Quick broiled pork steaks

Yesterday evening was fairly warm and I wasn’t in the mood for a real heavy dinner. But … once again, I didn’t know what to fix. I had pasta sauce in the freezer, but I wasn’t in the mood for anything like that. I had a pork roast in the fridge, but it would take too long. Then in the freezer, I saw two thin pork steaks. Hmm. That will work.

In early 2014, I started some hot pepper seeds in potting soil, from dried peppers I bought at the grocery. I planted a few last summer, but they were too frail to take, and succumbed to rabbits or something. I kept a couple as house plants. This spring, one was over four feet tall. I planted that by the front of my house, and now it is covered in hot peppers. I grabbed three of them to broil with the steaks. Here’s what I did.

2 pork steaks

Cajun seasoning

Olive oil

3 thin hot peppers, cayenne or arbol

Soy sauce

Two baking potatoes

Preparation

This is very fast and easy. Before you start broiling your steaks, put some potatoes in the microwave, and cook them until soft, about six minutes. 

Place the steaks (mine were still frozen) in a single layer on a large cast iron pan. Sprinkle lightly with cajun seasoning. Since these steaks are so thin, don’t over-season them. Now drizzle some olive oil over the top of the steaks. Place them under a hot broiler until thawed.

Thinly slice the hot peppers. Turn the steaks over, add the hot pepper slices over the steaks, and place the potatoes on the pan near the steak. Drizzle a spec of olive oil on the steaks, and return to the broiler. Broil until this side starts to brown. Turn the steaks over, splash on a little soy sauce, and return to the broiler so this side can brown. When they are nicely browned, you are ready to serve.

Serving

The benefit of finishing the microwaved potatoes under the broiler, is that they end up with an oven-baked texture, with a crispy skin, and steamy soft insides. Break open the potatoes, and add lots of butter to them. Place the steaks next to the potatoes, and if you like, add a few drops of soy sauce. 

Now add a big tossed salad. If you have fresh basil growing in your garden, tear about four basil leaves in with the lettuce. That adds something special to a big salad. A light bodied Italian red wine would be good with this, but I opted for ice cold beer in a frosty glass. Either way, dinner is served.

Quick chicken burritos

Since I normally never eat lunch, I am always hungry when I arrive home from the office. Often, I plan out a big meal while driving home. This wasn't the case the other day. 

I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner, I looked in the freezer, and found a boneless chicken thigh. Hmm. I could do something with that. Then, in the fridge, I saw some large tortillas. Ok, I know what’s on the menu now. Here’s how I made dinner. These are a little milder than my normal burritos.

1 boneless chicken thigh,

Olive oil

Red pepper flakes

Garlic powder

Cumin

Oregano

1 bell pepper

1 large onion

Worcestershire sauce

Soy sauce

3 large burrito sized tortillas

Louisiana Hot Sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Preparation

You want to heat two cast iron pans. One medium one for the chicken, and one very large one, to heat the tortillas. While they are heating, cut up the chicken thigh into bite sized pieces. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the medium cast iron pan, and add the chicken. Stir and let that sizzle while you cut the onion and peppers.

Cut the bell pepper into bite sized strips, and cut the onion into wedges. Stir the chicken and continue cooking that until it browns on all sides. Sprinkle the chicken with about a teaspoon of cumin, and give it a generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Now dust it with a little oregano. 

Add the bell peppers and stir. Give that a minute, and then add the onion wedges. Stir and break up the onion wedges. Let that sizzle for a couple of minutes, until the onions have softened a bit. Splash on some Worcestershire sauce, and then splash on some soy sauce. Stir as that sizzles. Turn the heat off. You are ready to heat the tortillas.

Take each tortilla, heat it on the large cast iron pan, for about fifteen seconds per side. Set it on a plate, and spoon on some of the chicken and vegetables. Splash on a little Louisiana Hot Sauce, and then sprinkle on some shredded Mozzarella cheese. Fold the sides over and roll up the burrito. Set it seam side down on the hot cast iron for about fifteen seconds, and remove to a serving plate. Repeat with the other two tortillas. This should be exactly the right amount of filling for three stout burritos.

Serving

Along with your burritos, you need tortilla chips and a good hot salsa. I also suggest a tossed salad. If you want to get fancy, you can serve some jalapeño poppers (I’ll have to do that recipe one of these days). Ice cold beer is always good, but a chilled Riesling, or other off-dry white will do. Or, grab some limes and make some margaritas. 

