POST TRAUMATIC SHEF DISORDER

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Chicken breast with skin on
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 tsp Saffron
• 1 med White Onion
• 1 Parsnip
• 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
• 2 tbsp Crushed tomatoes
• salt

Instructions

In a medium-sized frying pan, turn heat on medium low. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, wait until heated, then add 2 tablespoons of butter with your saffron or paprika — your choice. Lay the chicken breast skin-side down and press into pan to make sure the whole side is in contact with the heat. Let cook for 7-8 minutes or until you see the skin is nicely browned and crispy. The key here is low and slow to let the fat render out of the skin. If you don’t render the fat out, it will be hard to get crispy skin.

While chicken is cooking begin to prepare your fried parsnips. Peel the skin of the parsnips with a vegetable peel and then continue to shave off thin slices of parsnips and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the parsnips into hot oil around 350 degrees, and fry until golden brown and delicious. Pull from oil, sprinkle with salt and set aside. Now is a good time to shape them for how they will go on top of the chicken.

Next we’ll start on the Basquaise sauce. Thinly slice onions into half moons and julienne the peppers. Take some time to really focus and be mindful of the size of each slice. Listen to the crunch of the knife and really feel it cutting through each slice. And remember to breathe. Add onions to the oil and hit them with a pinch of salt. Once onions begin to look translucent, add peppers, slice garlic and smoked paprika. Once peppers become tender, and garlic is fragrant, add crushed tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes. Then set aside.

By this time the chicken should be ready to be flipped. Flip the chicken and begin to baste it. Try to smell the butter as it begins to brown and adds a rich nuttiness to your dish. Take a second and marvel at your beautifully browned chicken skin. If it is a little under, feel free to flip it over and cook longer. If it is over-cooked — no problem. Call it rustic and move on. Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, remove from the heat and let rest.

Assembling this dish is entirely up to you. You did all the work so turn this into your own vision. Express yourself. What do the elements say to you? Typically height makes food more visually appealing so I chose to stack it by placing my chicken on top of the basquaise sauce and layer that with a mound of the fried parsnips. I garnished the plate with little dots of balsamic vinegar glaze.