Have you seen the new Wuthering Heights yet? I haven’t yet, but there is such a buzz about it, I thought I might feature the 1939 version as a Dinner and a Movie suggestion over on Substack.
This stars Laurence Oliver as Heathcliff and Merle Oberon as Cathy.
I was going to feature Merle’s Chicken Creole recipe, but after consulting with my chum Brian Theis over at The Infinite Feast, I decided against it. Brian has a lot to say about Merle’s recipe, so if you decide to give it a go, do read the fabulous feedback about it he sent me that follows the recipe.
First though, big thanks go out to my old chum Jonny Trunk for sharing this today…
and keep your eyes peeled for a Most Wuthering Day Ever near you sometime this year, I think they are all going to be bigger and better than ever due to the brouhaha over the new film. Here’s me, on the left, with some chums at last year’s extravaganza on the seafront in Hastings – joyful and mad!
And here’s Merle’s recipe…
It’s a simple recipe, and I have made it myself but it was back in the days when I didn’t always record how it turned out, so I will leave it to you to decide whether to follow the recipe as printed or to heed the advice of Brian. I asked him if he thought the recipe needed a bit of pimping and here’s what he said…
it doesnt need pimping it needs a straightjacket! seriously, she doesnt mention all the ingredients in the method. problem number one. problem number two is ‘large can of tomatoes’ (HOW large?!?) will not be enough to stew a whole chicken for three hours, no matter how small the flame. also a creole chicken would include celery as part of the trinity. also, i would certainly sauté the trinity (adding garlic if you want a proper pimp – actually garlic is called ’the pope’ of the holy trinity) and i would brown the chicken, floured, in oil before even beginning to do the rest. chicken or vegetable stock would be your friend in this situation. also of note is the vessel in which it will be cooked. a metal stewpot is going to perform much differently than a proper Dutch oven. and i really don’t know what to make of the egg yolk. lemon juice is a unique touch – a Creole drum or redfish yes, chicken not so much, unless you were adding a crab artichoke and mushroom topping (what we call an Yvonne in new orleans) – anyway a barren landscape of charred chicken would be my main concern with this one – There, them’s my impressions 🙂
Thanks, Brian! Maybe I’ll just have some herrings instead…
Yes they are, Merle!
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2 responses
I have not seen the new Wuthering Heights, and I haven’t seen old WH for a long time.
However! I did (finally!) watch The Wicker Man last month, having spotted it on my library’s streaming service and remembering your recommendation.
It was a fantastic time!
Oh, sooooo glad you enjoyed The Wicker Man – classic British folk horror at its best. Now I have the Summerisle song in my head – what an earworm!