Recipe Review from 8/5/13

photo from: scifiwithpaprika.blogspot.com

This weekend found us trenching the yard for an electrician to run wire to the Man-barn and the garage.  Hard to believe that in another month or so I might have an electric garage door opener and lights on the buildings!  The first nine years we lived here, we didn't even have a garage, so going electric seems pretty 'fancy'!

The orange flagging is for the dogs.  I'm dreadfully afraid they'll go running through the yard, step into an 18" trench and break a leg.   You would think they would see this hole in the ground, but you'd be surprised at how oblivious these hounds can be. 

For a point of reference, you can see the power pole in each pic on the right hand side

photo from: scifiwithpaprika.blogspot.com

 

Electrician comes on Monday to put in the wires!

Sunday we headed to west-central Wisconsin (Baldwin) to celebrate my relatives 50th wedding anniversary.  Six plus hours in the car made for some good knitting time. Got to see some folks I haven't seen in 5 years or more, but it really wasn't conducive  to just kick back and talk.  I also admit that a three hour drive back didn't help either. 


Not a lot of recipes to review this week.  One mis-fire (bad flour); and two recommendations. 

Poblano Sopes (Ckng Lght Aug 13)    vegetarian, gluten free
I think these would have been really good if my masa harina hadn't been rancid.  I thought the flour might have just picked up the tupperware flavor, but even after cooking and baking, they tasted distinctly off.  So this isn't a fair review as I couldn't finish mine and I pitched the leftovers.

But for simplicity of assembly - easy easy!  I did use the grill for charring the poblano and baking the sopes.  No reason to heat up the oven.  I had my doubts about the quinoa being crunchy, but I couldn't taste anything discernible.  As I noted, I would try these again, but with fresh masa.

• 1 poblano chile
• 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa

  

  photo from: scifiwithpaprika.blogspot.com

• 5 ounces masa harina (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup warm water 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar 
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
• 2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium avocado, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Cut chile in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place chile halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 6 minutes or until blackened. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 5 minutes. Peel and chop chile.
3. Preheat oven to 350°.
4. Combine chile, uncooked quinoa, masa harina, 1 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl; stir until a soft dough forms. Divide mixture into 4 equal pieces; shape each piece into a 4-inch patty. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sopes to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn sopes over; place pan in oven. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until browned and heated through.
5. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, olive oil, juice, and sugar in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add arugula and remaining ingredients; toss gently to coat. Serve over sopes.

Chicken Caprese Salad  (Food and Wine)  gluten free
This was a recipe the Brother found and passed along.  THUMBS UP, BRO!

The chicken could be cut back to two breasts (I used three and it seemed like a lot), I skipped the pounding flat and just grilled them outside with the veggies from the recipe below.  I didn't have a variety of tomatoes, but I will say, 1 pint wasn't quite enough. 

In hindsight, some fresh basil tossed it would have made this even better. 

1/2 pound spicy marinated bocconcini (mozzarella balls), plus the oil from the container
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded 1/2 inch thick
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 pint heirloom cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Olive oil, for grilling

1. Pick the bocconcini out of the marinade. Transfer half of the marinade to a medium baking dish. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate for 4 hours.
2. Quarter the bocconcini and transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining marinade and the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
3. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan and oil the grate. Grill the chicken over high heat, turning once, until lightly charred and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the bocconcini. Toss and serve.


Grilled Zucchini Quinoa Pilaf (Ckng Light August 2013)  vegetarian, gluten free
I served this with the recipe above.  Super quick to pull together and very versatile.  I didn't have enough bulgur, so I used quinoa instead.  

I skipped the celery (didn't want to buy a bunch though I could have used my Swiss chard) and I added some grilled red pepper for color and flavor.  My zucchini needed more than 5 minutes, which worked fine since I was grilling them with some chicken.   Great summer dish!

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped celery 
• 2 cups water 
• 1 cup uncooked bulgur (or quinoa)
• 1 zucchini 
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Lemon wedges

1. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onion, and celery; sauté 3 minutes. Add water and bulgur; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 11 minutes.
2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Quarter zucchini. Grill zucchini 5 minutes; dice. Combine bulgur, zucchini, parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.