Recipes by Eva Marie Saint: Chicken Shoyu Yaki; Pizza Hamburgers

Eva Marie Saint's Chicken Shoyu Yaki

4 pounds cleaned broiling chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1 small clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons minced ginger root (scrape before mincing) (or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger)
1/8 teaspoon monosodium glutamate
A few gratings freshly ground pepper

Place chicken pieces in a shallow glass baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients for the sauce, blending well. Pour over chicken pieces. Marinate chicken six hours, turning several times. Remove chicken from marinade. Place chicken pieces in a shallow baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Roast in 375 degree oven 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken is tender. Baste often during roasting. Remove to heated platter. Serve with steamed wild rice and avocado salad. Serves 3-4.

Thoughts: I've tried keeping ginger in my fridge immersed in sherry and vodka, uncovered in the veggie drawer, and tucked inside a bag -- paper or plastic. I've also frozen the unpeeled root. The winner for flavor and longevity: refrigerated in a self-sealing bag with all the air pressed out. To store a large chunk (called a hand), buy ginger that isn't wet, moldy, or withered; leave the peel on and blot off any moisture. It should keep for a couple of months. To use, simply cut off a "finger" of ginger, re-bag the rest, press out the air, and reseal.

Eva Marie Saint's Pizza Hamburgers

3/4 pound lean ground beef chuck
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup canned pizza sauce
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
A few gratings freshly ground pepper
4 English muffins, split in half
Sweet butter
4 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese

Saute meat in olive oil in heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring often to keep meat crumbly. Cook about 5 minutes until meat is brown. Add pizza sauce, tomato sauce, and seasonings, blending well. Cook over low heat, stirring, about 10 minutes until sauce is thick; set aside. Spread muffins lightly with butter, brown lightly under the broiler. Spread each muffin round with meat sauce. Top with shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Run under broiler until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Serve at once. Serves 4.