Buttermilk Fried Chicken And Salsa Mac And Cheese. New Music From The Howling Tongues.

Math teacher: Thomas, you’re just average, and you’ll never be anything but average.
Thomas: That’s just mean!

I got a note from John who wanted to introduce the music of his good friends The Howling Tongues. He thought their brand of southern style rock would “go well with some great southern style cookin’, like fried chicken and mac n’ cheese”.

So, today we go traditional with the fried chicken and a bit modern with the mac n’ cheese.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken uses the buttermilk to tenderize the meat while adding a nice tangy flavor. The crisp coating is minimally seasoned so that the chicken is not overpowered.

Mac And Cheese gets an upgrade with some spicy salsa and a fun pasta shape.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Vegetable oil or peanut oil for frying

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a shallow dish or zip-top plastic bag and add buttermilk. Cover or seal, and chill for 8 to 10 hours.

2. Remove chicken from buttermilk, discarding buttermilk. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Heat to 360°F.

4. Add chicken a few pieces at a time. Fry chicken for about 15 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Serves 4 to 6

Recipe from Southern On Occasion Cookbook

Salsa Mac And Cheese

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 1/2 to 2 cups of your favorite tomato salsa
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
1 pound dried pasta (elbow macaroni, cork-screw cavatappi, spiral rotini or fusilli)
Chopped cilantro, to garnish

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a large pot according to package directions.

2. In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then stir in the flour and whisk until the mixture turns a deep golden color, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the milk and continue to whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a full boil, 4 or 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the salsa, remove from the heat, then stir in cheese. Continue stirring until all the cheese has melted. Taste and season with salt. Keep warm until the pasta is done.

5. Add pasta to the sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.

Serves 8

Recipe from Macaroni And Cheese by Joan Scwartz

We’ve got our great southern style cooking going on. Time to fire up the stereo and get the music cranking.

‘Vivian’, from The Howling Tongues’ new album Boo Hiss due out next month, is a dance ready, blues fest of a tune. Slinking guitars, growling vocals and a solid back beat are sure to get that girl to loosen up and let go.