deviled eggs for snacks and a popular dessert was fried eggs with honey in Rome. Ancient Egyptians ate ostrich eggs.

Interestingly, Sigmund Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays, is credited with the introduction of bacon and eggs into the American breakfast diet after consulting doctors and confirming that eating a big breakfast is better for people.

Lastly, I grew up with chickens in the yard so we always had fresh eggs with dark orange yolks for breakfast. My mom would fry an egg and put it on toast like the photo below from Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen.

Make sure you eat a decent breakfast. It doesn’t need to be extravagant, expensive or full of sugar. Chickens provide eggsactly what we need.

Bon Appetit, the Dude of Food

Historically delicious: Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co

The boss of a film crew I was working with gave the 7 member’s of our team thoughtful homemade gift bags for Christmas.
One of the cool gifts in my bag included a bottle of Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company Picante Sauce.
When used in a dish I discovered this product was pleasantly surprising and complimented the dish nicely. The flavor was unique and delicious. The bottle information said the company and sauce were located near my mom. I asked mom if she was familiar with this brand of sauce and she said she knew the brand and told me the family was a well respected part of the local business community. It turns out the granddaughter of the founders of Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co and my mother had met her at an event somewhere in town in the past. My mom confirmed that the granddaughter was a very nice lady whose name is Jeanie England Neubauer.
Jeanie is the granddaughter of an international business agent named Beck Kibbey. Jeanie has done a great job maintaining the business her parents and another couple began in 1943. Her family roots are deep and have ties with the towns of Nogales, Arizona and across the border in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Her family history is amazing and the Anaheim chili became their friend. Gene England, Jeanie’s grand-father, had developed methods to stew and grind chili’s to make paste. They also ground chili pods down into powder for seasoning.
The folks at Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co still support the family traditions of the founders and have employees generations deep maintaining these traditions.

Go visit their web page. https://santacruzchili.com/

The online sales page will show you the various sauces offered. Other pages will show that these folks support some really cool causes.
If you are near the Tucson area and headed to the Mexican border you can go visit the Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co gift store in person which is located a few minutes south of Tubac. The drive from Tucson is roughly 60 miles and if you love chili, then it’s well worth the trip.

Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company
1868 E. Frontage Road, Tumacacori, AZ 85640

520.398.2591
520.398.2592 Fax

Store Hours
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed Sundays and holidays.

Muchas gracias Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company

https://santacruzchili.com/

“Egg, chicken and potato salad is a delicious ‘super food’.” the Dude of Food

Body builders, fighters, athletes, nutritionists, historians, chefs, archivists and intelligent eaters everywhere all agree that eggs and chicken are good sources of protein and carbs are good for a body in motion. This group also would agree upon the fact that vegetables are good for folks. So when I mixed eggs, chicken, potatoes, celery and onions together, I made a super food. The recipe ingredients follow at the end of article.

I started by peeling, cubing and boiling 3 potatoes in salted water. I love my Oneida knife. I’m not endorsed by them but this knife and I have grown together in the kitchen and we both try to look good while staying sharp.

You can add steamed peas to the mix if you desire. If so now is the time to retrieve them from the freezer and steam a cup full of them. Once steamed, cover and let sit.

Next, time to chop the onions and celery, while warming the potatoes in water. I like to leave the onion a little chunkier and dice the celery up pretty small as you can see in the photo.

Peel and chop up the hard boiled eggs.

Remove the meat from the precooked chicken thighs.

Once the potatoes are cooked you need to drain them and return them to the hot pan. Add the chopped onions, celery, eggs and chicken to the warm potatoes. If you are adding peas, drain and add them now. Stir in the mayo, mustard, vinegar, relish and spices. No need to stir hard or use mixer as the potatoes are soft and will become mashed if you mix vigorously. It’s not bad, as some may prefer the texture, but personally I like the potatoes to maintain some of the cube shape. The taste is the same.

Once mixed you can enjoy warm with crackers or cool in fridge and enjoy in lettuce bowls or between toasted sourdough slices in the morning with a slice of cheese. It’s a bit like tapas and goes great with wine, anti pasta salads, appetizer trays, breakfast, snacks and parties.

Now getting back to the nutritional status of being called a ‘Super Food’. I think it certainly qualifies for the title as it tastes ‘Super’. The Dude of Food fully approves and recommends trying this. This new super food group deserves an all stars available rating and a Golden Fork Award if there any are to be given.

3 large gold potatoes
4 hard boiled eggs
4 chicken cooked thighs
3 chopped celery sticks
2 chopped green onion stalks
1/4 chopped white onion
3 spoon fulls of mayonnaise
3 circle squirt of yellow mustard
1 spoon full of dill relish
2 cap fulls apple cider vinegar
Add salt, pepper, paprika to your taste.

Additional options could include but certainly not limited to: avocado, peas, sour cream, ranch dressing or raisins. If you add grapes then we probably aren’t friends.

Enjoy, the Dude of Food