Charcoal grilled lamb chops

Yesterday, I stopped at the grocery store after a meeting. It probably isn’t a good thing to do when I am hungry. I bought lots of fruit, stuff for a salad, a pork roast, and then I saw the lamb chops. Normally I avoid them, because of the price, but they were on sale. Damn, I love grilled lamb. Well, it was more than I wanted to spend, but I now have dinner plans. 

At home, I lit the charcoal, and seasoned the chops. When the coals were ready, I put some rice on to steam, and made my salad. The chops won’t take long. 

I cranked up the coals so they are close to the grate, and grilled the chops to medium rare perfection. Here’s how I prepared them. (I know I sort of told you already, but, I have to fill the page, so here goes.)

9 lamb chops

Cajun seasoning

Oregano

Olive oil

Preparation

Take your favorite cajun seasoning or seasoned salt, and lightly dust both sides of the chops. Sprinkle them with some oregano. Let them sit at room temperature for about twenty minutes, while you light the grill.

For lamb chops, I prefer Uncle Ben’s or other converted rice. The grains don’t stick together. Put some rice on the stove.

For the salad, I used romaine lettuce, tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, and torn basil leaves and then I added blue cheese dressing.

When the coals are ready, grill the chops directly over the charcoal. If it is good and hot, you’ll only need about three minutes per side. When both sides are charred nicely, the center will be just passing from rare to medium rare, and it is time to take them off. Place them on a plate, and drizzle them with your very best olive oil.

Serving

Serve the chops next to a big pile of rice. Drizzle both with a little soy sauce. You also want a giant salad, and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Now, this would be three servings for a normal family, but since I am a family of one, well, there were no leftovers. Let the food coma commence. 

Smokey spaghetti sauce

There’s not many of us, but I’m one of those people who sometimes lights the grill to make spaghetti sauce. This is a sauce that uses smokey pork as the base flavor, and then I enhanced it with some bones from barbecue ribs, which I had in the freezer.

This sauce actually started Friday afternoon. I had a big porterhouse steak that I was going to grill for dinner. I also bought some country style ribs which was essentially chunks of fatty pork. What I did, was I started the grill a couple hours early for dinner, and smoked the pork off to the side of the charcoal, until it was fragrant. I let that cool, and then grilled my steak. Then yesterday, I made the spaghetti sauce with the smokey pork. Here’s how.

1-1/2 lb. country ribs

Cajun seasoning

Garlic powder

Onion powder

A handful of barbecue rib bones

1-1/2 quarts of water

1/2 cup of dried onion flakes

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. oregano

2 bay leaves

6 oz. can of tomato paste

28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine

Louisiana Hot Sauce

Preparation

One or two days before, light a charcoal grill. Set the country ribs on a cast iron pan, and season them on all sides with cajun seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder. Let those cook on the grill, not over the coals, for at least two hours, until they are golden brown and fragrant with smoke. Let them cool, and place them in a ziplock bag in the fridge until you are ready to make the sauce.

I’ve said this before, but never throw away beef, pork or chicken bones after dinner. Instead, save them in little ziplock bags in the freezer. I pulled out a handful of bones from a dinner of barbecued baby back ribs. There was no meat on them, but they still had lots of flavor to offer. Place the country ribs, and the rib bones, in a large pot. Cover with water, I’m guessing about a quart and a half. Add the onion flakes, oregano, thyme and bay leaves. Bring that to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let that simmer for at least two hours.

By now the house should smell wonderful. Add the tomato paste to the broth, and stir to dissolve. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and stir. Let that simmer, uncovered for at least an hour. Stir often. You will notice that the meat from the country ribs is starting to fall apart. By the time the sauce is ready, there will be no chunks of meat, just shredded pork suspended in the sauce. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. You are ready to serve.

Serving

I served my spaghetti sauce over bow tie pasta, with a shower of grated Parmesan cheese. I also had a wedge of Asiago cheese to nibble on, as well as a bowl of olives and a bowl of fresh blueberries. I opened a bottle of California Zinfandel to wash everything down.

