By Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Lynne: I'm chained to recipes. When I deviate it's usually a disaster. How do I get to the level of improvising? — Nervous Nell in Newark
Dear Nell: Relax. It's only food, not world peace. You are probably changing too much at once. Take a recipe you're comfortable with and change only the main ingredient.
For instance, switch grilled fish fillet to grilled boneless chicken breast. The chicken is thicker so it needs longer cooking. It's lean so it will be moister if you sear it fast on high heat, but finish slowly, over medium to medium-low heat. Figure six to eight minutes per side. Test by pressing with your finger. Just firm is done. Springy is overdone.
Next, experiment with seasonings. Trust your palate. Unsure if tarragon and fennel go together? Putting a little of each on your tongue will reveal all.
For more concepts, check the library for Pamela Anderson's Cooking without Recipes and James Peterson's Essentials of Cooking."
Dear Lynne: What's the etiquette for seating people at dinner? Our brother's fiancée's family is meeting our family for the first time. They are a little formal. — Etiquette Hounds in Indianapolis
Dear Etiquette Hounds: Usually you pair people you think will spark each other, though in this case I'd lean toward the old tried and true. Honor the two oldest guests or the fiancée's parents by seating them on your right and your co-host's right. Put your mother to the right of the bride's father, your father to the right of her mother. Then break up couples by alternating your and the fiancée's family around the table.
My rule is, you don't sit next to the person you sleep with.
Dear Lynne: I got a bargain deep fryer. Now I want to fry everything, but the fryer only goes to 355 degrees. Is this OK? — Bargain Guy
Dear Bargain Guy: There is good news and not such good news.
Your fryer is ideal for larger, denser foods like fried chicken, which need 350 degrees. This allows the outside to brown slowly while the meat cooks through. Smaller items like egg rolls, tempura and the like demand temperatures between 365 to 375 degrees to be crisp and grease-free.
So keep the fryer for chicken and use a deep pot with a deep fry/candy thermometer for everything else. You want an easy-to-read temperature gauge and a sturdy clip for attaching the thermometer to the pot.
These spicy-hot fried onions pair beautifully with a big, cool green salad. You could substitute sugar snap pea pods, strips of zucchini, peppers or eggplant. Fry up a batch, share it with guests, then fry up some more.
Chile-Fried Onion Rings
Ingredients:
3 large yellow or white onions (not sweet ones)
1 cup buttermilk
3 to 6 fresh whole jalapeno chilies, minced fine (See Note)
about 3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
about 6 cups cold-pressed peanut, safflower or corn oil
extra salt
Preparation:
Peel onions, slice horizontally into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick rings. Separate pieces.
In a bowl, combine buttermilk, chilies and onion. Cover and keep at room temperature for about an hour. Line a cookie sheet with several layers of paper towels. Have a long-handle strainer or slotted spoon handy.
In a big bowl or paper bag, toss together flour, salt and pepper. In a 4-quart pot fitted with a deep-frying thermometer, heat oil to 375 degrees.
Drain onions in a colander (bits of chilies will cling to them). Toss onions and chilies with the flour blend. Take a small handful of onion rings, separating them as you add them to the hot oil. Let oil temperature drop no lower than to 365 degrees.
Fry onions, turning with your strainer, until golden brown (2 minutes or so). Remove with strainer, shaking off excess oil. Spread on paper towels to drain. Then set out to eat with extra salt. Repeat process as needed.
Note: Chilies sting. Handle them with care. When working with chilies, wear rubber gloves, and/or wash hands and utensils with hot soapy water. Never touch your face or any other part of your body after you've handled chilies.
Serves 4 to 6
(Lynne Rossetto Kasper is host of "The Splendid Table"(r), Minnesota Public Radio's national food show. Find recipes, station listings and more at splendidtable.org, or 800-537-5252.)
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