Eunice Power: My West Cork trip inspired fried chicken fascination

Fried Chicken with ranch dressing: Picture Chani Anderson

A few weeks ago, I went on an adventure to West Cork with my friend Fiona, and we had the best weekend away.

We started off with a fish smoking course with Sally Barnes of Woodcock Smokery (woodcocksmokery.com), who was fascinating. Sally is so generous with her knowledge and her hospitality.

I’d highly recommend doing a course with her if you’re ever in that neck of the woods. It’s not just about the smoking itself, but all the additional knowledge she has about fish and fishing in general.

From Sally’s, we went on to Baltimore for the weekend. While there, we ate in two places: The Algiers Inn and Baba’de. Both had buttermilk fried chicken on the menu, different versions, but both absolutely delicious.

Inspired by this, I came home and went about creating my own buttermilk fried chicken recipe. I’ve made it about five times now, and it’s divine every time, served with a good ranch dressing and a big bowl of local green leaves, dressed simply with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Incidentally we stayed in Caseys Hotel – great room, the nicest staff, and the best scones!

This recipe may look like it has a lot of ingredients, but the recipe actually comes together really easily. I’ve used garlic powder and onion powder — these may not be your usual cupboard staples but buy them anyway.

They’re cheap, and handy, especially for seasoning breadcrumbs when you’re panéing something. I’ll use them in other recipes too, so they will be handy to have in stock.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Ranch Dressing

recipe by:Eunice Power

This may look like a lot of ingredients, but the recipe actually comes together really easily. I’ve used garlic powder and onion powder – these may not be your usual store cupboard staples but buy them anyway.

Servings

4

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the chicken

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (choose larger rather than small)

• 1 shallot, finely diced

• 1 small red chili, finely diced

• 600ml buttermilk

• Zest of 1 lime

• Large pinch of salt

• For the coating

• 200g plain flour

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• Pinch of salt

• Sunflower oil, for frying

• For the ranch dressing

• 100g sour cream

• 80g mayonnaise

• 60ml buttermilk

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 large garlic clove, minced or finely grated

• A bunch of tarragon, finely chopped

• A bunch of dill, finely chopped

• A splash of Tabasco

• Salt and pepper

• Juice of 1 lime

Method

1. Put the chicken thighs between two sheets of parchment paper and give them a little hammering with a rolling pin to even them out.

2. In a large bowl with a lid, mix together the shallot, chili, buttermilk, lime zest and chicken pieces. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for anywhere between 8 hours and 2 days.

3. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C.

4. Mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and salt together in a large bowl. Using tongs, remove the chicken thighs from the marinade, shaking off any excess, then drag through the flour mixture and coat evenly.

5. Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan. Fry the chicken in batches of about 4 at a time, for about 5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.

6. Transfer the fried chicken to an oven tray and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden, crispy and cooked through.

7. For the ranch dressing, simply mix all the ingredients together.

8. This is a meal in itself with a big green salad.

My second recipe this week is a sensational fresh tomato sauce, and it really does do what it says on the tin — simple, seasonal, and insanely good! This recipe is sensational, mark my words.

The sauce has just four ingredients: vine tomatoes, butter, garlic and basil, with an optional pinch of chili flakes. I can’t begin to tell you how good this is.

The magic happens when grating the tomatoes, giving you this fabulous loose pulp.

Sensational Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti

recipe by:Eunice Power

The sauce has just four ingredients: vine tomatoes, butter, garlic and basil, with an optional pinch of chili flakes. I can’t begin to tell you how good this is. The magic happens when grating the tomatoes, giving you this fabulous loose pulp.

Servings

4

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 500g large Irish vine tomatoes

• 50g butter, plus a little extra

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

• A handful of fresh basil, if you have it

• A pinch of chili flakes (optional)

• 400g good quality spaghetti

Method

1. Place a large pan on the heat, fill with water and bring to a rolling boil. Salt well and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions, generally about 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, cut a thin slice off the stalk end of each tomato. Holding the tomato by the uncut side, grate it on a box grater over a bowl until you can grate no further. What’s left in your hand is mostly skin, which you can throw away. You’ll be left with gorgeous fresh tomato pulp.

3. Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant, taking care not to let it colour too much just slightly golden.

4. Add the tomato pulp and a big pinch of salt, along with the chili flakes if using. After a minute or so, the colour will change from reddish to a lovely terracotta orange. After a couple more minutes, the sauce will have reduced.

5. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the tomato sauce. Toss well, then add an extra piece of butter and let it melt through. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

6. Serve and enjoy.