Eye for a Recipe

A paillard is a cut of meat that is thinly sliced or pounded to an even thickness and then quickly cooked. This recipe from the August 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living suggests slicing boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half horizontally. I didn’t think that would work, so I pounded them flat between two pieces of plastic wrap and it worked just fine. The chicken paillards are then rubbed with oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with sage leaves before being quickly grilled or sautéed.

Paillards are marinated in oil and sage prior to cooking

The chicken is served with a lovely mélange of mixed greens tossed with beans that have been blanched and sautéed with prosciutto, onion and red-wine vinegar.

Beans with prosciutto and red onion

This is a very quick tasty summer weeknight meal that is also a good way to use the sage, beans and lettuce from your garden.

Chicken paillards with fresh greens and beans

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use red-wine vinegar that does not have sulfites added and a naturally cured ham that does not contain nitrates or nitrites.

Ingredients:

8 oz. green and/or yellow beans, sliced lengthwise on the bias

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, sliced horizontally or pounded flat

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

8 sage leaves

4 oz. dry-cured ham, finely chopped

½ slice red onion

1 tbsp red-wine vinegar

3 cups lettuce or mixed greens

Preparation:

Steam or boil beans until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Rub paillards with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Top each with 2 sage leaves. Sauté in a skillet or grill over high heat for 3 minutes. Flip paillards and top each with 2 more sage leaves. Continue cooking until they are done, about 3 more minutes. Transfer to a platter and let rest, covered loosely with foil. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the skillet over high heat and cook ham for one minute. Add red onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add red-wine vinegar, stir in beans. Toss with lettuce and serve over paillards. Serves 2.

From the August 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living

Sometimes a meal just works. Everything is ready at the same time, the side dishes perfectly complement the main course and it all looks good on the plate. This is a very simple meal but one we very much enjoyed.  The lamb chops are seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled until medium-rare.

The two side dishes are from the August 2010 issue of Chatelaine. For the Tarragon Beans, simply blanch the beans and toss them with a simple dressing of olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, tarragon and salt.

For the potato salad, cook the potatoes until tender and toss with red-wine vinegar, Dijon, shallots, salt and oil. Add more vinaigrette and parsley just before serving.

To avoid additives and preservatives in these recipes, use wine vinegars with no sulfites added and a Dijon mustard without preservatives or colour (I use President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon).

Tarragon Beans

Ingredients:

½ lb each green and yellow beans

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp white-wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon

1 garlic clove, mined

1 tbsp fresh tarragon or ½ tsp dried

1/8 tsp salt

Preparation:

Trim beans and cook in boiling water until tender-crisp, 3-5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, white-wine vinegar, Dijon, garlic, tarragon and salt. Drain beans and toss with dressing. Serves 4.

Baby Red Potato Salad

Ingredients:

2 lbs baby red-skinned potatoes

¼ cup red-wine vinegar

¼ cup grainy Dijon mustard

1 shallot, finely chopped

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup finely chopped parsley

Preparation:

Place potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook until tender, 17 to 20 min. Drain. When cool enough to handle, cut in half and place in a very large bowl.

Whisk vinegar with Dijon, shallots and salt. Whisk in oil. Add half of this vinaigrette to warm potatoes. Stir to coat.

Cool potatoes to room temperature. Just before serving, stir in remaining vinaigrette and parsley. Serves 6.

From the August 2010 issue of Chatelaine

If you like heat, you’ll love these pork kabobs, which are soaked in a jerk-style marinade and grilled with chunks of fresh pineapple. If you can’t find Scotch bonnet peppers, or if you want to tone down the heat, substitute jalapeno or hot banana peppers.

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, which is from Canadian Living’s The Barbecue Collection, be sure to use fresh lime and orange juice. I served these kabobs with steamed rice and grilled zucchini.

Ingredients:

2 or 3 Scotch bonnet peppers, halved and seeded

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp each lime juice and orange juice

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp chopped fresh ginger

¾ tsp ground cumin

¾ tsp dried oregano, crumbled

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp black pepper

1 ¼ lb pork loin or shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 cups fresh pineapple, cubed

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Fresh coriander sprigs

Lime wedges

Preparation:

In blender or food processor, purée together hot peppers, garlic, onion, lime and orange juices, tomato paste and ginger; transfer to bowl. Stir in cumin, oregano, ½ tsp of the salt, allspice and pepper; toss with pork until coated. Marinate, refrigerated, for at least 3 or up to 8 hours.

