Mississipi fried chicken

27 septembre 2010

Une recette

Minny, la narratrice de ce chapitre, une bonne du sud de l'Amérique des années soixante, montre à sa nouvelle maitresse, Miss Célia, comment préparer le poulet.

(...) Crisco (...) I plop three scoops in the black skillet...(...)

"Look how pretty it is," she says. "Like white cake frosting." (...)

I turn on the flame and we watch it melt down in the pan. (...)

"Alright", she says, concentrating hard. "What's next?"

"Chicken's been soaking in the buttermilk," I say. "Now mix up the dry." I pour flour, salt, more salt, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne into a doubled paper sack.

"Now. Put the chicken parts in the bag and shake it."

Miss Celia puts a raw chicken thigh in, bumps the bag around. "Like this? Just like the Shake n' Bake commercials on the tee-vee?"

"Yeah," I say and run my tongue up over my teeth because if that's not an insult, I don't know what is. "Just like the Shake n' Bake." (...)

Real careful, I lay the dark meat in the pan. It bubbles up like a song and we watch the thighs and legs turn brown. I look over and Miss Celia's smiling at me.