Friday, December 2, 2016

Recipes by Jerry Lewis: Chicken with Herbs; Egg Cream; Egg-in-a-Basket; Italian Salad



Jerry Lewis' Chicken with Herbs

2 three-lb. broiler chickens, cut in eights
3 tbsps. vegetable oil
3 tbsps. butter
1/2 tsp. rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp. oregano leaves
1/4 tsp. thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. basil leaves
1/4 cup celery flakes
1/4 cup onion flakes
l/4 cup sweet pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsps. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
One 10 1/2-oz. can chicken broth, undiluted
Parsley flakes for garnish

1. Wash chicken parts and set aside. Keep a little damp.

2. Heat vegetable oil and butter in large skillet. Add all the herbs and vegetable flakes except the parsley to the oil-butter mixture. Brown until herbs are golden. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken in herbed oil-butter mixture until browned on all sides.

3. Add chicken broth and cover tightly. Simmer over low heat until chicken falls from the bones (about 45 minutes).

4. Remove chicken pieces to heated platter. Reduce sauce by cooking over low heat to desired thickness. Taste to correct seasonings. Serve sauce over chicken with mashed potatoes (or polenta). Sprinkle with parsley to garnish. Serves 6 to 8.

Jerry Lewis' Egg Cream

Mix about 2 tbsps. Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup (milk chocolate syrup) with a dash of milk (about 1 scant tbsp.) in a tall (10 or 12 oz.) glass. Put in cold seltzer water stirring mixture vigorously with a long-handled spoon until chocolate has dissolved. Pour in more seltzer filling to the top of the glass. Add more syrup to taste if desired. Serves one.

Thoughts: Jerry's egg cream was sold in many luncheonette and candy stores in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and the Lower East Side. The best egg creams are made with a fountain seltzer dispenser. It can be made at home using an old-fashioned siphon bottle (use Vichy water) or mineral-free club soda. The ice creamless egg creams date from an earlier era when the original drink was made from an egg-milk powder base similar in taste to malted milk powder.

Jerry Lewis' Egg-in-a-Basket

Jerry says, "Take a piece of white bread and tear a hole in the middle. Simmer that in butter and then you crack the egg and let it sit in the hole. It's an egg-in-the-basket and it's delicious! Now I put a couple of added touches: a strip of bacon on it, and a slice of American cheese underneath and wow! It's a meal! I eat two of those for breakfast and I don't eat again until dinner."

Thoughts: Jerry's favorite merits such interesting monikers as toad-in-the-hole, eggs-on-a-raft, spit in the ocean, a hole in one and gashouse eggs. Eggs may be cooked to a very soft consistency or to any degree of doneness. The latter is best for eating out of the hands--especially with children. Season well with salt, pepper or use whole wheat or rye bread. Sliced tomatoes on the side makes a terrific breakfast to midnight meal or snack.

Jerry Lewis' Italian Salad

1 small clove garlic, cut
1/4 cup olive oil
1 to 2 tbsps. wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. powdered mustard
One 1-lb. can ceci (garbanzo) beans, drained
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small head of cauliflower, broken into flowerets or pieces
1 small head of lettuce, broken into leaves
2 large firm tomatoes, sliced
6 radishes, sliced

1. Rub salad bowl with garlic. Add beans and onion to salad bowl. Mix together olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard. Pour half over beans and onion in salad bowl. Let marinate several hours.

2. Add remaining ingredients. Toss lightly but thoroughly to mix. Serve with crusty Italian bread. Serves 4.

Thoughts: Italian vinegar peppers, capers or Italian olives and pimentos can be added as desired.

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