Thyme After Time: Sunnny Side Up Over Cleveland Rice

Egg-ceptionally Good and Dirty Rice

with Fried Chicken Strips

There are those times when words just don't do justice to a dish and although a picture is worth a thousand words, the actual dish...o

Oh baby! it's good to be eating in Cleveland.

Today...it's all about the food...and nothing but the food.

Don't let the chicken livers scare you off.

They dissolve into the dish and I promise, you can't taste them...

Don't leave them out though...

Try it,

You'll like it.

I found the livers and big beautiful chunks of bacon at The West Side Market. If you have never been there...Go and Go often. If you love food (and why else would you be reading this if you didn't?) you will absolutely love being at the market. Just be sure to save me a parking space. If you aren't in the Cleveland area, call around to local butchers. If they don't have them in stock, they'd be happy to get them for you. Just be sure to use them the same day...the fresher, the better.

And now, let's get to the good stuff.....

(and as always...make the dish yours...like more meat? Add it. Like less heat? Use less pepper. That's my favorite part of cooking, making a dish your very own...oh and seeing others smile when enjoying your creations.)

The Rice

based on Dirty Rice

Serves a lot :)

1/2 Cup Chopped/Cubed Bacon

1/4 lb Chicken Livers

3/4 lb Ground Pork

2 Stalks Celery, Chopped

1/2 Green Pepper, Chopped

1 Onion, Chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1/3 Cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped

2 Cups Long Grain Rice

2 Cups Chicken Stock

2 Cups Water

Spice Rub

1 tsp Sweet Paprika

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/4 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 tsp White Pepper

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

2 Bay Leaves

Combine ingredients for spice rub and set aside.

In a medium saucepan bring 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of water to a boil.

Add 2 Cups of rice, turn down heat to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Brown the bacon over medium heat in a large pot or dutch oven. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Finely chop (or puree) the chicken livers.

Cook the chicken livers and the pork over medium heat in the leftover bacon grease.

When the pork and livers are done and there is not longer any pink (and there are some crispy brown bits) remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the extra grease.

Add the celery and onion and let cook in the bacon grease until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add minced garlic, 2 bay leaves and about half of your spice mixture.

Add all of the meat that was set aside back to the pot.

Add 1/4 cup chicken stock.

Add cooked rice, the rest of the spice rub and the freshly chopped parsley.

Taste and season with more salt, if needed.

The Chicken Strips

1 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Sweet Paprika

1 Tbsp Salt

1 Tbsp Oregano

1 Tbsp Thyme

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

1 Tsp White Pepper

1 Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1 Cup Buttermilk

1/3 Cup Jalapeno Syrup (or equal parts honey and hot sauce)

1 lb Chicken Breast Strips

Vegetable or Peanut oil

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Mix buttermilk and syrup together in a bowl.

Dip chicken in flour mixture, then into the buttermilk and back into the flour.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed frying pan over medium heat filled with enough oil to come up about 1/2" from the bottom. You will know the oil is hot enough when a droplet of water begins to sizzle.
Fry about 5-7 minutes on each side and the coating is a beautiful crispy golden brown.(or the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165.)

The only thing left is our sun...

Fry an egg your favorite way...sunny side up...over easy...

I lightly sprinkle the egg with a tiny bit of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper while it is cooking.

To plate, scoop the rice on the plate (keep it warm in a slightly heated oven) and have it ready while the egg is cooking. Don't forget your fried chicken..