I was reading an interesting article on The Huffington Post about the history of condiments, and was struck by the fact that it all comes down to fish sauce – from ancient Greece and Rome to Asia and back – even to Messrs. Lea & Perrins in Worcester, England.
People who’ve seen my pantry and refrigerator know that I love me my condiments – but I have lately found one 
other staple imparting flavor and all things good that I would be hard pressed to do without – buttermilk. As a marinade for chicken or pork, a tangy addition to corn bread or pound cake, or a little sumpin’ sumpin’ different to stir into mashed potatoes – it has become one of my go to ingredients. Still, I regularly forget to pick any up at the market.
How cool is it, then, that I can make my own buttermilk in about five minutes? All that’s needed is milk (I’ve used everything from whole milk to skim, it’s all good), and lemon juice or white vinegar.
For each cup of buttermilk needed:
Place one tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup, then add milk to make one cup. Let sit for five minutes, then whisk together and carry on with your buttermilk.
I normally toss in some smashed garlic, a dash of maple syrup, crushed red pepper and other goodies and use it as the 
beginning to; well – such as Hot brined chicken or mebbe Pork chops?
Hmmm,
how about
with
and of course, there’s always Roasted (?) chicken
Yes, I can see that this is obviously grilled (and boneless and skinless to boot!) – but the point of this recipe is that the buttermilk keeps a whole chicken moist and tasty while roasting – and will do the same thing for parts on the grill.
In tacos or gorditas?
We are big fans of Old El Paso’s Gordita Dinner Kit (mostly because I love, love, LOVE their zesty ranch sauce and haven’t been able to find or figure out how to make an acceptable substitute). Instead of using ground beef – or those bagged chicken things at the market – marinate some boneless skinless chicken in 2 cups buttermilk, garlic, 
peppercorns, crushed red pepper and 1 tbsp maple syrup (my standard buttermilk marinade) overnight, then cut up and sauté in a little oil with fresh onion and peppers before adding the taco seasoning and water. The subtle tang from the buttermilk adds a nice little sumpin’ sumpin’.
And lastly (so far), another take on Buffalo chickenBut wait, you say! Where’s the link to this crusty, crunchy, spicy chicken recipe? Well… there IS a very nice Buffalo leg recipe here, but for THIS version – tune in tomorrow!