Tidbits

Poultry prizes

Are your drumsticks to die for? Though National Chicken Month is almost over, there’s still time to enter your favorite chicken recipe into the 45th National Chicken Contest, to be held in Baltimore in 2003. The grand prize winner will receive $25,000 – nothing to cluck about. To enter, send your original, unpublished recipe to: Chicken Contest, P.O. Box 28158, Washington, D.C., 20038-8158. You also can enter on the Web at www.eatchicken.com or by fax to (202) 293-4005. Entries must be postmarked by Oct. 15. Complete contest rules are available online or by request to the address above.

Spice up your life

If you need a little inspiration for the contest, try Tabasco’s Spicy Buttermilk Oven-Fried Chicken recipe. In a large bowl, whisk together 11/4 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons Tabasco sauce, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add 12 chicken pieces (breast, thighs, and drumsticks) with skin and bones. Turn to coat. Cover, and chill at least 3 hours, turning chicken occasionally. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place wire racks on two large-rimmed baking sheets. Blend 1 cup dry unseasoned bread crumbs, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and 1 teaspoon salt. Remove chicken from marinade and add chicken to breadcrumb mixture. Turn to coat completely. Arrange chicken skin-side-up on wire racks on baking sheets. Let stand 30 minutes. Combine 3 tablespoons melted butter and 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce and drizzle mixture over chicken. Bake until crisp, golden and cooked through, about 50 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Which came first?

The chicken-egg question may never be resolved, but the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has all the answers when it comes to safely handling eggs. You can get an egg up on salmonella prevention with the FDA’s free guide, “Playing It Safe with Eggs.” For a copy, call (888) SAFEFOOD or visit www.cfsan.fda.gov.

Tidbits is hungry for news about local food products and events. Send your Tidbits by mail to: Bangor Daily News, attn: Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor ME 04402-1329; by fax to 941-9476; or by e-mail to kandresen@bangordailynews.net.