Faith Wheeler is known in San Francisco restaurant circles as the “restaurant doctor.” Wheeler, the founder of Faith Wheeler & Company (1993), offered her clients much more than sage public relations advice. Her expertise shed light on all aspects of the business, examining every detail, from the greeting protocol at the door to water service to the comfortability of the chairs.
She had a keen sense of what would bring guests in the door. That required her to analyze menus from top to bottom, often looking for a “sticky” dish that guests couldn’t live without. A concoction with lasting appeal that would never go away.
Her love of food and cooking started in childhood. Her mother wasn’t a fan of cooking and when she went back to work, Wheeler and her brother took over the kitchen. Some of their repertoire included pizzas on English muffins, not-so-French omelets oozing with ricotta and Muenster cheese, and many wok creations. Cooking became her hobby.
Her new book, “Chickens Don’t Fly,” is a beautiful blend of cookbook and memoir. The storytelling is compelling, the dishes showcased in the recipes irresistible. The book is pretty enough to qualify as a coffee table adornment, but she calls it a kitchen table book that’s made to be admired and utilized.
The book’s title is a metaphor for living courageously, an attribute she seems to have mastered to perfection.
Jalapeño Cheese Biscuits
Wheeler calls for freezing the butter and then grating it before adding it to the mix. She says it makes the biscuits super fluffy. She suggests serving them while warm, topped with honey butter.
Yield: About 8 to 10
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen and grated
1 cup buttermilk, shaken before measuring
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup seeded and coarsely chopped fresh jalapeños
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. With your fingers, lightly blend in the grated butter, and then add the cup of buttermilk, working the dough gently until it just holds together.
3. Continue to lightly work in the cheese and jalapenos. Lightly make dough into large golf-ball-size spheres and set them on a nonstick cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes.
Source: “Chickens Don’t Fly” by Faith Wheeler
Constant Craving Asian Chicken Salad
The inspiration for this delicious Asian-style chicken salad dates to when Wheeler was working with California Cafes that had locations across the country. The executive chef told her that “the public craves sugar and soy sauce together.” He called the combo “birdfeeder food.” By any name, the soy-and-sugar spiked dressing is delicious.
She also notes the clever use of fresh ginger, a technique that uses a step to nuance the fresh ginger’s vibrant personality. The grated ginger swims in a small amount of water for a few minutes before it is added to the dressing along with its soaking water.
Yield: About 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
Dressing:
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek chili paste
Salad:
1/2 (12-ounce) pack wonton skins (wrappers)
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 cups green cabbage chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 cups lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 seedless tangerines, segmented
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup seeded chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped hothouse cucumber
1/2 cup halved snow peas
3 to 4 cups cooked boneless, skinless chicken, torn into bite-sized pieces; see cook’s notes
Cook’s notes: Wheeler often uses storebought rotisserie chicken in this dish.
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the dressing. Grate ginger into the water and set aside. In a jar with a lid, or a bowl with a whisk, add all other dressing ingredients and then add the ginger with the water. Mix ingredients well, either shaking in sealed jar or whisking.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut wonton skins into 1/2-inch wide strips. Brush them lightly with sesame oil. Place on prepared baking sheet and toast for 2 minutes or until crisp. Place almonds on rimmed baking pan and toast for 2 minutes. Cool.
3. In a large bowl combine cabbage, lettuce, celery, tangerine segments, cilantro, red bell pepper, cucumber, and snow peas. Top with torn chicken. Stir dressing and add it to salad. Toss. Sprinkle with crispy wonton skins and slivered almonds. Gently toss.
Source: “Chickens Don’t Fly” by Faith Wheeler
Tomatillo Salsa
Tomatillo Salsa is delicious served with chips, grilled fish or steak. It is one of the key elements in the recipe that follows, Enchiladas Suizas.
Yield: About 2 to 3 cups
INGREDIENTS
12 medium tomatillos, see cook’s notes
1 jalapeño chili
1 pasilla chili, see cook’s notes
1 onion, cut in quarters with the skin on
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Cook’s notes: Tomatillo (pronounced toe-mah-TEE-yoh) is Spanish for small tomato. But it isn’t a tomato. A member of the nightshade family, it’s related to tomatoes, along with ground cherries and cape gooseberries. Tomatillos have a wake-up taste, like apples drizzled with lemon juice, but with a pleasing, herb-like edge. Peel off the husks and rinse off the sticky coating, wiping (if necessary) with paper towels or clean cloth.
Pasilla chilies are dried and have dark, wrinkled skin. They have earthy notes of dried fruit (raisins, prunes), cocoa, and a hint of smoke. If you wish a milder, less spicy sauce, remove the seeds for the pasilla.
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Remove husks from tomatillos. Rinse with cold water and wipe dry with a clean cloth or paper towels. Wash chilies and cut off stems. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add tomatillos, jalapeño, pasilla, and quartered onion with skin on. Toss with olive oil and salt.
3. Roast for 20 minutes in preheated oven, or until tomatillos are lightly browned, Remove skin from onion. Place the mixture in a blender and whirl until pureed. Season to taste as needed.
Source: “Chickens Don’t Fly” by Faith Wheeler
Enchiladas Suizas
Over the last few years, Wheeler and her husband built a home in Todos Santos on the Pacific side of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. She loves to prepare Enchiladas Suizas to show off the fabulous tomatillos and crema Mexicana that she can buy in the town. She says that the unbaked dish freezes well.
Yield: About 8 to 10 enchiladas
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups tomatillo salsa (see recipe)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided use
About 15 small new potatoes
3 pasilla peppers (when chopped about 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 1/2 cups cooked boneless, skinless chicken, torn into pieces
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus 1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish
8 to 10 medium-size flour tortillas
4 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded
4 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cup sour cream or crema Mexicana
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. To make the tomatillo sauce, stir together tomatillo salsa and 1/2 cup chicken broth in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a roasting pan, combine potatoes and whole pasilla peppers. Roast in oven for 15 minutes, or until tender. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Place peppers in a plastic bag for 5 minutes to sweat so their skin will peel off easily. When cool enough to handle, chop potatoes and peel peppers and remove their seeds. Remove stems and chop seeded peppers.
3. In a large deep skillet, add olive oil, butter, garlic, and onions; cook on medium-high heat until softened and translucent. Add cumin, potatoes, and pasillas. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add chicken and 1 cup chicken broth. Cook, stirring frequently until ingredients meld and liquid reduces slightly. Remove the filling from heat and stir in cilantro.
4. Put 2 tablespoons sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it around evenly. With one tortilla place about 3 tablespoons of filling and a good sprinkling of cheeses. Roll both sides together and place seam-side down in pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and dot the top with sour cream and remaining cheese. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, then sprinkle with remaining cilantro.
Source: “Chickens Don’t Fly” by Faith Wheeler