Mmmm... balsamic soy-glazed chicken

The second screening in our impromptu Cornball Film Festival - '80s classic Top Gun. Hosted by me, this evening called for a casual dinner to be eaten in front of the TV. (I don't have a dining room table, anyway). It's kind of a mutt menu in terms of international influences, but I think it went well together:

Balsamic Soy-Glazed Chicken
(a hybrid of the old Chinese recipe for Three Cups Chicken and Giada's Balsamic Chicken Drumettes)

12 chicken drumsticks (I cook almost exclusively with dark meat)
¾ cup soy sauce
¼ cup cooking wine
⅓ cup brown sugar and/or honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
10 whole peppercorns
1-2 cups water
⅓ cup good quality balsamic vinegar

[Notes: On the vinegar, know that when you're going to be reducing a liquid, it needs to be pretty good to start with. Otherwise, you'll just end up concentrating its bad qualities. Measurements on the braising liquid are approximate, as usual - tinker with it until it pleases you, is my method.]

Give the drumsticks a quick boil; discard the gunky cooking water. Remove the drumsticks to a nice, heavy-bottomed pot like my trusty yellow Le Creuset Dutch oven. Add the soy sauce, cooking wine, sesame oil, peppercorns and enough brown sugar or honey to give it a distinct sweetness (don't worry, it'll be countered by the balsamic later).

Pour in enough water to cover about two-thirds of the chicken. No need to go overboard, as the liquid will bubble up and cover a little more once you put the lid on, which you will be doing right about now. Plus, the more liquid you have, the more time you'll have to spend reducing it to a glaze later.

Simmer for a minimum of one hour, up to about three. You may want to jostle the chicken around once or twice to make sure everything's getting some quality time in the braising liquid.

When done, remove the chicken to a plate. Crank the burner and bring the braising liquid to a vigorous boil. Reduce until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the balsamic vinegar slowly, tasting frequently. Adjust any other flavors as you see fit. Cook a little longer to give the balsamic a chance to socialize. Return the chicken to the pot and give it a careful toss in the glaze. (It's hot!)

At this point, you can put the whole thing in a 200° oven to keep warm. (Did I mention you can make it in advance?) Give it another toss before serving, which you can do in the pot if it's a nice one, or otherwise decanted onto a big, communal platter. If you have it, sprinkle on some fresh, chopped parsley or some toasted sesame seeds to garnish.

Couscous with Dried Apricots

Making couscous is literally as easy as boiling water. I jazz it up a bit by adding a big pat of butter and using half chicken stock, half water for the amount of liquid recommended on the box. I also browned some shallots and chopped up some dried apricots and threw them in for interest.

Roasted Peppers, Zucchini and Mushrooms

The same method you'd use for roasting any vegetable. I chose these three to do together because they're all similarly high in water content and cook quickly. Chop into approximately the same size, toss in oil, salt and pepper, throw on a baking sheet and it's done in about 15-20 min. at 375°.

Dinner is served! After the movie, we finished off with generous helpings of the brownies and ice-cream contributed by Kathy and Atticus, and the sour cream apple pie contributed by Gerald and Mike. Thanks to all for coming, and for leaving a flatteringly small amount of leftovers!

Favorite quote: "Son, your ego's writing checks your body can't cash."