Comforting Book Club Menus for Rainy Days

"In times of stress, only excess will do." Ruth Reichel

Long Book-Like Post Ahead!  Recipes for Fried Chicken, Cold Potato Salad and Chocolate Cake are at the very bottom.

Wow!  Did I ever have a lot of fun this week, which is why it’s taken me so long to post anything.  For the Book Club menu I had it all figured out.  It was from Ruth Riechel’s book, Tender to the Bone because the need for some comfort food after what British Columbians have gone through, was in order and Tender to the Bone had a fried chicken and potato salad recipe I was eager to try – not so much for it’s adventure, but rather for it’s familiarity 

But then, one book would lead to another, and then to another and then by golly to another!  I started out looking for some comfort food to share and then by pure happenstance the book I recommended would lead to 3 more all with a very familiar theme:  

The innate need to either write or eat or both, when days feel uncertain.  

All three of these recipes are from the same author, Ruth Reichel.  The first two, Fried Chicken and Potato Salad are from Tender to the Bone.  The chocolate cake, appropriately bestowed, is 'The Cake that Cures Everything' is from her book:  My Kitchen Year, 136 Recipes that Saved My Life., all were absolutely delicious! I made some adjustments to the potato salad by adding an apple cider vinaigrette instead of just a white vinegar one and then tossed in some sauerkraut, and pickled red onions and it turned out beyond delicious!

Let’s begin with Ruth who was the editor for Gourmet Magazine back in the day and is also a chef and author. Her book Tender to the Bone is basically Ruth’s memoirs and food timeline woven together with fun stories from her youth to adulthood – starting with the fact that her mother was a horrible cook - and not just a horrible cook, BUT she had zero regard for food safe and poisoned a whole wedding party she hosted.  Ruth, her horrified daughter often went around to guests at her Mother’s parties, silently warning them not to eat say the chicken that sat defrosted on the counter for days.

However, Ruth would learn about delicious food from a variety of relatives, friends from school, her boyfriend, husband. 

Now here is where I got lost in a sea of books.  While further researching Ruth Reichel,  I would discover another one of her books, I'd not read, until now.  It was written as a cookbook once again filled with incredible stories, but this book was written while Ruth was going through a very dark time in her life.  

As editor of Gourmet Magazine, the powers that be decided to end the magazine’s 68 year run leaving Ruth and her colleagues without their job and in many respects, their identity.  The book I would find is called:  MY KITCHEN LIFE:  136 Recipes that Would Save My Life, (2015).  Holy!  As I began reading it, it reminded me of another book I went back to read, The Measure of My Powers: A Memoir of Food, Misery and Paris by Jacki Kai Ellis (2018). As I dug a little deeper it turns out both women loved and adored cookbook author story teller, MFK Fisher – a mentor to both.  

 

All three Authors turned to both writing and cooking to ease their depression and uncertainty.  I highly recommend reading all three authors if you need to curl up with something delicious to both eat and read to ease your worries. 

From the Fried Chicken and Potato Salad to the supremely delicious chocolate cake, these recipes are not fancy, but they are soulfully engaging, familiar and reassuring.   Thank you books!  Thank you food and thank you to all of those blessed authors who put their hearts onto pages that give us hope, a laugh, and some damn good food!  

Claritha's Fried Chicken (page122 from book, Tender to the Bone by Ruth Reichel)

2 1/2-3 pound chicken, cut up, salt, 3 cups buttermilk, 2 onions, sliced thin, 1 cup flour, 3 tsp. kosher salt, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. cracked black peppercorns, 1 cup vegetable shortening, ***1/2 cup butter (if you use butter, use unsalted. I found the butter could almost burn the chicken skin, so for second batch, I leftout.) 

Put chicken pieces in bowl and cover with salt.  Let sit for 2 hours. Remove chicken from salt, wash well and put into bowl with buttermilk and sliced onions.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Place flour, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in paper bag and shake to combine.  Drain chicken one piece at a time and put into bag.  Shake to coat thoroughly.  Place on waxed pepper.  Repeat until chicken pieces are coated.  Leave for 1/2 hour to dry out and come to room temperature.  Melt shortening and butter in large skillet over high heat, add chicken pieces and cover pan.  Lower heat and cook 10 minutes.  Turn and cook, uncovered 8 minutes for breasts, 12 minutes for dark meat.  Test for doneness by piercing thigh; juices should run clear.  Serves 4.

Aunt Birdie's Potato Salad (Page 22 from book, Tender to the Bone, Ruth Reichl)

3 pounds small potatoes, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tbsp. sugar, 2 onions, sliced, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 2 tbsp. water.

Boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes until just tender.  Drain and let cool slightly.  Peel and slice into even rounds.  Season with salt, pepper, and sugar.  Add onions.  Add oil and mix gently.  Dilute vinegar with water and bring to a boil.  Add to potato mixture while hot and mix well.

**I tried the above salad and it was, ok.  I didn't have small potatoes, peeled medium sized, sliced and cooked until tender.  Added apple cider vinaigrette (with honey and mustard) sauerkraut, pickled red onions and chili flakes. 

"Glorious white winter wonderland.  Sparkling sun.  Melting ice.  A perfect day for chocolate cake." Ruth Reichl

The Cake that Cures Everything! From the Book My Kitchen Year:  136 Recipes that Saved My Life. 

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa, 1/4 cup whole milk, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 3 cups flour, 2 tsp. baking soda, salt, 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, 6 eggs. Serves 20-25 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter 2 large rectangular (13X9X2) baking pans and line them with waxed or parchment paper.  Butter the paper and dust the paper with sprinkles of cocoa powder (or flour).Measure cocoa powder into a bowl and whisk in 1 1/2 cups bowling water until smooth and glossy. In another bowl mix flour, baking soda and 3/4 tsp. salt.  In a mixer cream butter and sugars and then on low speed and alternating, add 1 egg at a time, wait 20 seconds, then add 1/3 of the flour.  Continue until eggs and flour are gone.  Pour half the batter into one pan and 1/2 into the other.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  Cool before you ice and assemble into double layer cake. Soooo good!