Southern Pride Chicken

We didn't think to take a picture, but it looked like this,
with an even coating of golden brown crust.
Photo by David Reber from Paschal's restaurant in Atlanta via Wikipedia.

If you're wondering what to make for Sunday dinner this coming weekend, why not treat yourself to some honest-to-God Southern fried chicken?  I learned how to cook it from my grandmother, and made it a couple of weekends ago for M.P., who raved over it.  I was proud of my chicken, M.P. was proud of me, and it's Pride Month - hence the name.  It's a simple thing, but as all us Southern boys know, the best thing in the world!  Mmm-mm.  I tell you what!

So here is the recipe as my dear Grandma made it (minus the tenderizer and hot sauce) nearly every Sunday when I was growing up.  Read everything before doing anything.  Enjoy!

SOUTHERN  PRIDE  CHICKEN

by Russ Manley, June 2026

Ingredients:

4 leg quarters, disjointed

(= 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks)

1½  to 2 cups flour

salt and pepper

celery salt

Adolph’s meat tenderizer

Louisiana Hot Sauce™ or cayenne (optional)

2 eggs, beaten to a froth

1½ to 2 cups canola oil

¾ cup milk (for gravy)

Allow 2 or 3 pieces per serving, depending on age and appetite.

Prep time, about half an hour.  Rest time for chicken, 1-2 hours.  Cooking time, about an hour.

Directions continue after the jump:

What's Cooking? Plenty!

Pour yourself a beverage, sit back, and take your mind off the state of the world for a while with these fascinating videos.  WARNING:  May cause acute hunger pangs in sensitve individuals.  And everyone else.

1. Short Order Cookery (1973) - This vocational training film shows how one man can cook everything, all at the same time.  Who knew that griddles had different heating sections?

2. Give Your Eggs a Break (1966) - Another vocational film, with some comedy relief thrown in.

3. Spider (197x) - Kenneth Osgood, a former Golden Gloves boxer, was a phenomenal short-order cook at a diner in New Hampshire. When you watch this film, you'll understand how he got the nickname of "Spider."

4. New Jersey's Busiest Diner (2021) - A look behind the scenes at a ginormous diner with 125 staff in the kitchen, serving 15,000 meals a week.  I know M.P. will love the mountain of disco fries, an old favorite of his - I like them too.  We also love chicken and waffles, a Southern treat that goes back at least to the 1920s.

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The Pork Boys Do Ossobuco

Well, fellas, it's been a long time since I posted about one of our dinners.  Because technical difficulties.  But I found a little work-around, so I have two pics of our most recent Sunday dinner to show you - a simple meal, but believe me it was grand!

It was Dinner in Italy at our house.  We started with Tuscan beans and greens soup, (what's the name for that, Frank?) with bits of cooked ham thrown in.  Quite tasty!  We Southerners found it much to our liking, natch - we were raised on greens, beans, and hamhocks.  Only it was a bit too salty, so the second time around, M.P. boiled some chopped-up potatoes in it, which corrected the saltiness nicely.

Ossobuco.  I found this pic on the net. 
It looks very much like what M.P. cooked up.

The main dish was ossobuco, which M.P. made for the first time last winter, and again last weekend, filling the house with a most delicious aroma.  The name means "hollow bone," and that's where the marrow is.  The beef shank with attached meat is cooked low and slow in the oven as the marrow melts out into the meat, giving every bite a rich, fatty, scrumptious taste!  It puts us into orbit, and we are only sad that we had to wait 70-odd years to discover this fabulous dish.

The green vegetable was fagiolini in fricassea (hey you in the back - watch your damn mouth, buddy), which is green beans cooked in a creamy sauce of egg yolks and lemon juice.  An Italian recipe, perhaps of Greek origin, it has a new and different taste.  I liked it.

For the starch dish, we had linguini alfredo, with a standard alfredo sauce, which we both love.  The bread was M.P.'s wonderful focaccia, handmade.  Our dinner wine was Gato Negro, something M.P. discovered a while back, which is dark and strong like Chianti.  Yeah, I know it's Spanish, but it worked fine.

