Things You Never Knew About the Airline Industry

 
The Story: 

Once there was a man named Jacob.   

He worked in the airline industry. 

He lived in Sweden. 

He liked to eat. 

He was creative. 

He liked to eat creative things. 

So Jacob created an interesting thing to eat.  And it took off... er, so to speak. 

And it was called, "Flying Jacob," because Jacob worked in the airline industry.  Well, in English, it was called "Flying Jacob."  In Swedish, it was called something that I can't spell. 

And recently someone said, "We ate Flying Jacob for dinner tonight."  And I was intrigued.  I'd never heard about it, but I wanted to learn more.  Apparently it's a whole bunch of yummy foods that don't go together thrown together in a dish and baked.  But everyone seems to love it, so I decided to give ol' Jacob a try.  Because, honestly, the only way I can really get excited about cooking these days is to find a new and unusual recipe. 



The Recipe: 

Flying Jacob (combined from a variety of sources on the internet) 
1 cup rice, uncooked
2 chicken breasts
3 strips thick-cut bacon
2 bananas
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce (premade, or see recipe below)
1 cup cream (oh, yeah!)
honey roasted peanuts
salt and pepper
water
oil

Start cooking rice, using appropriate amount of water.  I use a rice steamer, which makes things easy.  I fail at cooking rice in a pan.  I blame this on living at a high altitude.  But you can do whatever you want.

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.  Heat a little oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper, or something more creative, and fry in oil, turning frequently, until firm and no longer pink.

If making the chili sauce yourself--and I recommend you do--start cooking it while the chicken is cooking.

When the rice is done, spread it evenly in a small casserole dish (couldn't hurt to grease it first).  When chicken is done, spread it evenly atop the rice. 

Using scissors, cut the bacon into little bits, and cook in the same pan used to cook the chicken. 

Slice bananas into circles, and scatter on the chicken.

Mix cream and chili sauce and pour over everything in the pan.  Top with bacon, when crisp.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350° F.

Sprinkle peanuts on top and serve.

Sweet Chili Sauce 
1/2 cup white vinegar (or rice vinegar, if you've got it)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white cooking wine
1/2 teaspoon garlic, miced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

In small saucepan, mix all ingredients except cornstarch and final 1/4 cup water.  Bring to a boil for 10-15 minutes, or until reduced by half.

Dissolve cornstarch in final 1/4 cup water.  Add to vinegar mixture, and reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally until thickened.

The Verdict: 

There are some really delicious ingredients in this dish.  I was especially a fan of the chili sauce, both with and without the cream.  That said, Matt and I couldn't quite figure out whether we liked it or not.  Our final verdict was that it would be good without the bananas.  This might be because I used frozen bananas which were all I had on hand, or it might be because the bananas were a mistake.  At any rate, the whole thing was pretty labor-intensive.

So, would I make it again?  I think I would, on a night when I was feeling slightly ambitious again.  But I wouldn't put the bananas in again.  And I would spice up the chicken a little more.