Several weeks and 8 thrilling victories ago what began as a joke evolved into a mass hysteria many of you shared with me. That it culminated with last night’s 7-3 victory and the Yankees hoisting their 27th World Series Championship trophy was truly amazing.  Thanks for sharing the ride and my psychosis so willingly.  Thanks to Shirley Gabriner who lent us her MOJO for last night’s game.  Thanks to my mom and my grandmother for allowing us to take a peek into the family cookbook.  Thanks to my family, particularly Soo, who surrendered the living room to me the last few nights. Thanks to all of the chefs whose cookbooks we borrowed from.  Thanks to all of you for sharing ideas and making requests.  Thanks to the Yankees (let us not forget them) for playing outstanding baseball and giving us a summer and fall for the ages.  And, finally, let us give thanks to the man who was the inspiration for this whole shebang…Wade Boggs…whose obsession with our feathered friends gave us quite a few laughs and some gratefully full bellies.  I am including a final chicken recipe…and it’s the one some people credit as being the recipe that started Boggs on his chicken jag…Buttermilk Fried Chicken…Have one more chicken dinner as a tribute to all we have seen these past weeks…and then go treat yourself to a fat juicy steak…you deserve it.  Go Yanks!

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

ADAPTED FROM “FOWL TIPS,” BY WADE BOGGS

2 to 3 pounds chicken (use thighs, legs and wings)
1 quart buttermilk
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup vegetable oil.

1. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and cover with the buttermilk. Set aside, covered and refrigerated, for several hours or overnight.

2. Place the flour, salt and pepper in a large paper or plastic bag. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, shaking off any excess. Working in batches of 2 or 3 pieces, place chicken in the bag and shake until coated with the flour and seasonings.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Fry the chicken, working in batches if necessary and turning the pieces often, 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown on all sides.

OK…let’s stop fooling around here.  I know I have brought out the “big guns” before…but now it’s time for the Howitzer.  Last night’s 8-6 loss brought a sense of urgency back to the World Series and now it’s time to come home and put it away.  I have one name…and it’s the one that I feel can bring #27 back to the Bronx…Shirley Gabriner!  Shirley Gabriner is a dear family friend and she is our ace in the hole.  She is a beloved wife, mother and aunt, a real Brooklynite, hosts the best (and only) Seder I have ever been to and is one of the most knowledgeable and fanatical Yankee devotees I know.  I  visit Shirley for several reasons…not the least is that she is one of the cutest human beings on the planet…but mostly to eat great food and talk Yankee baseball.

Second guessing managers, general managers, umpires, ARod’s women…anything Yankees…Shirley knows her stuff…One of my fondest memories is of the weekend I spent with Shirley and her family when the Yankees spanked the Red Sox in that 5 game series in August 2006. If there is such a thing as a lucky charm…Shirley is it.

Shirley is a no-nonsense fan and cook.  The idea that there is a recipe for roasted chicken is foreign to her..Recipe?…she always says “let’s just put a nice chicken in the oven.”  And it’s a favorite meal no matter when served….or what it’s served with.  What follows here is an approximation of what Shirley’s niece, Penny, guesstimates as the family recipe.  I am including a variation that deviates from Shirley’s “recipe” that Penny shares as a family favorite…Beer Can Chicken.

Penny chimes, “roast chicken is a family tradition for any occasion.  It is especially well suited to a pre-Series game meal…..or a during the game dinner (you take it out of the oven and serve during commercials)….or a “We Won!” celebration.  Who wants to cook all day when you are partying?”

I’m posting this one a day in advance and calling all Yankee loving SundaySaucers to make this one in unison to nail this thing down…Andy is going on short rest…the critics are all over Girardi…Tex is waving at balls he usually crushes…but being a fan is about faith and Shirley represents all that is good about faithful fans…let’s honor her…the Yankees…and ourselves by getting over the top and bringing it home. Go Yanks!

Aunt Shirley’s “Non-Recipe” Roasted Chicken Recipe

3 1/2 lb chicken [remove giblets, rinse and pat dry]
1 Large onion
1 Large Carrot or apple
Few Celery sticks
Lawery’s Season Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Bells poultry seasoning
Garlic powder
Paprika

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Season chicken well inside and out with all seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning). Place a chunk of onion and a celery stick inside the cavity (and/apple if you like).  Cut up remaining vegetables and place in a medium roasting pan…..or shallow baking pan.  Place chicken in pan on top of veggies (you’ll serve them later).  Sprinkle with paprika and roast for about an hour to an hour and a half….basting occasionally with pan juices (add a little olive oil if it seems too dry).  Let sit for about 10 minutes….and cut up and serve.

Special Yankee Lovers Variation

(not Shirl’s….but a family favorite)

Open a can of beer and pour out about half (you can drink this while cooking)….be sure you take the top of the can completely…with a can opener
Prepare chicken as above, but don’t stuff with onion or apple
Place opened beer can in the middle of the roasting pan.  Sit seasoned chicken on top of the beer can….it will look like it’s a chicken standing up at attention…about to salute
Fold wing flaps back….and sprinkle seasoning on the top of the bird
Place on low rack in the oven and roast as above
Baste with beer…. during commercial breaks (or when the Yanks are up by 4 runs)
When juices in leg run clear (sign that the chicken is done) remove roasting pan from oven and let chicken rest on the can for about 10 minutes before lifting off to carve (OR just let hungry baseball fan rip/cut off pieces of the standing beer can bird as they get hungry)

Other note:  You can cook two chickens at a time in most ovens….just need to turn up the heat a bit.

Also, you can start the chicken at 400 or 425….and turn down to 375 part way if you think it looks like it’s burning a bit.

