SonyaAnother summer wind down without the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) — a tradition of mine as a born-and-raised Torontonian. I’m already missing the carnies trying to reel me and my sister in to play their games in hopes to win a toy, any toy. I miss the Food Building and all the fun stuffing our faces with 99 cent spaghetti, corn dogs, candy floss and Tiny Tom donuts with my own kids. Let’s be real, there’s always something yummy to give us indigestion at the CNE yet we still it all! LOL! There’s nothing quite like carnival food and each year, the CNE has always brought out some curious dishes amongst the tried and true. Toronto Chef Matt Basile tells us for him, the carnival food and memories go hand in hand.
“For me, food and memories go hand in hand, and sometimes the memory is that much more special when there is a specific food attached to it,” said Basile. “Growing up as a kid, there were two things that were a must eat every single time I went to the CNE (or carnival) – the ice cream waffle sandwich and a foot long pogo accompanied by as much yellow mustard as humanly possible. And in my opinion, they are the two best representations of what carnival food is all about. It’s fun, it’s portable, it’s not something you would have every single day, but when you do have it, you’re glad you did. So even though this year might look a little different as far as how we enjoy carnival eating, having fun with our food isn’t about a place, it is about a memory and we can recreate those memories anywhere. For me this Tostitos recipe can do just that, it ties in fried chicken nuggets, nachos and French fries and who doesn’t love all three of those things.”
If you miss carnival foods as much as we do, this recipe may just be up your alley!
CHEF MATT BASILE’S NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN NUGGET NACHOS
Ingredients:
1 bag Tostitos Restaurant Style tortilla chips
4 tbsp Tostitos Extra Hot salsa
1/2 jar Tostitos Salsa con Queso
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 skin on (or skinless) chicken thighs cut into quarters
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt plus extra salt to season completed dish
2 cups frozen crinkle-cut fries
1 cup shredded orange cheddar cheese
1 jalapeno, sliced
1/4 cup melted butter
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 pickles cut in rounds (about 12 slices)
4 cups canola oil
Heavy bottom pot
Digital thermometer
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Empty one bag of tortilla chips onto a baking sheet and cover with shredded cheddar. Set aside.
3. Preheat the canola oil in a heavy bottom pot and bring to 350F in temperature. Carefully add fries to oil and let fry until crispy, about six minutes. Safely remove the fries from the oil using tongs or a slotted spoon. Place the fries on top of the nachos, top with Tostitos Salsa con Queso and sliced jalapeños and bake for 8-10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the pieces of chicken in buttermilk and fully submerge for a minimum of 2 minutes, or up to an hour. In a bowl, season your all purpose flour with 1 tsp salt. Transfer the chicken to your bowl of flour and toss until coated. Using your hands, squeeze the chicken to help the flour coating stick to the chicken. Using the same heavy bottom pot and oil as the fries, bring oil to 350F and carefully add chicken to oil, frying about 6-8 minutes or until cooked through. Safely remove crispy pieces of chicken from oil and transfer to a bowl.
5. In a small pan or pot, melt 1/4 cup butter, juice from half a lemon and four tbsp Tostitos Extra Hot Salsa. Drizzle the melted butter and salsa mixture over the fried chicken and sprinkle 1/2 tsp of cayenne over the chicken.
6. Remove hot nachos from the oven. Top with pieces of the saucy fried chicken nuggets and slices of pickles. Season with a pinch of salt and the remaining 1/2 tsp of cayenne and serve.
I’m going to attempt the “corn dog” recipe next.
BTW, I added red hot chilli peppers to this nachos recipe because I’m extra spicy that way.