Dilled cucumber and onions

I’ve always liked wilted cucumbers and onions. Going back to when I was a kid, my dad used to make them on hot summer weekends, and then would sit in the backyard, reading, sipping beer, and enjoying his wilted cucumbers. I never understood why, with an air conditioned house, my dad would sit on the patio on a hot steamy summer afternoon. Today, if the mosquitos aren’t too bad, I understand why it’s nice to sit in the shade like that, even when it is steamy. I find it relaxing.

I’ve never really figured out my dad's recipe, but with some help of my friends (and former neighbors), I have improved my wilted cucumbers. 

Last Sunday, I had Cooper and Smokey over playing with my dogs, Camper and Squeeky. As they played, I decided to expand my take on cucumbers and onions. I wanted to, as Emeril would say, kick it up a notch. I added dill to the mix, and then, added some pickle brine from some kosher dills. This came out pretty good. I’m going from memory, but I think this is how I put this together.

2 large pickle sized cucumbers

1 large onion

1 tablespoon of salt

Water

1 tsp. of dill

1/4 tsp. of cajun seasoning

1 cup of vinegar

1 cup of dill pickle brine

Preparation

Wash two pickle sized cucumbers. If they don’t have a wax coating on them, you don’t need to peel them. Just slice them thin, and place them into a large bowl. Peel the onion and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut the top and bottom, with the root and stem parts, off, and then thinly slice the onion. Add that to the bowl with the cucumbers. Add about a tablespoon of salt, maybe a spec more, and then add just enough water to cover the cucumbers and onions. Stir to mix everything. Find a pot lid that fits inside the bowl, so that it rests on the liquid. Press it down to contact the surface of the liquid. (See the bowl next to the wine bottle in the picture below.) Let that sit for about an hour at room temperature.

Drain the liquid off the cucumbers and onions. If you want, you can rinse them. I didn’t, because I like a little salty flavor to carry through. Place them in a bowl and add the dill. Sprinkle on the cajun seasoning and stir to distribute the seasoning evenly. I had a gallon jar of Mt. Olive whole dill pickles with only about two left. An impulse struck me, and I scooped out about a cup of the brine, and added it to the cucumbers and onions. Next I added one cup of vinegar, and then one cup of water. I stirred the mixture, and then placed the pot lid down on the surface of the cucumbers and onions. Place the bowl in the fridge for at least two hours, to get chilled, and to let the flavors blend.

Serving

The key to serving these on a hot day, is for the cucumbers and onions to be ice cold. The cold brisk bold flavor is refreshing when the summer heat is on. Sometimes I serve this in place of a salad, but last Sunday, I served this with a salad, along with grilled chicken and potatoes. I also had some greek olives and a nice bottle of wine.

Pizza with pork, peppers and basil

Well, now that the lawns are mowed, I was in the mood to make my favorite comfort food, pizza. It’s not too hot to turn the oven on, and I’m in the mood to overeat. 

I still have some pork ‘taco meat’, which is a coarsely chopped fresh pork. I’ve never used pork like that on a pizza, but why not. At first I wasn’t planning on adding bell peppers, but my neighbor picked up a bag of them for me. Woodman’s was selling a bag of 12 for 99 cents. I used half a bell pepper for my pizza, and the other half for my salad. You can leave them out if you don’t like them on pizza. Here’s how I put this together. 

1-1/2 cups of flour

About two thirds cup of water

1 tbs. instant yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

8 oz. can of tomato sauce

10 fresh basil leaves

1/2 tsp. oregano

Adobo seasoning

1/2 bell pepper cut into strips

1 cup of coarsely chopped pork

1 cup shredded Asiago cheese

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh ground white pepper

Preparation

Place the flour, water, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl, add a good splash of olive oil, and bring the dough together. Now keep in mind that I never measure this stuff. Use enough water to end up with a slightly wet dough. Knead the dough for a minute or so. If you have time, let it rise for a half hour, and knead it again. I was hungry, so I skipped that step.

Place the tomato sauce in a bowl. Use a scissors to cut the basil leaves, and let them drop into the sauce. Sprinkle on some oregano, some adobo seasoning, and a spec of olive oil. You could add a little chopped garlic, but last night I skipped that.

Work the dough with your hands on a floured surface, until you have a circle about fourteen inches in diameter. Slide that on to a pizza pan, and roll the edges to form a crust. Spread the sauce over the pizza dough. Add the Asiago cheese evenly over the sauce. Add the bell pepper strips, and then add the Mozzarella cheese. Finally add the pork evenly over the top of the cheese.

