Eating Indonesian; Eat Well Farm; BBQ; Light Beer; Mood 'n Food; Fried Chicken

Laura Avery of the Santa Monica Farmers Market spoke to Redwood Hill Farm about their goat cheese products. She also spoke about the bounty of spring artichokes at the market this week.

Jonathan Gold, food writer for the LA Weekly and Gourmet magazine, spoke about an Indonesian restaurant that has a small specialty of spicy Padang-style dishes. Indo Kitchen (626-282-1676) at 5 North Fourth Street in Alhambra. The restaurant, open Tues-Sun, 11am-9pm, is cash only and serves no alcohol. Dinner for two, food only, is $11 $20. Recommended dishes include nasi Padang, beef rendong (beef simmered in coconut milk), ayam bumbu (fried chicken), mi ay yong (soft noodles with grilled chicken) pempek telor Palembang and kangkong belecan.

Nigel Walker is the owner of Eatwell Farm, a 70 acre farm in Sacramento valley, which powers its diesel delivery truck with used vegetable oil. He mentioned www.greasel.com.

Lisa Deutsch spoke about The Los Angeles Arts Center-s Edible Book Art Exhibition today, April 2 from 2 to 4pm, at the Community Center in Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. The event is free and open to the public.

Jimmy Peterson from Baby Blues BBQ (310-396-7675) at 444 Lincoln Blvd in Venice spoke about Carolina-style barbeque and what it was like growing up in a BBQ family.

Sang Yoon, owner of Father's Office brew pub on Montana Ave in Santa Monica, talked about light and low-carb beer. He spoke about the following labels:

Great White from Lost Coast Brewing in Eureka
Pilsner 1903 American Lager and Triple White Sage from Craftsman Brewery
Hop 2 It from Russian River Brewing

Will Clower has a doctorate in neuroscience and did research into the French diet which resulted in The Fat Fallacy: Applying the French Diet to the American Lifestyle.

John T. Edge is director of the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi. He spoke about fried chicken. His book is Fried Chicken: An American Story, published by Putnam Press. John spoke about Roscoe's Fried Chicken and Waffles (323-466-7453) at 1514 North Gower Street in Hollywood, and Pollo Campero, several locations in Los Angeles.

Deep-Fried Buttermilk-Bathed Chicken
Serves 6

• 6 chicken breasts, cut in half crossways
• 4 tsps salt
• 3 cups buttermilk (or, if you can only find cultured buttermilk, 2 cups plain yogurt, thinned with 1 cup whole milk)
• 4 Tablespoons Tabasco sauce
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsps black pepper
• 3 tsps cayenne
• Peanut oil
• 3 slices bacon, chopped

1. Arrange chicken in one layer in dish or dishes, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt. Pour buttermilk or thinned yogurt, spiked with Tabasco, over chicken. Marinate, turning often, for at least 4 hours and as long as 24.
2. Combine flour, remaining salt, and pepper and cayenne in a shallow dish or bowl.
3. Pour oil into a large pot to a depth of at least 3 inches. Add bacon.
4. Heat over medium-high until thermometer registers 300 degrees. Remove bacon when it browns and has rendered all flavor.
Lift chicken pieces one by one from marinade, allowing excess to drip off before coating in seasoned flour. Again shake off excess before slipping pieces, skin-side down, into oil.
5. Keeping temperature at 300 - 325 degrees, fry 12-15 minutes, or until an internal thermometer registers 170 degrees for dark meat, 160 degrees for white meat.
6. Drain on a wire rack and turn your attention to the making of waffles. (See below.)

Late Night (or Early-Morning Waffles)
Serves 6

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup stone-ground cornmeal (yellow or white)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 4 Tablespoons melted butter
• Rendered fat from 3 slices bacon

1. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and baking powder. Sift, or, if you-re feeling lazy, stir well with a fork.
2. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks well. Add buttermilk, butter, and bacon fat to yolks and stir.
3. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and combine with four or five strokes of a whisk. (Do not overwork the batter, for it will toughen.)
4. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold gently into batter.
5. Cook 4-6 minutes according to waffle iron directions, or until steam ceases leaking from beneath the lid.
6. Serve with cane or maple syrup and a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce (or any of the more viscous brands).

Latin American Fried Chicken
Serves 6

• 6 chicken leg quarters, cut into thighs and drumsticks
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 6 tablespoons adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
• 1/2 cup cornflour (you can use fish fry, but if it-s seasoned, reduce salt accordingly.)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups lard, or 2 cups shortening into which you mix about 3 tablespoons bacon grease

1. Pour vinegar and then adobo sauce into a large glass bowl or pan and stir to combine. Place chicken into marinade and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and no more than 18.
2. Mix salt, oregano, cornflour, and flour in a paper bag.
3. Scoop lard or shortening into a large pot, and melt to a depth of at least 3 inches. Heat over medium-high until thermometer registers 325 degrees.
4. Lift chicken pieces one by one from marinade, allowing excess to drip off before tossing in the bag. Again shake off excess before slipping pieces, skin-side down, into oil.
5. Keeping temperature at 325 degrees, fry 15 minutes, or until an internal thermometer registers 170 degrees for dark meat, 160 degrees for white meat. Remove white chicken before dark.
   Copyright 2004 by John T. Edge