Toss pineapple with remaining salt. Reserving any remaining marinade, alternatively thread pork and pineapple onto skewers. Stir oil into marinade; brush over skewers. Grill over medium-high heat, turning once, until just a hint of pink remains inside for loin or until no longer pink inside for fattier shoulder, 12-15 minutes. Garnish with coriander; service with lime wedges. Makes 4-6 main-course servings.

From Canadian Living’s The Barbecue Collection

This grilled shrimp from the June 2010 issue of Everyday Food is quick to make and bursts with flavour from the citrus juices, tequila and jalapeno.

Shrimp in tequila-citrus marinade

You don’t even need a grill for this recipe – a ridged or regular cast-iron pan would work just as well. If you use bamboo skewers on a grill, remember to soak them for at least 30 minutes so they won’t burn up.

Tequila-grilled shrimp kabobs

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use fresh juice; the concentrates usually contain sodium benzoate. I served these luscious shrimp kabobs with grilled vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup silver or white tequila

1/4 cup lime juice (from about 3 limes)

1/4 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 orange)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

Lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation:

In a medium nonreactive bowl, stir together shrimp, tequila, lime juice, and orange juice; season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 20 minutes.

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Grill shrimp until opaque throughout, 4 to 6 minutes, flipping once. Transfer to a platter and top with jalapeno. Serve shrimp with lime wedges. Serves 4.

From the June 2010 issue of Everyday Food

It’s a bumper zucchini crop this year, so I’m very glad that the August issues of my favourite magazines are featuring several zucchini recipes. This recipe from the August 2010 issue of Bon Appetit suggests serving these zucchini fritters as an appetizer, but I served them as the entrée for a vegetarian meal. They were absolutely delicious – in fact, I was sorry I halved the recipe, as we easily could have eaten many more of them!

I’m always a little wary of making patties that are supposed to stay together when you fry them, but I had no trouble with these. I ended up with four patties instead of six, but you can make them any size you like.

Batter for zucchini fritters

Frying zucchini fritters

The grated zucchini has to drain for 30 minutes, so keep that in mind when working out your timing. The Green Goddess Dressing was also fantastic – I’ll be making it on a regular basis. I served the fritters with grilled vegetables and a warm potato salad.

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, make homemade mayonnaise or use one without additives, such as Hellman’s (regular, not low-fat). Make sure the goat cheese has no preservatives or colour added and use an all-natural, microbrewery beer.

Zucchini fritters with green goddess dressing

Ingredients:

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1 anchovy fillet, chopped

Fritters

1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini (5 to 6), trimmed

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided

6 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup beer

1 4-ounce package soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled, chilled (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup (or more) extra-virgin olive oil

3 1/2 cups (lightly packed) mâche (lamb’s lettuce; 2 to 3 ounces)

Preparation:

For dressing

Blend all ingredients in processor until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. Cover; chill. Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

For fritters

Using large holes on box grater, coarsely grate zucchini into large colander. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon coarse salt over and toss to coat evenly. Place colander over large bowl. Let zucchini stand 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Press on zucchini to release as much liquid as possible. Empty zucchini into kitchen towel. Roll up to enclose and squeeze dry.

Whisk flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt in medium bowl to blend. Mix in beer. Scrape zucchini from towel into bowl; stir to coat evenly (batter will be thick). Mix in cheese.

Heat 1/3 cup oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Working in batches, drop batter into skillet by 1/4 cupfuls, flattening to 3-inch rounds. Sauté until brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil as needed. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 375°F oven 5 to 6 minutes.

Place mâche in large bowl. Toss with 2 to 3 tablespoons dressing. Place 2 fritters on each of 6 plates. Top with mound of mâche salad. Serve fritters, passing remaining dressing alongside. Makes 12 fritters.

From the August 2010 issue of Bon Appetit

There’s no better summer weekend meal than ribs and potato salad. This rib recipe from Bonnie Stern, which appeared in the July 10, 2010 edition of the National Post, uses a barbecue sauce by grilling guru Steven Raichlen. It’s a good all-purpose sauce with great smoky flavour, although I must confess that I still prefer the orange-maple sauce I usually make (see my May 21, 2010 post on this blog for the recipe).

I served the ribs with the Red Potato & Radish Salad from Canadian Living’s new cookbook, The Barbecue Collection. This delicious potato salad is quick to make and makes a nice change from mayonnaise-dressed potato salads.

