Plum Chili Chicken

Shannon requested something sweet and hot and I came up with a little something I guess I'll call Plum Chili Chicken Quarters. Plums are still everywhere for really cheap, so it's a good way of using up some of the ones we've got kicking around the fridge so we can buy fresh ones again. We still don't have a food processor, but the chunky plum bits pretty much dissolved or evaporated or something, since the sauce was smooth by the time it'd finished cooking. I made an enormous mess out of the oven preparing this; since I don't have a roasting pan yet, I just placed the chicken pieces directly on the oven rack with a tray to catch the drippings. At least, that was the plan, since my pan to catch the drippings tends to warp with the heat and tends to splatter things as it does so. Oh well, we need to clean the oven anyway.

The chicken definitely has a nice flavor. Not surprisingly it's similar to plum sauce with a bit more of a tang and has a consistency sort of like slow-cooked barbecue. It was not really spicy enough for me, so I served it with little lime wedges with cayenne pepper on it so I could just add some heat whenever I felt it was necessary. The lime juice was good too, complimenting the orange juice/citrus already in the sauce/marinade.

I often just pick up vegetables because they're really cheap and then figure out what I'm going to do with them. 99 cents for a head of cauliflower? Sold! Sure, this Cauliflower with Raisins dish really bears no resemblance to the entree, but really, what kind of cuisine is this, anyway? I don't think this really worked as it was, though the sherry soaked raisins sure tasted good! Perhaps if the whole thing was refrigerated and added a few more elements (maybe some toasted nuts, some cheese, a couple other vegetables) it would've made a good salad, but it's kind of odd hot.