Bake the pizza at 490º until the cheese is nicely browned. Remove the pizza from the oven, and give the surface of it a good dousing of your very best olive oil. Sprinkle on a little white pepper, and let it rest for five minutes until slicing.

Serving

I served my pizza with a big tossed salad, a bowl with excess pizza sauce, for dipping the crust in, a bowl of greek olives, and for dessert, a bowl of fresh blueberries. I washed it all down with a good California Zinfandel. Don’t ask about leftover pizza. There wasn’t any. Burp.

Stir fried pork with ginger

Yesterday, I mowed the back yards when I made it home. Once that was out of the way, I turned my attention to dinner. I still had some of that pork taco meat that I bought on Sunday. It is a coarse chop, smaller than stew meat, but a lot bigger than coarse ground. For you in da U.P., it would be called pork (or beef) for pasties.

I also had a nice piece of ginger root, which always goes well in a stir fry. The four dogs watched me as I chopped up the vegetables. Camper and Squeeky insisted on getting scraps of bell pepper and celery. I also have two guest dogs this week. Cooper wasn’t interested in vegetables at all. Smokey wanted to try them because my dogs were wolfing them down, but when he did, he’d just spit it back out. Smokey is open minded, but still no vegetarian. 

Smokey

As far as Camper was concerned, that just meant more bell pepper and celery for he and Squeeky. Here’s how I made dinner.

Peanut oil

1 cup of chopped pork, 

3 tbs. of ginger cut into match sticks

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tbs. salsa

Soy sauce

1 large bell pepper, cut into strips

3 stalks of celery, cut into half inch pieces

1 large jalapeño, cut into strips

1 large onion, cut into wedges

1 large shallot, cut into slices

1 cup of sliced baby broccoli

1/2 cup of stir fry sauce (optional)

Toasted sesame oil

Steamed rice

Preparation

Mix the pork, ginger, garlic, salsa, and a splash of soy sauce in a bowl. Heat a wok until hot. Here’s a trick for the brave, who have a gas stove. Most gas stoves, have a heavy metal circle that deflects the gas flame around its edge. If you remove that circle, and use a lighter to light a low gas flow, you’ll get a column of flame. Set the wok over that, and turn up the flame to a jet. Now you’ll have enough heat to do a stir fry right.

As I said, heat your wok until hot. Add enough peanut oil to coat the wok, and leave a little puddle in the center. Add the pork and ginger mixture. Stir until the pork is cooked through, and starting to brown. Remove it to a bowl. If necessary, add a bit more peanut oil, and then add the baby broccoli. Stir that for a minute, and add the celery. Give that another minute of stirring, and then add the peppers.

After the peppers have stir fried a minute, toss in the onion and shallots. Stir that until the onion just begins to soften. Add the pork and drippings back to the wok. Stir until everything is sizzling. 

Add a generous splash of soy sauce and, if you like, add about a half cup of stir fry sauce. When every thing is sizzling good, turn off the heat, and add just a splash of toasted sesame oil.

Serving

Place a mound of rice in the center of your plate, and spoon the stir fry all around it. If you like, sprinkle a little cajun seasoning over the plate just to brighten up the flavor. I also had a bowl of wilted cucumber and onions and a little chilled Chardonnay. 

Sunday grilled chicken

Yesterday I was in the mood for some grilled chicken. I was a bit tired after Saturday’s sweltering FronaFest, but that’s nothing a lazy day can’t fix. I went to the grocery, and picked up some chicken thighs and some pickle sized cucumbers. I wanted to make some wilted cucumbers and onions. I did, and they came out great. Maybe tomorrow’s recipe.

When I got home, I took the boat off the truck, which has been on my To Do list for over a week. Then I put some of the chicken in a marinade. The chicken came out real tasty. Here’s how I put it together. I did two potatoes, and two chicken thighs as my portion, but for most, one chicken thigh and one potato will suffice per person.

2 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Olive oil

Cajun seasoning, or your favorite grilling rub

Salt

Worcestershire sauce

Soy sauce

Louisiana Hot Sauce

12 oz. bottle of beer

2 red potatoes

2 lime, quartered

Preparation

I didn’t put amounts on the marinade ingredients, because I don’t know how many chicken thighs you are cooking. First open the chicken thighs up to where they cut the bone out. Sprinkle that heavily with cajun seasoning, or your other favorite grilling rub. Fold up the chicken thigh and put the chicken in a bowl or a ziplock bag. Give the chicken one more sprinkle of cajun seasoning. Now add about a half teaspoon of salt. Splash on a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and then Louisiana Hot Sauce. Pour in a bottle of beer, or enough to cover the chicken. Set the bowl or ziplock in the fridge for at least an hour.