To avoid additives and preservatives in these recipes, use an-all natural ketchup (such as Heinz), an all-natural Dijon (I use President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon), molasses with no sulphur added, Tabasco brand hot sauce, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce and fresh lemon juice. Liquid smoke is usually a natural product, made from smoke passed through water. Check the label to make sure nothing else has been added.

Steven Raichlen’s Bourbon-Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce

1 cup (250 mL) ketchup

¼cup (50 mL) firmly packed brown sugar

¼ cup (50 mL) bourbon (or whiskey)

3 tbsp (45 mL) cider vinegar

3 tbsp (45 mL) molasses

2 tbsp (25 mL) Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard

1½ tsp (7 mL) liquid smoke

1 tsp (5 mL) Tabasco sauce (or to taste)

½ tsp (2 mL) onion powder

½ tsp (2 mL) garlic powder

½ tsp (2 mL) freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and whisk together. Slowly bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat and cook gently until thick and flavourful, about 8 to 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Cool. Refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. You can also freeze it. Makes 2 cups (500 mL)

Bonnie Stern’s favourite method for making ribs

To cook 3 sides of back ribs, enough for 4 to 6 servings:

Remove membrane from ribs. Place ribs, in a single layer, on one or two foil-lined baking sheets. Spread both sides of ribs with ½ cup (125 mL) barbecue sauce, ending with meatier side up. Cover tightly with foil. Bake in a preheated 325F (160C) oven for 1½ to 2 hours, or until very tender when a knife is inserted between the bones. Meat will also start to come away from the bones at the tips. (Side ribs or meatier ribs may take longer.)

Remove ribs from pan. Brush with more barbecue sauce — about 1 cup (250 mL). Grill 5 to 10 minutes per side on medium high until browned, but watch closely so they don’t burn. Serve with more sauce if you wish.

From the July 10, 2010 edition of the National Post

Red Potato & Radish Salad

3 lbs. small red new potatoes

12 radishes, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

¼ cup chopped fresh dill

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tbsp grainy or Dijon mustard

½ tsp each salt and pepper

¼ tsp granulated sugar

In pot of boiling salted water, cover and cook unpeeled potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool. Meanwhile, in large bowl, toss together radishes, celery, onion and dill. Cut potatoes into quarters; add to bowl. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and sugar; gently toss with potato mixture until coated. Serves 8.

From Canadian Living’s The Barbecue Collection

The mayonnaise and sour cream-based dressing for this coleslaw includes lime juice, lime peel, fresh hot chile and cilantro, which makes it refreshingly tart and tasty. You can make it ahead and it keeps well in the fridge for a few days. I served it with honey-mustard pork kabobs and a grilled yam salad.

Creamy cilantro-lime slaw with honey-mustard pork kabobs and grilled yam salad

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, be sure to use real lime juice, as the concentrates contain sodium benzoate. If you opt for a “light” mayo or sour cream, keep in mind that these lower-fat versions tend to contain more artificial ingredients to boost the flavour.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons (or more) fresh lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel

1 serrano chile, seeded, minced

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

8 cups thinly sliced green cabbage

4 green onions, minced (about 1/4 cup)

Preparation:

Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, 3 tablespoons lime juice, lime peel, chile, and garlic in large bowl. Stir in cilantro. Add cabbage and green onions; toss to incorporate evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill 1 hour. Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Season slaw with more lime juice, salt, and pepper, if desired, just before serving. Makes 6-8 servings.

From the July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit

I’m always on the lookout for new recipes for pasta salad and this new find from the July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit is well worth trying. Instead of the usual mayonnaise-based dressing, it uses olivada – a combination of chopped green olives, capers, red wine vinegar, anchovy paste, mustard and hot pepper flakes. Tossed with pasta, cherry tomatoes, bocconicini cheese and oregano, it makes a great summer side dish or main dish for vegetarians.

Pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and green olivada

A number of ingredients in this recipe can contain additives or preservatives, including the olives, capers, red wine vinegar and Dijon. Read the labels carefully to avoid benzoate of soda and sulfites. I use Pilaros garlic-stuffed green olives, Unico capers, Eden organic red wine vinegar and President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 cups coarsely chopped pitted green olives (from about 6 ounces unpitted whole olives), divided

3 tablespoons capers, drained

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound gemelli, fusilli, or rotelle pasta

2 pints cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved

1 8-ounce package small (cherry-size) fresh mozzarella balls in water*

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Also called bocconcini, fresh mozzarella balls packed in water are available at many supermarkets.

