Accounting for Taste

Yet another juicy roasted chicken recipe to add to your growing list. In my humble opinion, there is always room for one more fabulous juicy, flavorful chicken recipe. For this, a Korean-inspired seasoning paste elevates a simple roast chicken with spicy-sweet flavor. The blend includes softened butter, gochujang and honey, plus fresh ginger and garlic, which mellow and sweeten as they cook.

The paste is smeared under the bird’s skin, directly on the meat, so it takes on the bold flavors. Gochujang, one of our pantry staples, is a fermented chili paste commonly used in Korean cooking; it is loaded with spiciness, a hint of sweetness and lots of umami. You’ll find it in the international section of the supermarket or in Asian grocery stores.

Serve with steamed rice. Or, as in our case, with sides of roasted Brussels Sprouts and Spicy Black Bean, Twice-Cooked Potatoes that have an Asian bent.

Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken with Gochujang Butter

Servings: 4
Time: 1 hr
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

4 Tbsp. salted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup gochujang
4 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
3 medium garlic cloves, finely grated
1 Tbsp. honey
Kosher salt
4 lb. whole chicken

Directions

Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle position. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together the butter, gochujang, ginger, garlic, honey and ½ teaspoon salt; set aside.
Place the chicken breast down on a cutting board. Using sturdy kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone, end to end; remove the backbone and discard. Spread open the chicken, then turn it breast up. Using the heel of your hand, press down firmly on the thickest part of the breast until the wishbone snaps.
Season the underside of the chicken with salt, then place it breast up on the wire rack. With your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the meat on the breast and thighs. Using a spoon, distribute the butter mixture under the skin in those areas, then massage the skin to evenly spread the mixture and rub it into the flesh. Rub any remaining gochujang paste on the outside of the bird and season the skin side with salt, then tuck the wing tips to the back.
Roast until well browned and the thighs reach 175°F, check at about 40 minutes. If it has not reached temperature, continue cooking for 10-15 minutes more. Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes, then carve.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe by Dimitri Demopolous for Milk Street

OK, I’ll go out on a limb here and claim this cod recipe is probably one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever eaten! The skillet braise is a simplified version of daegu jorim, or Korean braised cod. Here, Milk Street builds an umami-rich braising liquid by combining sake, mirin, soy sauce and gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste), plus garlic, ginger and chilies.

In the Korean kitchen, steaks of fatty fish, such as black cod or mackerel, are commonly used in daegu jorim, but this recipe opts for easy to source Atlantic cod fillets. Instead of buying individual fillets, we bought a 1 1⁄2-pound piece and cut it down to our preferences.

Earthy, subtly sweet daikon radish is a standard ingredient in the braise but Yukon Gold potatoes are said to be a good alternative. Baby bok choy is also added for color and to round out the braise. Let ‘s just say, this packs quite a punch—which we loved—but to tone it down a notch or three, use only one Fresno chili and discard the seeds and veins.

If you like, sprinkle on sliced scallions or toasted sesame seeds as a garnish, and/or drizzle on some sesame oil. Be sure to serve steamed short-grain rice alongside. Kimchi would be a great accompaniment, too. It was even very good as leftovers. — Just YUM!

Don’t cover the skillet tightly after adding the cod and bok choy. Leaving the lid ajar allows some steam to escape, so the broth reduces slightly, for more concentrated flavor and consistency.

Spicy Korean-Style Braised Cod

Servings: 4
Time: 30 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sake
1/3 cup mirin
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. gochujang
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 – 2 Fresno or jalapeño chilies, stemmed and sliced into thin rounds
12 oz. daikon radish, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces or 12 oz. medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds
4 6-oz. skinless cod fillets, each about 1 inch thick
8 oz. baby bok choy, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Steamed rice

Directions

In a 12-inch skillet, stir together the sake, mirin, soy sauce, gochujang, garlic, ginger and chilies; bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring occasionally. Add the daikon (or potato), then cover, reduce to medium, and cook, flipping and stirring the radish every 5 minutes or so, until a skewer inserted into the pieces meets no resistance, 10 to 15 minutes.
Slide the cod fillets into the skillet and scatter the bok choy over the top. Cover partially and cook over medium, turning the fish and stirring the vegetables just once or twice, until the cod flakes easily and the sauce is slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle into shallow bowls and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Courtney Hill for Milk Street