I hate peas. My mom tries to convince me that when I was a baby, my favorite
baby food was pureed peas, but I'm not sure I believe her. Those squishy little
globes are the bane of my existence. I even pick them out of fried rice. Yes,
I'm that bad. So why, I'm sure you're wondering, did I even bother to make this
menu? That's a good question. Probably because I figure if anyone can make peas
palatable, it would be Chef Adria. This is your last chance, Peas!
I got serrano ham from the deli case at Central Market. I couldn't believe I
actually found ham fat, but there it was, near the serrano. It was labeled
lardo, and it looked like it came from Spain. It was pure white and fatty
looking. Good enough for me. I never thought I'd find ham stock, since I'm not
going to make my own for 1/3 cup, but I got the last jar of Better Than
Bouillon ham stock concentrate at Central Market. I bought the smallest chicken
I could find, about 3 pounds, since I figured that in Spain, their chickens
aren't the same steroid-enhanced super chickens you see in our meat sections.
Everything else was pretty normal and easy to find.
These peas are a revelation. They are amazing. I tasted them just to check
the salt levels, and I almost couldn't stop myself. I was shoveling them in my
mouth as fast as I could. They didn't even seem like peas anymore. They were
just sweet oniony, hamy, cinnomony, minty, fatty little green things. This may
be the best thing in the cookbook so far. Hey, if it can get me to eat peas,
and
lick my plate, you know they're good.
Even though Anthony Bourdain has listed roasting a chicken as something
everyone should know how to do in his book
Medium
Raw, I will admit that I didn't until this past year. I either got a
rotisserie chicken, or I didn't have roasted chicken. They never seemed to turn
out right. The thigh was pink when the breast was done, or the breast was dried
out when the thigh was done. Too much trouble. I even tried Mindy Fox's
A
Bird in the Oven and Then Some. It was pretty good, but not quite
there. But this chicken was amazing. Tender and juicy, with a crisp and
flavorful skin. And the gravy... I've never made gravy either. If it only gets
better from here, I'll be set. The little potato straws were salt and vinegar
flavored, which I originally had some concerns about, but the vinegar just
blended into the lemon flavoring of the chicken juices, and all was right with
the world.
Nothing can top the peas and chicken. At least no basic fruit dessert. Chef
Adria, please, I need an amazing dessert. I know that all those cakes and
cookies are leading to an epidemic of obesity, but you can't end a meal like
this with....pineapple. Or can you? The pineapple was super sweet and ripe, and
the lime zest just did something. It took the pineapple somewhere else entirely.
And I was a little scared of pouring straight molasses on the fruit, but it all
just melds together somehow.
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