After an hour, get outside and light the charcoal. Don’t use starter fluid. Use either dry sticks or, if you have a propane torch, just point it so the flame hits into the pile, hold it for a minute, until the charcoal is smoking, and it will be ready in ten or fifteen minutes.

While the charcoal is getting good and hot, wash, dry and microwave your potatoes. For two, about six minutes will work. This is a trick I learned for grilling. Once the potatoes are microwaved until just barely done, put them on the grill, after the first turn of the meat. In no time, the skins will get that nice baked texture you get when roasting them on the grill.

When the coals are ready, pour off the marinade and place the chicken, open side down, over the coals. I set my grill so the coals were one foot below the grate. With that arrangement, the total grilling time was about twenty minutes. After about five minutes, turn the chicken over, add the potatoes just off to the side, and squeeze a lime wedge over the chicken. Sprinkle on a little soy sauce over each thigh. Continue grilling, turning every five minutes or so. Sprinkle on a little lime juice and soy sauce, every time you turn it over. Turn the potatoes at the same time. When the chicken is still moist, but cooked on the inside, you are ready to serve.

Serving

I served my chicken with the potatoes. I put a little butter on the hot sizzling chicken, and a lot of butter on the opened potatoes. I also suggest a big tossed salad, a bowl of wilted cucumbers and onions, some Greek olives, and a good Douro wine from Portugal. 

Basic camping marinara sauce

Yesterday, we had our family reunion picnic, also known as FronaFest. This year, we've had a cooler than usual summer, and yet, our picnic ended up on the hottest, most humid day of the year.  Phew.

I had a chance to talk to many loyal readers at the picnic. I also had time to tease Aunt Ginny, a favorite pastime of mine. Since I didn’t cook yesterday (other than grilling sausages and burgers), here’s a marinara recipe, that I make often, while I’m camping in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Also, since I’m in a mood to mock Aunt Ginny a little, here’s an old Ginny story.

When Aunt Ginny was but a youth, I was out in my boat, fishing in the middle of North Lake, on the edge of the deep hole. Usually that is a productive spot for big bluegills. Aunt Ginny and a couple of her friends paddled out in inner tubes. Aunt Ginny left her tube with her friends, dog-paddled over to my boat, and asked if she was disturbing my fishing. I said “No, not at all. Here hold this.” I then handed her the anchor. Unwisely, she just reached up and took it from me.

The last expression on her face before she went under was a look that said “Oh crap!” She road the anchor all the way to the bottom of the lake, and then came up sputtering. Not only was I a good big brother teaching her not to grab anchors while she’s swimming, today I'm also a good brother again, as I relay the story for all to enjoy.

Olive oil

4 cloves of garlic

2 medium onions, chopped fine

1 medium carrot, grated

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. marjoram

Cajun seasoning

1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes

1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup white wine

1 tbs. butter

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Preparation

Heat a pot, big enough to make spaghetti sauce in. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Now add the onion, garlic and grated carrot. Cook gently for about five minutes, but don’t let the onion or garlic brown. You want them to just clarify.

Add the thyme, basil, marjoram and a good sprinkling of cajun seasoning. Add the whole tomatoes and break them up with a knife and fork. Stir and cook for about five minutes. Add the white wine and the can of crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for about twenty minutes or so (or set it over the campfire, off to the side. Stir often.

Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper. If you want, add a little Tabasco too. Add the parsley and the butter. Take the sauce off the heat and stir until the butter is melted and blended in. 

Serving

Place a pile of spaghetti on a plate. Cover with the sauce. Now sprinkle lots of grated parmesan over it. When we were camping over the 4th, we served this with rack of lamb, pork chops with gravy, seared broccoli, and garlic breadsticks.

Smoked turkey étouffée in the National Forest

Last night I got home late, and just had some hot dogs for dinner. This afternoon, I figured I’d give out a recipe for one of the big dinners I had on my camping trip. 