Finally, the piece de resistance was the chocolate & caramel cheesecake that M.P. had baked that morning, which was totally Out.Of.This. World.  OMG, you have no idea.  Here's the one picture we got of it:

This made us pork boys happy as pigs in the sunshine, I tell you what!

We finished it off last night.  And that's all I have to show, but I hope from here on I can get more food pics to show here on the Blue Truck.  Later, guys.  Buon appetito!

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Cavalcade of Food: Skillet Roast Chicken

Remembering the sidewalk cafes of Paris, Kevin shows us how to do poulet roti in a skillet, so easy and so tasty:

Your Head Trucker says it's a good thing Kevin removed the fat from those chicken thighs, or the pan would have been overflowing in the oven, and made one hell of a mess.  And you'd probably spill some of that hot fat on the floor, getting it out of the oven.  

A deep skillet like this one would be a better choice.  We have one and use it for all kinds of things in and atop the stove - it's like a dutch oven with a skillet handle.  Super convenient.  Weight, 10 lbs.  No, I don't get a kickback from the Lodge company, I'm just telling you.

And either way you go, if you don't want to eat burnt chicken skin, you could cover the pan with a lid for the first 15-20 minutes, then uncover it for the rest of the time.

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Tradition in the Kitchen

You have to learn Southern cooking from your grandmother, as shown in this video from Southern Living:




Here is the recipe for hot-water cornbread, which I'm sure is yummy. But it's just too easy to reach for a fifty-cent box of Jiffy mix, add an egg and a splash of milk, and throw a pan in the oven, from which it comes out perfect every time.

My own grandmother made a pan of cornbread nearly every day - it was their staple bread, made from scratch with white corn meal, but without sugar or other unnecessary additions.  I prefer the sweet, yellow Jiffy cornbread now, but I remember Grandma's with affection.

It's nice to see that Grandma Jackie is still going strong at 87, after six decades in her pretty kitchen in a ranch-style house. I plan to write a blog post soon about those houses, which were space-age modern in the fifties, and are now classics.

Secrets of the Royal Kitchen

Her Majesty gives a state banquet for the Obamas in 2011.
Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?

Your Head Trucker wonders how many of his readers agree with him that the putrid mess in Washington is simply too frightful to keep up with.  How refreshing, then, to turn one's attention elsewhere and reflect upon the virtues of a constitutional monarchy that stays above the thrust and parry of sordid politics.

(We might have been a bit hasty with all that 1776 business, you know.  I mean, would it really have been so awful if we'd stayed in the club and ended up as, say, Greater Canada, after all?  Just look how it's all turned out!  They have Justin up north, and we have -- oh, never mind.)

The Queen's Official Birthday will be observed in Britain on the 17th - and in anticipation here are two very pleasant videos, one short and one long, that may take your mind off Russo-American skulduggery and numbskullery for a while.

First, a lovely glimpse of the back forty at BP:




And second, a fascinating, often mouthwatering insight into royal cookery by Graham Newbould, a former chef on HMY Britannia:

Digital Difficulties

Computer and internet problems may be keeping your Head Trucker offline for a while, but to tide you all over, here are some interesting but completely unrelated vids that I found over the weekend.

1.  SNL cold open, 1/21/17:



2.  The Obamas' new home in D. C.:




3. Grandma chefs, who could be better?

The Crumpet Controversy

Tempting, yes - but is this a real crumpet?
Picture from King Arthur Flour Company.

Just to show that the Blue Truck remains undaunted in its mission to shed light upon the pressing issues of the day, and to follow fearlessly wherever the pursuit of Truth may lead, we now take you to the wilds of Indiana for this revealing exposé.  Viewer discretion is advised, depending on how you really feel about pikelets and barm.




More 18th century cooking videos can be found at James Townsend's YouTube channel.


Bonus video: Are your crumpets too heavy? Maybe you're overdoing the flour.

The Gay Sally Lunn

Sally Lunn's eating house in Bath, Somerset

The rollicking bun, and the gay Sally Lunn! The rollicking, rollicking bun!

