Pip's Plate

I’m not sure what’s gotten into me, but I’ve really been into chicken and rice the past couple weeks. Maybe because I’m trying out some healthier options? Dunno. But this was really easy and delicious. You could grill the chicken and pineapple, or cook inside.

Jerk Chicken with Grilled Pineapple and Basil Lime Rice

serves 4

CHICKEN

4 organic chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)

about 2T Jamaican Jerk seasoning – I love the Pampered Chef Jamaican Jerk Rub, but you can use any kind

2T olive oil

chicken broth

1 lime, sliced

PINEAPPLE

1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1″ strips

1T olive oil

1T honey

2T chopped fresh mint

BASIL LIME RICE

1 cup long grain white rice (like jasmine)

2 cups water

2T chopped fresh basil

1t lime zest

PREPARATION

1. Preheat broiler to high with oven rack 2/3 to the top.

2. Place 1 cup rice and 2 cups water in rice cooker; cook for 20 minutes.

3. Warm 1T honey in microwave for 10-15 seconds. Whisk in 1T olive oil. Toss pineapple in honey-olive oil mixture. Place on baking sheet and place under broiler. This will cook for about 12-15 minutes. You can turn the pineapple half way through cooking to get even browning. Don’t let this burn, but check on it to make sure the pineapple is getting nice an browned (this is where the pineapple juices bubble out to combine with the olive oil and honey, creating a sweet caramelized flavor – and OH it’s good).

4. Heat 2T olive oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken breasts with jerk rub and, using your hand, rub onto the chicken on both sides. The amount you use is up to you, but a good rule of thumb is to cover the chicken breast with the seasoning, then when you rub it, the extra falls off. Place chicken breasts in saucepan and cook until done, turning over halfway through. Cooking the chicken this way gives it a nice brown crust. If the chicken is somewhat thick and is taking too long to cook, you can add 2T chicken broth at a time and cover the pan so the chicken doesn’t dry out.

5. Add basil and lime zest to the rice and mix it up. Place rice on a plate, top with chicken and pineapple, then sprinkle with mint. Serve with a slice of lime.

Mmmmm….gotta love tacos. If you’ve read any of my blog, you know that tacos are one of my favorite things to make. I don’t even know if I’ve ever made the same taco twice – it always depends on what I have in my fridge.

I was looking for something to make the other week (yeah, I know, I’m way behind on blogging) and came across this recipe on Food Network. I will definitely be making it again! It’s really easy, and the tomatillo “pesto” (if you will) is divine. The honey makes this piece of the recipe top notch.

This is not only a very healthy recipe, it’s extremely quick. It took about 25 minutes to make this meal. Add the rice, and you’ve got a complete meal. Heck, start out with some chips and salsa if you’re feeling snacky. Oh, and don’t forget some Mexican beer to wash this down.

The taco recipe calls for grilling most of the ingredients, but I made do with a stove top and I’ll include my notations.

Shredded Chicken and Tomatillo Tacos with Queso Fresco

Serves 4

6 tomatillos, husked, washed, and grilled until blackened*

1 serrano, grilled until blackened*

olive oil

1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 lime, juiced

2 T honey

1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken**

8 tortillas

1 cup crumbled queso fresco

Preheat the grill to medium. Add the blackened tomatillos and serrano to a small saute pan and briefly saute in a little olive oil on the grates of the grill.

*If cooking inside on stovetop: using tongs, hold tomatillos and serrano over open High flame until blackened (they’ll pop so be careful). Cut the tomatillos in quarters and roughly cut the serrano. Add to saute pan with a little olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute until soft.

Place tomatillos, serrano, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and honey in a blender and blend until smooth. Place tomatillo mixture in a large saute pan and place on the grates of the grill. (Alternately, add to saute pan on medium-high heat on stovetop). Bring themixture to a simmer, add the chicken, and heat through.

Place the tortillas on the grill (or warm in a 200 degree oven, wrapped in foil) and grill for 20 seconds on each side. Spoon the chicken mixture into the tortillas and top with a few tablespoons of the queso fresco.

**You can also purchase 1.5# organic chicken breasts and poach them in water, then shred. This keeps it healthier and you can control what additives are in the meat. In a medium pan, heat water over high heat, add chicken, when boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook through. Remove chicken breasts from water. Using two forks, pull the chicken apart.

source Food Network

Toasted-garlic Rice with Fresh Herbs and Lime

Serves 6

You can really use any combination of fresh herbs, keeping cilantro and parsley as the base. My grocery store didn’t have mint or marjoram that day, so I substituted fresh tarragon. You could throw some basil in this too and I’m sure it would be delish.