Penny adds, “I know this isn’t a real recipe…..but real Yankee fans don”t need no stinkin” recipes!”

I received a request from a friend during Game 4 for a great BBQ World Series chicken recipe.  Watching last night’s stunning 7-4 win left me exhausted and elated but I still had some homework to do.  I have encountered many barbecued chicken recipes over the years but have never had a favorite. I like so many of them for different reasons. Here,  I wanted to present a recipe that you can make on opening day on the grill as well as in the broiler during chilly November playoff games. I think this one from Tyler Florence is moist and delicious with a sauce so good that you will be tempted to drink some before you marinate the chicken.

A World Series Championship is close enough to taste but we cannot be tempted to count our chickens just yet.  So…instead.. continue to make chicken, eat chicken and try to will AJ and the Yanks to one more win. Go Yanks!

Tyler Florence’s Ultimate BBQ Chicken

Brine:
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
4 sprigs fresh thyme
6 chicken legs and thighs, still connected, bone in, skin on, about 10 ounces each

The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:
1 slice bacon
1 bunch fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
Freshly ground black pepper

For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours (if you’ve only got 15 minutes, that’s fine) to allow the salt and seasonings to penetrate the chicken.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the chicken at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basing the legs.

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium heat. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel and carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a nonstick surface. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and cook, turn once mid-way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then brush liberally, coating every inch of the legs with the barbecue sauce and then return to the oven for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting the chicken for a second time half way through remaining cooking time. Serve with extra sauce.

The Yankees have another, much more prominent, food connection aside from my obsessive collection of chicken recipes.   Molly O’Neill,  formerly a food columnist for the NY Times Magazine is the sister of beloved Yankee star right-fielder, Paul O’Neill. Molly wrote a classic NY cookbook that is a collection of recipes from all over the city I’ve heard described as covering everything “from the firehouses to the Four Seasons”.

I chose this fiery Jamaican Jerk Chicken recipe from Molly’s New York Cookbook (Workman) in honor of the Yankee bats finally heating up in their 8-5 Game 3 win… and… their decision to throw fire-balling lefty CC Sabathia to try to grab a commanding 3-1 series lead.  Make this one…careful with the chiles…don’t rub the eyes…or touch anything you don’t want considerably heated…and see if the Yanks can keep the fireworks going.

Go Yanks!

Vernon’s Jerk Style Jamaican Chicken

From Molly O’Neill’s NY Cookbook

1 1/4 lb large white onions,
1/2 lb fresh chiles
4 oz fresh ginger, peeled
1/4 cup ground allspice
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
3 tbs freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup dark soy sauce
1 chicken 4 to 6 pounds, cut into 6 pieces

JERK SAUCE: Pulverize the onions, chiles, and ginger in a blender or food processor. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the allspice, thyme, black pepper, vinegar, and soy sauce.

Coat the chicken with the sauce. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, turning once.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a meat thermometer in one of the thigh pieces. Place a shallow pan of boiling water on the oven floor.

Put the chicken on a rack and place in a roasting pan. Roast, basting frequently with the sauce, until three-quarters cooked (120 degrees on the meat thermometer), 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven. Remove the meat thermometer *

Preheat a broiler or grill

Baste the chicken with more jerk sauce. Sear the chicken for 5 minutes under a preheated broiler or over a very hot charcoal fire. Remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes before eating

Game 2 was a heart stopper and AJ rose to the occasion and pitched a brilliant game.  I have been considering a chicken stew for a World Series post and after one down home guy like Burnett saved our bacon, and another in Andy Pettitte was pitching today, I figured that a one pot country meal was in order.  I wrote about Oliver’s books in an essay for the NY Times back in 2005 and nothing has changed…his books make me want to cook…not that I need all that much prodding to get in the kitchen…or watch baseball for that matter. Enjoy the three game stretch..eat well… and Go Yanks!

Jamie Oliver’s Special Chicken Stew

Ingredients
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 spring chickens or poussins
1 small handful of fresh parsley, leaves picked, stalks kept
1 bunch of fresh tarragon, leaves picked, stalks kept
4 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
2 heaped tablespoons plain white flour
extra virgin olive oil
1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
½ celery heart, trimmed back and finely sliced
2 good knobs of butter
2 wineglasses of crisp white wine
2.25 cups stock
3 gem lettuces, quartered
1 small bunch of seedless grapes, washed and halved

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Season your baby chickens inside and out and stuff each of them with the parsley and tarragon stalks. Using your forefinger, carefully part the skin from the breast meat and smear a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard into each bird. Rub the flour all over the chickens so they are covered in a thin layer. Keep any flour that falls off.

In a snug-fitting casserole-type pan, fry your chickens in 3 good lugs of olive oil on all sides for 10 minutes until golden. Remove them to a plate and then fry off the onion, garlic and celery in the pan. Add the butter and spare flour and continue to fry for about 4 minutes, scraping off any goodness that is on the bottom of the pan. Add your 2 glasses of white wine and allow the liquid to reduce by half, then put the chickens back into the pan. Now pour in your stock – it should come to about half-way up the chickens. Make yourself a cartouche. Wet it so it’s flexible then tuck this in and around the pan.

Place in the oven and cook for around 50 minutes to an hour until the chickens have crisp skin and the thigh meat falls off the bone. Remove the chicken to some nice serving bowls – ones that can hold a bit of sauce – and place your pan back on the hob. Add the lettuces, grapes, parsley leaves and tarragon leaves and simmer for a couple more minutes. Correct the seasoning carefully and spoon this sauce next to the chicken.