--Gilbert and Sullivan, The Sorcerer

Here's a treat for all my truckbuddies who like to bake, or just like to eat:  last weekend I somehow stumbled upon this Southern Living recipe for Sally Lunn bread - and OMG fellas, it's just the Best.Thing.Ever.  This old English recipe has been around for maybe 300 years or so - and I can't believe I've never had any of this fabulously good eating until now.

M.P. and I made it in a bundt pan, and we can't stop eating it - it's got a texture sort of like pound cake, only not nearly that sweet, and tastes yeasty like bread, with a heavenly aroma.  Best of all, there's no kneading involved:  just mix it up, pour it in your baking pan, wait an hour for it to rise, then pop it in the oven.  No fuss, no muss, and sooooo damn good.  Try it - today! - you'll like it.




Southern Living foolproof recipe here.


Just for fun, some historic recipes from Colonial Williamsburg and other sources here.

The Bear-Naked Chef: Chicken Cacciatore

Adrian de Berardinis serves it up au naturel in this new web series:




Read more about Adrian and his recipes at bearnakedchef.com.

How to Make a Full English

Right, who wants breakfast, chappies?




But hold on, didn't she leave out the kidneys and herrings?

The Pork Boys Do My Birthday 2015

My best friend M.P. outdid himself this week with not one but two superb dinners in celebration of my birthday.

First, a totally scrumptious meal of fish and chips, Southern style:  fried tilapia breaded with corn meal, homemade french fries, hushpuppies made from scratch, and a can of Bush's best homestyle baked beans (that was my humble contribution).

For the second night's dinner, the entree was a sort of "pork wellington" - i.e., a succulent pork loin tenderly baked in homemade puff pastry, accompanied by some sultry Cajun gravy:

For a side dish, M.P. dreamed up a festive casserole of potatoes, rutabagas, carrots, sauteed onions, and Ro-Tel tomatoes in a pink bechamel sauce - yummm is the only word to describe it:

Our other vegetable was a homely dish of fried green beans with black pepper mayonnaise on the side - if you haven't tried it, you don't know what you're missing:

The combination of all the above made a very pretty, very delicious plate:

The piece de resistance was M.P.'s own invention, which he calls a Tiger Butter cake - the inside contains stripes of buttery, spicy, sweet and moist cake, topped with a luscious buttercream icing made from scratch; words fail me in attempting to describe how damn good it is. Simply the *best*cake*EVER*** - take my word for it, boys.

And so a good time was had by both, and how sweet it was!

The Art of Blending

This rather fascinating 2008 short explores the many facets of producing and using fine cognac, from vineyard to table.

The Pork Boys Do Mardi Gras 2015

Or, How them evil homosekshuls are destroying Western civilization, one meal at a time.

Your Head Trucker has just returned from a visit with his best friend M.P. and a week of good food, good company, and good cheer, with some guidance from our beloved Julia Child, as shown.

La table de fête, all set for Mardi Gras with lace and beads and glitter - naturellement!

Notice the perfect fleur-de-lys napkin folds that M.P. cleverly devised.

Masks and beads make the fireplace festive too.

Above and below, crepes filled with julienned ham and asiago cheese, covered with Hollandaise sauce; at the side, wilted baby spinach leaves with bacon and chopped sauteed onions.

Above and below, fresh hot beignets, just as yummy and irresistible as those from the French Market in the Vieux Carré.

Evening photos of the table, with masks M.P. made.

Candlelight always adds a lovely, festive glow to the evening.

Crunchy fried eggplant, a Southern delicacy - cooked up by your Head Trucker, as it takes no particular culinary skill.

Aubergines en Persillade, Gratinées - chopped eggplant baked with parsley, garlic, béchamel sauce, and breadcrumbs - yummmm.

Baked onions stuffed with rice and Parmesan cheese - so sweet and tender.

The main course:  Boeuf en Daube à la Provençale - top round larded with pork fat, braised in a thick sauce of red wine, beef stock, dark roux, scallions, tomatoes, and herbes de Provençe.  Melt-in-your-mouth good.  I tell you what.

Fresh out of the oven, M.P.'s perfect croissants, made entirely from scratch - flaky, crunchy, and buttery, far better than anything you can buy in stores.