You can also make this dish in a rice cooker (which is WAY easier). I’ve noted the changes below.

1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 T fresh lime juice

2 T extra virgin olive oil

12 large garlic cloves

3/4 t salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 T chopped fresh mint

1 T chopped fresh marjoram

1 1/2 t grated lime peel

IF NOT USING RICE COOKER

Place rice in strainer. Rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Drain well. Bring broth and lime juice to simmer in medium saucepan.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; saute until golden and sticky, about 1 minute. Add rice, stir 2 minutes. Add hot broth mixture and 3/4 t salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover. Cook until rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Turn off heat; let stand covered for 10 minutes. Add herbs and lime peel to rice. Fluff with fork. Season with additional salt if desired.

IF USING RICE COOKER

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; saute until golden and sticky, about 1 minute. Place rice in rice cooker. Add garlic and oil, stir to coat rice. Add chicken broth and lime juice. Cook for 20 minutes. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Add herbs and lime peel, fluff with fork.

source Bon Appetit March 2003 on epicurious

After the brilliant success of our first Gourmet Club meeting back in January, I immediately went home and started scavenging the internet for braised short rib recipes – because it doesn’t get much better than that. And man oh man….it doesn’t.

Nicole and I were serving the main course this time, which also meant we would be hosting it at my house. I first thought an Asian inspired short rib recipe would be exactly what I was looking for. Until I found this recipe: Brasato al Barolo (Braised Short Ribs with Pumpkin Orzo and Horseradish Gremolata). YUM.

Then I thought…wait a second, this is from Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo cookbook…hmmm…why does that sound familiar? Then it dawned on me! I finished a book at the end of November titled “Heat” – which is now one of my favorite books – about Bill Buford working for Mario Batali and traveling through Italy. Well, this dish is mentioned in great detail. I looked it up, laughed at the descriptions (it’s violently vulgar), and said “sign me up! this is the dish!”

I read some more about the region this dish comes from – Emilia Romagna in northern Italy and discovered this from wikipedia:

The city of Bologna is famous for its superb cuisine. Perhaps less well known is the fact that it lies at the heart of Emilia Romagna, a region celebrated both in Italy and abroad for the range and quality of its culinary delights. From the Adriatic coast of Ravenna and Forlì to the inland plains and river vallleys of Parma, Piacenza, and Modena, Emila Romagna is richly blessed with prime produce and ingenious cooks.

We preordered short ribs (not flank style but the cut with one bone per rib) and picked them up early that Saturday along with all the other ingredients, then went back to my place to get everything prepped. Have you ever grated fresh horseradish? It is STRONG. And it’s fleshy and weird – it kind of creeped me out a bit.

Either way, the dish was hands down the best dish I’ve ever made. It was simple enough to do again, although somewhat time intensive as it requires a long time in the oven. Although the recipe says to braise at 375 for 2 hours, the next time I would braise at 350 for 3 hours.

The table setting had an Italian theme with reds, greens, and yellows.

Here is the menu:

First Course

Antipasto platter of assorted meats, cheeses, olives, and breads

Paired with: Tommasi Poggio al Tufo Rompicollo, Maremma Tuscana, 2004

Second Course

Tagliatelle with Mussels, Clams and Pesto

Paired with: Tamellini Soave, 2005 (excellent wine)

Third Course

Braised Short Ribs with Pumpkin Orzo and Horseradish Gremolata

Paired with: Josetta Saffirio Barolo, 2002

*A special note about the wine: there is this fellow who suggests wine at the place I love to go (Hennepin Lake Liquors in Uptown – their selection and prices are unbeatable) who, in the past, has had a very low success rate at suggesting wines for me. My strategy for Sat? Avoid him AT ALL COSTS. Well…that unfortunately didn’t happen as another worker pointed me directly to him and there was no one else in the store. F*****ck. He ended up suggesting this wine and it was excellent. Thank god. It was $40/bottle and we bought 2. Josetta Saffirio learned how to make wine from her mom and dad, who are both professors of winemaking in Italy. This is her second or third vintage and only makes 3,000 cases a year.

Fourth Course

Various Cheeses: Taleggio served with honeycomb, Pecorino ginepro served with balsamic reduction and olive oil, Sottocenere al Tartufo, Blu del Moncenisio with fig pear spread, Valsesia Toma with fig pear spread, La Tur with honeycomb

Paired with: Ruvei Barbera d’Alba, 2005

Fifth Course

Panna Cotta with fresh strawberries and blackberries

Paired with: Felsina vin Santo Chianti Classico, 1999

recipes after the jump

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