When I first came up, dishes had cool names, but that
eventually went out of fashion, and chefs just started listing all the
ingredients on the menu instead. That’s all well and good, but the problem for
recipes like this “Rusty Chicken,” is that if I called it “Grilled Chicken
Thighs marinated with Garlic, Soy, Maple Syrup, Chilies and Rice Vinegar,”
you’d be thinking about all those parts and not the sum (of the yum?).
Since no one flavor dominates this beautifully balanced,
all-purpose grilled chicken marinade, I’d prefer it just be called “rusty
chicken” – celebrating the color of the marinade and meat, instead
of the individual ingredients. I guess what I’m getting at is this doesn’t
necessarily taste like the ingredients sound.
Besides, I think recipes with unique names take on their own
personality, and it only takes a few tall tales to build a mythology around it.
One reason Buffalo chicken wings taste so good is because they’re called
“Buffalo wings,” and not “hot sauce & margarine-glazed wings.” Anyway, call
this what you want, just make sure you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
