food

Grandma Fried Chicken


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Yes, that’s right, another recipe from Grandma! She’s a little less secretive about her blend of herbs and spices but to be fair it’s probably not that dissimilar to a lot of fried chicken recipes but it is delicious.

This recipe makes enough to coat about 4 (skin-on) thighs and two drumsticks or alternatively about 3-4 breasts sliced into strips.

For the coating you will need:

125g self raising flour

Then all the following are teaspoons;

2 x celery salt

1 x sea salt

2 x black pepper

2 x paprika

1 x cayenne pepper

2 x dried oregano

2 x dried thyme

2 x ground cumin

1 x ground coriander

2 x garlic powder

Mix all the ingredients together. For coating the chicken you want a larger surface area, so if you’ve mixed everything in a bowl it’s best to spread some out on a plate or shallow dish.

Beat an egg into a bowl (you may need more than one for this amount of chicken) and you’re all set up to begin your production line.

Fill a shallow frying pan with vegetable oil to about two inches deep and heat it slowly to a moderately high temperature - test with a small piece of chicken, it should sizzle instantly but no uncontrollably!

If you’re using chicken breast chop them into thin strips, not too thin, think chicken tenders not spaghetti. If you’re using whole chicken pieces pat the skin dry lightly with some kitchen paper.

Dip your chicken in the beaten egg and cover fully, then toss it gently in the flour mix. Make sure the chicken is coated well, you can double dip if you like, then carefully place the coated chicken in the hot oil.

Get a few pieces in the oil but don’t overcrowd the pan, you want to be able to manage everything in their with ease and without hurting yourself!

Turn the pieces of chicken regularly until the skin is crisp and a deep golden colour. Remove and drain on a few pieces of kitchen paper. If you have more chicken to coat and fry pop your already cooked chicken into the oven on a low heat, this will help keep it warm and ensure it’s cooked through.

Once all your chicken is done tuck in! It’s great while it’s warm and juicy but if you’ve made chicken strips it’s also great to let it cool and slice it up for sandwiches!

Serve with corn on the cob, coleslaw and sweet potato fries.

You could also make this meat free by coating tofu instead of chicken.

Fish Thursday


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After university I moved in with my grandparents for a couple of years. My Sister had taken my room as soon as I moved out and my Mum couldn’t afford to have me back without board (and I couldn’t afford the board)!

However, one positive aspect of being the product of a teenage pregnancy that you don’t see touted often is that it provides you with a pretty young extended family, so my grandparents are active, fun and pretty enjoyable to be around. They like a drink, have a wicked sense of humour and really appreciate a good meal. They also loved their routines and rituals, one of which was ‘Fish Thursday’. Yes, you read that right, Fish Thursday.

I’m fully aware of the various religious traditions of abstaining from animal meat on a Friday as penance to mark the day of Christ’s death, with many families opting for fish instead, but we are a family with a complete absence of religion. Beyond hymns at school we were raised without religion, it wasn’t even a conscious thing, it just wasn’t on our radar. Fish Thursday stems from nothing but routine.

Every Thursday my grandparents would take the bus to Hebden Bridge, (the lesbian capital of the UK just FYI), to walk the canal, browse the second hand shops and visit the market. Part of the market is formed by a travelling fishmonger where they would always pick up something fresh for dinner that evening.

For someone of her generation my Grandma is a pretty adventurous cook. Sure she does all the specialities grandmas are general known for; Sunday roasts, Yorkshire puddings, pies and cakes, but she also isn’t afraid to give something new a go, especially on a Thursday.

We would have everything from homemade fish fingers to steamed mussels with cider, trout en papillote, cod and chorizo stew, I even recall an attempt at sushi!

I have long since moved out but I like to keep the tradition of Fish Thursday alive, partly out of nostalgia but also having a designated day for an ingredient far from constraining you actually forces you to be more creative.

Sure there are days when it’s just tuna mayo on a jacket potato (or even a trip to the chippy!) but for the most part it’s a break from the cycle of the more routine meals during the rest of the week and an opportunity to try something new. Fish is also good for you! Plenty of omega-3 for your brain and vitamin D for your immune system, you should really be trying to eat fish at least twice a week, another benefit of which is it reduces the consumption of red meats, the farming of which is much more harmful to the environment, so it’s good for the planet too.

Every family (and individual) has their food routines and rituals, both mundane daily or weekly ones and those reserved for special occasions. Fish Thursday is a great one to take up if it fits in with your diet, it’s beneficial to your health and the environment, and it’s a boon to your cooking repertoire!

What food rituals do you have?

-M