Sushi Bowl

This is the recipe that made my husband fall in love with brown rice. Over and over again he would turn up his nose at brown rice and whole wheat bread and I would try to accommodate him as much as I could. But then I found this recipe by Heidi Swanson ( a favorite blogger of mine) and I decided to make this as is, except making chicken instead of tofu. He'll never be a vegetarian, but I'm so thankful he is open to trying new things and eating healthy foods. Like this dish, for instance. It's short grain brown rice tossed in a citrus-soy dressing, with toasted sheets of nori and toasted sesame seeds, asparagus and avocado. All the delicious Asian flavors I love, without the hefty price tag of actual sushi.

FFWD: Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux

This week I roasted a chicken and it was easy. Because it was designed for lazy people (les paresseux).  There is a secret to this chicken; you can't see it in my pictures, but it's there and it's the real star of this dish. For me, anyway. Before you add the chicken, you put some bread on the bottom of the pan for the bird to rest on. The result will blow your mind. I've never tasted the essence of chicken before. I've never tasted anything so rich and so intensely chicken in my life. This is huge, really. It changed the way I will cook chicken from now on. There will always be bread underneath. I used a halved baguette and it was so caramelized at the end of the cooking time that I thought it was burned. But not quite, because it was so delicious I almost forgot to eat the rest of the meal. Oh yes, and the chicken was delicious as well, as were the vegetables that got basted and roasted in all the chicken fat.

This was another surprise and another gift from Dorie. Thank you so much for sharing this little secret. I'll never look at a chicken the same way again. Be sure to see what everyone else decided to cook this week over at French Fridays with Dorie.

Country Captain

 

Need an idea for dinner? Something different, yet easy to make and absolutely delicious? Let me introduce you to this tasty number, Country Captain. Not being from the south, I wasn't familiar with this dish, but it was given a make-over by Bon Appetit and one look was enough to convince me that I needed to try this. Originally, it's a saucy chicken dish flavored with curry powder and served over rice. There's an interesting article on the history of how it got its name here. But all you really need to know is that it's easy and mouth-watering and (if you're interested) good for you.

Summer Fest: Chicken Under a Brick with Fresh Herb Sauce

 

  

Welcome to my first post for a wonderful idea called Summer Fest. Some clever bloggers have organized this party over at Pinch My Salt and A Way to Garden to celebrate the produce of summer. Every Wednesday in August a different category will be featured. Corn was highlighted last week and you can take a peek at all the recipe ideas on the participant list on these blogs (and all the others listed on their sites). This is a great way to find new favorite blogs, get fresh inspiration and tap into all the creativity that is coming from some very talented people.

 

The featured category this week is Beans, Herbs and Greens, so my contribution is this recipe for Chicken Under a Brick with Herb and Garlic Sauce. It's from a featured menu in Bon Appetit celebrating California Cuisine and it's absolutely perfect to celebrate the best of summer. I also make the side that was featured, a Grilled Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette, which also has a bunch of fresh herbs. They were perfect together.

 

I will definitely be making this dish again. It defines, for me, the essence of summer. I love to grill. I especially love to grill chicken with the skin on so it gets charred and smoky. I'm not sure the brick was necessary, though. That technique might work better for pressing down a butterflied whole chicken, rather than a boneless breast. Mine didn't get too flattened and the brick makes it a little difficult to check underneath to make sure the chicken is browning properly. As you can see, mine is a little on the dark side.  It was just slightly more charred than I like my skin, but it was still wonderful, especially with the bright, zingy herb dressing that went with it.

 

I hope this is inspiring for anyone looking to get the most out of their summer produce. And if you haven't already, start planning that vegetable and herb garden for next year! It is so worth the work to have fresh produce at your fingertips. It makes all the difference in flavor and it's so convenient to just step out the back door and have what you need on hand. Right now I'm growing mint, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, chives and dill. And I love them all.

 

And don't forget to take a peek at what's happening at Summer Fest 2010. Just click here to join the party. Start planning how you're going to use all those zucchini, corn and tomatoes; summer flies by in a blur of sun, cook-outs, and vacations. I'm planning on soaking up the season the best way I know how: eating it!

 

Chicken Under a Brick With Fresh Herb and Garlic Sauce

Bon Appetit

Serves 8

12 garlic cloves, peeled, divided

1 1/2 c. (packed) Italian parsley sprig tops

1/3 c. white balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. (packed) fresh mint leaves

1/4 c. (packed) fresh basil leaves

1 t. dried oregano

1/4 t. dried crushed red pepper 

1 c. olive oil

8 large boneless chicken breast halves with skin

Nonstick vegetable spray

8 bricks, wrapped in foil (optional, in my opinion)

Cook 8 garlic cloves in boiling water 2 minutes. Drain garlic. Place in processor and cool. Add remaining 4 garlic cloves and next 6 ingredients. With machine running, gradually add oil, blending until thick sauce forms. Season with salt. Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Add 1/2 cup sauce and turn to coat evenly. Chill at least 1/2 hour and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally. Spray grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place chicken, skin side down, on grill. Top each piece with 1 foil-lined brick. Grill until skin is golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over; grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Arrange chicken on platter. Spoon some sauce over. Serve, passing rest of sauce separately.