On Friday of 4th of July week I was camping in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, in the Hiawatha National Forest. I had my Michigan friends for dinner in my kitchen tent. Earlier that day I asked if anyone had any dinner requests. Sue mentioned that the crawfish étouffée we talked about in May sounded real good. Unfortunately, crawfish is hard to come by in Michigan. 

When I was at the grocery store, I saw some smoked turkey thighs and figured that I’d make an étouffée out of that. This seems to have been a big hit with everyone. Here’s how I made that.

2 smoked turkey thighs

1 quart of chicken broth

2 onions, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped

3/4 cup of peanut oil

3/4 cup of flour

Adobo seasoning

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

2 cups of converted rice

4 cops of water

Preparation

Place the smoked turkey thighs in a pot, and add the chicken broth. Cover and let that simmer for an hour or two, to flavor the broth and soften up the turkey. While that is simmering, cut up the onions, peppers and celery, and have that ready to go.

When the turkey has simmered for at least an hour, remove the turkey from the broth, but save the broth. When the turkey is cool enough to handle, remove all the turkey meat from the bones, and chop it up. Have that near the stove as well.

Now it’s time to make the roux. Heat a dutch oven on the stove until hot. Add the peanut oil and the flour. Whisk that together over medium high heat. Continue whisking, don’t stop. You have to keep the flour/oil mixture moving so it doesn’t scorch. Continue whisking until the roux has the color of milk chocolate. 

Once the color is right, add the chopped vegetables, lower the heat, and stir, mixing the vegetables and flour. Let that cook a few minutes, and then add all the chicken broth. Stir that in. It should be somewhat thickened, but still a little thin. Add the chopped turkey, the thyme, oregano, garlic and onion powder. Give it a good sprinkling of adobo seasoning as well. Let that simmer, stirring often for at least a half hour, while you steam the rice.

Serving

We served our étouffée over steamed rice, along with grilled pork chops, potatoes, garlic bread stick, and lots of wine. It was the first meal I was able to cook on the camping trip, and everyone had a good time.

Broiled chicken ... with gravy

It’s time to go shopping. My freezer is getting a little light. Normally I have lots of Italian sausage, pork and chicken in there. The cupboard is getting a little bare. 

Last night, I pulled some chicken leg quarters out of the freezer. I buy them when I see a good price (like .39 per pound), and freeze them in individual serving sizes (well, my servings might be a little large for some). With this recipe, you can start cooking without thawing the chicken first. Here’s how I put dinner together. 

3 chicken leg quarters

Water

1/2 cup of dried onion flakes

1 inner stalk of celery with leaves

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. oregano

Cajun seasoning (or seasoned salt)

Worcestershire sauce

Soy sauce 

2 or 3 medium sized red potatoes

Wondra (gravy) flour

Preparation

If you are starting frozen chicken, the leg quarters will be stuck together. No problem. Place them in a large skillet. Add enough water to go halfway up the chicken. Add the onion flakes, garlic powder and oregano. Dice up a small stalk of celery from the inner part, with leaves, and add that. Sprinkle on some cajun seasoning or seasoned salt. Add in a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Now I don’t measure any of this stuff, but if I had to guess, I’d say about two teaspoons each. 

Bring that to a boil, cover, and let that simmer about ten minutes. Turn the chicken over, cover, and simmer about five minutes. Now you should be able to separate the chicken. Let that simmer another five minutes. If you started with chicken that was fresh, not frozen, simmer it enough so it is almost cooked through. 

While you are simmering the chicken, microwave two or three washed red potatoes, about six minutes or so, so they are just cooked through. When the chicken is just about cooked, set the cooked potatoes in the broth with the chicken, and place that under a hot broiler. 

Broil the chicken, in the broth, for about seven or eight minutes, so that it is nicely browned on top. Turn the chicken over, and turn the potatoes over as well. Return to the broiler, and brown the other side. Take the chicken and potatoes out of the pan, and set them on a serving platter. Place the skillet on the stove, bring the cooking liquid to a boil, and sprinkle on some Wondra flour, just enough to dust the top. Stir that in and simmer to reduce to a gravy thickness. 

Serving

Place one, two or three chicken leg quarters on a plate. Add a potato. Slice the top of the potato to open it. Add some butter, and ladle the gravy over both. Now add in a large tossed salad, some toasted homemade bread, and some kalamata olives. I had a California Merlot with my chicken.