Jewish Fusion

Every Chinese restaurant has its own version of lemon chicken. Most sauces have the sweetness and color of a lemon meringue pie, which is unfortunate. I believe that the natural lemon flavor should come through. This recipe is light as well because the chicken is not batter-dipped.

Ingredients:

• 6 Tablespoons mild-flavored honey
  8 Tablespoons lemon juice
  2 Tablespoons grated lemon zest
  2 teaspoons lemon pulp
  2 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce
  1 egg, lightly beaten
  ½ teaspoon salt
  ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  ¾ pound boneless, skinless medium sized chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally.
  ½ cup cornstarch
  ½ cup flour
  1/3 cup cooking oil
  ½ teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
  1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

• Whisk the honey, lemon juice, zest and pulp together in a small bowl until blended.
  Stir in the Hoisin sauce, pour into a small saucepan; set aside.
  In a small bowl, combine egg with the salt and white pepper.
  In a plastic bag, marinate the chicken in 3 Tablespoons of the lemon juice for a half hour at room temperature.
  Combine ½ cup cornstarch with ½ cup flour.
  Lightly coat the chicken with the cornstarch/flour mix.
  Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and coat in the cornstarch again.
  Let it stand for 5 minutes. Shake off the excess cornstarch prior to cooking.
  In a wok, heat the oil until hot. Cook the chicken, a couple pieces at a time, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.
  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat; add the cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens.
  Cut the chicken across the grain into 1/2-inch slices.
  Place the chicken on a serving plate on a bed of shredded lettuce.
  Pour the sauce on top and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Leave it to an East Village Jewish Deli to come up with an actual American/Jewish/Asian fusion dish! That is because the Second Avenue Deli has had a Chinese chef for many years. I have enhanced this recipe with even more Asian flavor. Although this recipe calls for baking and broiling the chicken, it is definitely better on a charcoal grill. If you are using a charcoal grill, you must have a covered grill, e.g. a Weber. Bake the chicken over indirect heat, with the cover on. To give the chicken more of a barbecued flavor, I recommend putting soaked mesquite wood chips in a shallow can (e.g. a tuna can) on the hot coals during the indirect cooking phase. For the second stage, place the chicken directly over the coals.

Ingredients:

• 1 14-ounch bottle of Ketchup
  1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet
  2 Tablespoons light soy sauce
  2 Tablespoons dry white wine
  2 Tablespoons finely chopped garlic
  2 Tablespoons freshly minced ginger
  2 Tablespoons sugar
  ½ teaspoon Chinese 5-spice seasoning
  1 ½ teaspoons salt
  ¼ teaspoon pepper
  2 chickens cut into 8 pieces each

Basting sauce:

• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, plus the pulp and peel of ¼ orange
  3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice¼ cup crushed canned pineapple
  2 Tablespoons of freshly minced ginger
  3 Tablespoons honey
  ¾ cup ketchup
  2 Tablespoons of Hoisin sauce
  1 Tablespoon of Asian sesame oil

Directions:

• In a large bowl, thoroughly mix everything except the chicken and the basting sauce ingredients.
  Add the chicken, making sure all pieces are well coated.
  Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

For the basting sauce, coarsely chop the orange and lemon pulp and peel. Place them, along with the citrus juices and crushed pineapple, in a food processor, and pulse until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the honey, ketchup and Hoisin sauce, and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, leaving only the amount of marinade that adheres to the chicken. Discard the rest.
  Place in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
  Turn oven to broil. Brush the chicken well with basting sauce and broil for about 5 minutes (or until the chicken browns on top. Keep an eye on it or it will burn!)

Source: inspired by the Second Street Deli Cookbook

Only in Chicago is this dish considered a classic. Made famous by old-time Chicago Italian restaurants such as the Rosebud, this Chicken Vesuvio dish easily can be adapted for those who observe Kosher laws. I have added my own touch to give it some extra pizzazz.

Ingredients:

• 1 large fryer, cut up
  ½ cup flour
  12 small red potatoes, partially peeled, and cut in half
  1/3 cup olive oil
  1 pound Italian turkey sausage
  salt and pepper to taste
  6 large cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
  2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  juice of one medium sized lemon
  1/3 cup dry white wine
  3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
  1 8 oz package of frozen peas, thawed
• 1 Tablespoon flour
  2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:

• Wash and pat chicken pieces dry.
  Dredge the chicken in flour.
  Cut each potato into four long quarters, pat dry.
  Pour olive oil into a large oven-proof skillet, preferably non-stick, over medium high heat
  When the oil is hot, arrange chicken and potatoes, flat side down, in a single layer in the skillet.
  Cook for five minutes, shaking pan to prevent sticking. Do not turn.
  Heat oven to 425º F.
  Add sausage to the pan, tucking pieces in between chicken and potatoes to distribute them somewhat evenly.
  Transfer pan to heated oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
  With spatula, turn chicken, sausage and potatoes.
  Bake 20 minutes longer, or until ingredients are well browned and crisp, and juice runs clear when chicken thigh is pierced with a fork.
  Season with salt and pepper
  Make a simple roux by browning 1 Tablespoon of flour in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
  Remove the chicken, sausage and the potatoes from the pan
  In a separate bowl, stir together garlic, Italian seasonings, lemon juice, parsley and white wine.
  Add to the pan in which the chicken and potatoes had been cooked.
  Bring to a boil on the stove top.
  When the liquid has come to a boil, stir in the roux.
  As the liquid thickens, add the chicken, sausage and potatoes and stir to coat.
  Add in the peas and allow to cook for one minute.

Makes four servings.

This exceptional garlic fish recipe comes from South Africa. It may be simple, but the flavor is fabulous. The marinade contains a lot of garlic, but because the garlic is cooked for a long time the smell is not overpowering. Fresh fish may be used instead of frozen. Portuguese garlic fish will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, and it can be enjoyed either hot or cold.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds whitefish fillets
  salt, pepper, lemon pepper
  cake flour
  2 eggs, beaten
  Vegetable oil for shallow-frying
  8 cloves garlic, peeled
  1 large jalapeño chili
  2 Tablespoons dried parsley
  2 cups water
  1 cup brown cider vinegar

Directions:

• Cut the fillets into approximately 3 x 5 inch portions.
  Season the fish portions with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper.
  Roll each in flour and coat it in beaten egg.
  Fry the fish portions on both sides in hot oil until golden brown and done.
  Place the cooked portions in a large serving dish with a lid.
  Chop the garlic, jalapeño chili and parsley finely.
  Fry the mixture lightly in a little oil in a saucepan or frying pan.
  Add the water and vinegar, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes, uncovered.
  Add salt and pepper to taste and boil for a further 3 minutes.
  Pour the marinade over the fish.
  Cover the dish and marinate for at least 5 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.