Above and below:  a King Cake, made from featherbed biscuit dough, was of course the pièce de résistance, drizzled with melted butter - oh my!

So with plenty of good food, good wine, Marlboros, and music, we had a fine time - couldn't have been better if we were in Jackson Square or on the Champs-Élysées. And when the day's work is done, is that not the point of living - to savor and enjoy it?

Julia Child: Bûche de Noël

Julia demonstrates the making of a French yule log cake. Also in this episode: Julia copes with twig failure; how to make spun sugar with a broomstick. First aired fifty Christmases ago, in 1964:

Cookery Carnival

Cookery can be glamorous! Famed British TV cook Fanny Cradock and husband Johnnie, both wearing full evening dress, presented this tribute to Auguste Escoffier to a fascinated audience at the Royal Albert Hall in 1956. The menu includes French onion soup, honey coated goose, roast turkey, and Pêche Melba.

Dodine de Canard

Apparently the Roux family of chefs is well known in Britain, but I just happened to come across this video the other day and it looked so interesting that I passed it on to my best friend M.P., who is a self-taught and highly proficient cook.  Well, he liked it so much he said he just might make this for an appetizer next time my birthday rolls around.  Lovely thought.




We had a marvelous Easter feast last week that started with roast leg of lamb, marinated in wine and herbs, and went on from there to all sorts of delectable things. If M.P. can get his new computer sorted out enough to send me some pics we took of the many scrumptious courses we worked our way through, I'll post them here for you fellows to see.

Two Fat Ladies

Last month while browsing through YouTube, your Head Trucker happened to come across the Two Fat Ladies, Jennifer Paterson and Clarisssa Dickson Wright - and what a happy discovery that was.  Although they were a big hit in Britain in the 1990's, I never heard of them till now, but these old gals are a hoot.   In this episode, just in time for the Mardi Gras season, Jennifer shows how to make a gallette des rois, the original version of what we call a King Cake.  Enjoy.

Haute Cuisine

If you like good food and a glimpse of the high life in Paris, your Head Trucker recommends this charming film that premiered last fall and is now available on Netflix.  A summary from the official trailer:

Hortense Laborie (Catherine Frot), a renowned chef from Perigord, is astonished when the President of the Republic (Jean d'Ormesson) appoints her his personal cook, responsible for creating all his meals at the Elysée Palace. Despite jealous resentment from the other kitchen staff, Hortense quickly establishes herself, thanks to her indomitable spirit. The authenticity of her cooking soon seduces the President, but the corridors of power are littered with traps...

Keep an eye out for the delicious-looking Nicolas (Arthur Dupont), who is Hortense's assistant. The film is in French with English subtitles, but delectable nonetheless.

The Pork Boys Do Thanksgiving 2013

Actually, we had our feast on the 19th due to work and family schedules, but M.P., whose favorite meal is turkey and dressing, did it up all right and proper and totally fabulous, as he always does. Wish you boys could have been there - it was something to write home about, for sure.  Click to enlarge any of these:

Les hors d'oeuvres:  roll-ups of very thin ham and corned beef with cream cheese, green olives, black olives, and the Pork Boys' perennial favorite, deviled eggs.

M.P. put out the lace tablecloth with an undercloth and napkins of golden silk damask, figured with autumn leaves, that he found on sale at the fabric store. He's right good at sewing, and as you can see, at napkin folding too.

The table setting from the side, with a wicker cornucopia centerpiece and the paper chain from our Halloween dinner charmingly redisplayed.

A view of the living room and electric fireplace, all decorated with seasonal things.

The perfectly browned bird, steaming fresh out of the oven and ready to carve.

The groaning board awaits us.

The menu:  turkey, stuffing, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, twice-baked sweet potatoes, spinach and cheese soufflé, and featherbed biscuits - made with potato flour, they are marvelously light and delicious.  And of course, some white zinfandel to add good cheer to a delectable meal.

Two kinds of pie for dessert, both homemade:  cranberry mousse and ground pecan.  Lovely.

I hope all my truckbuddies eat as well today, with such good company.