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette

Bon Appetit

Serves 8

Vinaigrette

3 T. red wine vinegar

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 T. chopped parsley

1 T. chopped chives

1 T. chopped basil

1 T. chopped dill

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. lemon juice

3/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Vegetables

20 asparagus spears, trimmed to 5" lengths

8 green onions, green tops trimmed

4 medium zucchini, each cut lengthwise into 1/4"-1/3"-thick slices

2 large ears corn, husked

4 medium heads of Belgian endive

2 small heads of radicchio, halved through core

6 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Olive oil (for brushing)

For vinaigrette: Combine first 9 ingredients in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil; season with salt and pepper. For vegetables: Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Arrange all vegetables on baking sheets. Lightly brush all vegetables with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill asparagus, green onions, zucchini, and corn until lightly charred and just tender, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes for corn. Return vegetables to same sheets. Grill endive and radicchio until lightly charred, turning often, about 8 minutes. Transfer to baking sheets with other vegetables. Place tomatoes, skin side down, on grill and cook until just charred, about 3 minutes. Turn tomatoes; grill until just beginning to soften, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to sheets with other vegetables. Cut asparagus, green onions, and zucchini crosswise into 1-inch pieces; place in large bowl. Cut corn kernels from cobs; add to bowl. Cut endive in half lengthwise. Remove cores from endive and radicchio. Chop into 1/2"-to 3/4" pieces. Add to bowl. Coarsely chop tomatoes. Using slotted spoon, add tomatoes to bowl. Mix vinaigrette into vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken Paillard and Arugula Salad

  

This is possibly our favorite way to eat chicken. I saw Tyler Florence make this one day on Tyler's Ultimate and I had to create it myself. We fell in love. With the salad, I mean. I do love his food style, though. It's very bistro, in an accessible, and comforting way. If I had a restaurant, I would cook this kind of food. Let me draw your attention to the greens. This is the most perfect example of arugula I have ever seen.  That's arugula in that bowl, not baby spinach (although you could substitute one for the other, but try arugula first, it's an incredible flavor).

We were in Hudson the other day and I had to go to Heinen's market to browse the produce section. It makes me happy. I go there just to see the baby bok choy. If you live in or near Hudson, I'm very jealous of you. But anyway, I saw the arugula and knew I was going to make this salad with it. Its delicious and can be made on a weeknight. I know this because I made it Thursday night after I got home from work. 

 

The prep work for this dish is minimal. Just pound out the chicken breasts, blend up the dressing ingredients, set up a breading station and cut up the tomatoes (from your garden, if you're lucky) and little balls of mozzarella. That's it. I love the dressing for this salad. It's like a Caesar dressing, but lighter, somehow. It's very fresh and pops with lemon juice, but it has anchovy, which simply gives it some earthy depth. It makes the dressing interesting. Everyone likes their salad dressing to be interesting, don't they?

 

So now you are rewarded with a dinner you can be proud of. Just one little suggestion: you should really eat these together. If you are the kind of person who eats everything separately (like my dad), you should know that these two things on this plate were made to go together. Tender and peppery greens, juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella and a crunchy poultry crouton of goodness. It's about complementary components. It's about balance. It's about texture. It's about flavor. And I am all about this salad.

 

Chicken Paillard with Creamy Parmesan Salad

from Tyler's Ultimate

Serves 4

Chicken:

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

1 c. flour

4 eggs, beaten with a splash of milk

2 c. panko

2 T. olive oil

Dressing:

2 anchovy fillets

2 egg yolks

2 cloves garlic, smashed

2 lemons, juiced

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Salad:

1 c. grape tomatoes, halved

1 bag baby arugula

1/2 lb. bocconcini, halved

shaved Parmesan

Lemon wedges

Pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap until very thin. Place flour, eggs and panko in separate bowls and season with salt and pepper. Season chicken, dip in flour, eggs and panko. Lay on a baking sheet and chill 10 minutes. Fry chicken in oil 2-3 minutes per side. Drain and sprinkle with salt. For dressing: Place anchovies, yolks, garlic, lemon juice and some ( 1-2 teaspoons, I'm guessing) water in a blender and process 30 seconds,  until smooth. With blender running, add oil in a steady stream. Stir in cheese, season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside. Prepare salad: Mix ingredients together and place on top of chicken. Garnish with shaved cheese and lemon wedges.