Preparation:

With machine running, add garlic clove to processor through feed tube and process until finely chopped; turn off machine. Add 1 cup chopped olives, capers, red wine vinegar, anchovy paste, mustard, and crushed red pepper. Using 6 on/off turns, process to chop coarsely. With machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup olive oil, forming coarse puree. Transfer to bowl; stir in remaining 1 cup olives. Season olivada to taste with salt and pepper. Olivada can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well. Transfer drained pasta to large bowl. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon oil over pasta; toss to coat. Cool, stirring occasionally.

Add olivada, halved tomatoes, mozzarella, and oregano to pasta; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serves 8.

From the July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit

This recipe from Williams-Sonoma’s Essentials of Grilling combines two great techniques for cooking poultry—spatchcocking and placing a stuffing under the skin.

To spatchcock or butterfly a small chicken or hen, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it. Then flatten the chicken and grill it. It cooks quickly and evenly. Some people weigh the chicken down with a foil-covered brick, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

Placing a stuffing under poultry skin adds flavour and makes for an impressive presentation. In this recipe, the stuffing is made of chopped summer herbs. Be patient and go slowly when you are loosening the skin of the chicken and pushing in the stuffing, otherwise the skin will tear. It’s a little messy to do, but worth the effort.

Spatchcocked Cornish hen in the process of having herbs stuffed under the skin

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use fresh lemon juice. Concentrates usually contain sodium benzoate.

Grilled Cornish hen

Ingredients:

2 Cornish hens

¼ cup chopped fresh summer savory

¼ cup chopped fresh chives

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation:

Remove the backbones from the hens and press down on them firmly to flatten them. Rinse the hens and pat dry. In a small bowl, toss together the chopped savory, chives, mint and parsley. Using your fingers, and starting at the tail end, carefully loosen the skin over the breast and thigh of each hen half. Using about half of the mixed herbs and dividing them evenly among the hen halves, insert them under the skin of each bird half, spreading as evening as possible.

Add the oil, lemon juice, garlic and ½ tsp each salt and pepper to the herbs left in the bowl. Mix well. Brush the oil mixture evenly over the hen halves, reserving a little of it for basting on the grill. Let the birds stand for 15 minutes at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. If refrigerated, remove from fridge 30 minutes before grilling.

Prepare charcoal or gas grill for grilling over medium-high heat. Grill the hens, skin side down, over hottest part of the fire for 15 minutes. Turn and brush with the reserved herb-oil mixture. Continue to grill, turning once or twice, until richly browned, about 30 minutes longer. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh away from the bone; it should register 175 degrees F. Cover loosely with foil and let hens rest 10 minutes (temperature should rise to 180 degrees during resting). Serves 4.

From Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Grilling, 2005

It’s that time of year.

The green and yellow beans and zucchini are piling up in the garden and I’m on the lookout for new ways to enjoy the harvest.

This new find from the June 2010 issue of Bon Appetit is a keeper. In addition to using beans and zucchini, it calls for basil and Italian parsley, which are also at their peak. The veggies are tossed in a delicious sauce verte, which is like a pesto made with basil, parsley, scallion, capers, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and olive oil.

A few notes on this recipe: Unless you like very crunchy beans, blanch them first, so that they are ready at the same time as the zucchini. Otherwise, the zucchini gets soggy and begins to disintegrate. You can use yellow and/or green beans and I think the sauce verte would also be good made with other herbs, such as tarragon and summer savory.

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use fresh lemon juice, capers without additives (I use Unico brand) and Dijon mustard without preservatives, sulfites, sodium benzoate or added colour (I use President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon).

Ingredients:

Sauce verte

1/3 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves

1 green onion, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons (packed) fresh Italian parsley

2 tablespoons drained capers

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, peeled

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Vegetables

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound green beans, stem end trimmed

12 ounces zucchini, halved lengthwise, each half cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-wide strips

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves (for garnish)

Preparation:

For sauce verte

Blend first 7 ingredients in processor until finely chopped. With machine running, gradually add olive oil. Process until coarse puree forms. Season sauce verte to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

For vegetables

Heat oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables; stir until coated. Sprinkle with salt and 3 tablespoons water. Cover; cook vegetables until almost crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Uncover; cook until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes longer. Stir in enough sauce verte to coat vegetables generously. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Garnish with parsley and serve. Serves 6.

From the June 2010 issue of Bon Appetit