Eye for a Recipe

If you’ve been reading my blog over the past week or so, you may think that I only make recipes from Bon Appetit and Food and Wine. It’s not true! But the June issues of both magazines have several grilling recipes that have been great new finds. This Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa from Food and Wine is no exception.

This is a delicious jerk marinade. I couldn’t find Scotch Bonnet or Habanero peppers this week, so I used a Jalapeno pepper and included the ribs and seeds, to boost the heat. Jicima was also unavailable, so I substituted radishes, which worked fine in the salsa. To avoid additives and chemical preservatives, be sure to use fresh lime juice and tamari soy sauce with alcohol listed as the preservative.

Don’t overcook the pork or it will dry out. I grilled it for 20 minutes over a hot fire, which brought the internal temperature to 135 degrees; then I let it stand for 10 minutes, loosely tented with foil.

I served the pork and salsa with yam frites and steamed broccoli.

Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

Marinade for the pork

1/4 cup canola oil

2 scallions, thickly sliced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger

2 pork tenderloins (14 ounces each)

Salt

Directions:

In a blender, combine 3 tablespoons of the oil with the scallions, garlic, chiles, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, allspice, black pepper, thyme, nutmeg and ginger. Puree until smooth. Transfer the marinade to a resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins, turning to coat. Seal the bag, pressing out the air, and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Remove the pork from the marinade. Brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and season generously with salt. Grill the pork over moderately low heat, turning occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer reaches 135 when inserted in the center of the meat, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice the pork and serve with the salsa. Serves 4.

Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1 1/4 pounds peeled pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch dice (3 cups)

2 tablespoons fresh pineapple juice, squeezed from the rind

5 ounces jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)

3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 jalapeño—stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

1 scallion, thinly sliced

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the red onion with the lime juice and let stand for 10 minutes. Add the pineapple, pineapple juice, jicama, cilantro, brown sugar, jalapeño and scallion to the bowl and toss. Serve with the jerk pork tenderloin. The pineapple-jicama salsa can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

From the June 2010 issue of Food and Wine

If you love olives, rosemary and oranges, you must try this new find from the June 2010 issue of Bon Appetit. A stuffing of olives, garlic, rosemary and orange zest goes under the skin of the chicken breasts, which are then drizzled with a similarly flavoured dressing. Be sure to ask your butcher for boneless chicken breasts with the skin on, or bone them yourself. Grilled orange wedges are another nice addition to the finished dish.

If you are trying to avoid additives and preservatives, it can be a challenge to find olives. If you buy your olives from a grocery store olive bar, ask to see the ingredients. I couldn’t find additive- or preservative-free jarred olives for many years, but now use Pilaros green olives stuffed with garlic, which are available at Costco. If you use garlic-stuffed olives, you can omit the garlic called for in this recipe.

I grilled some asparagus, zucchini and eggplant along with the chicken and oranges and tossed the vegetables with a simple balsamic vinaigrette before serving.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Rosemary-Orange Dressing

Ingredients

Chicken and stuffing

1 cup pitted brine-cured green olives

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large garlic clove, peeled

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange peel

6 boneless chicken breast halves with skin

Dressing and oranges

6 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

4 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup chopped pitted brine-cured green olives

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 large unpeeled oranges, each cut into 6 wedges

Preparation

Chicken and stuffing

Blend first 5 ingredients in mini processor until olives and garlic are chopped. Transfer stuffing to small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Using fingertips, gently loosen skin on 1 chicken breast, leaving 1 long side attached. Spread 1/6 of stuffing over flesh under skin. Pull skin flap over to cover; secure flap with metal pin or toothpick. Repeat with remaining chicken and stuffing. Arrange chicken on large rimmed baking sheet. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Dressing and oranges

Combine first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil, then olives. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer 3/4 cup dressing to small bowl; reserve for serving.

Coat grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Divide remaining dressing between 2 small cups. Drizzle chicken with dressing from 1 cup. Arrange orange wedges on sheet of foil; brush oranges with dressing from second cup.

Grill chicken until cooked through, drizzling with dressing from first cup and turning occasionally, 12 to 14 minutes. Grill orange wedges until heated through and slightly charred, turning and brushing often with dressing from second cup, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken and orange wedges to platter. Serve with reserved 3/4 cup dressing. Serves 6.

From the June 2010 issue of Bon Appetit

Strawberries aren’t in season yet, but I couldn’t wait to make these strawberry shortcakes. The balsamic vinegar and black pepper add a lovely depth of flavour to the berries.

I cut the recipe in half, which worked well for the biscuits. But if you cut the number of berries in half, don’t reduce the amount of vinegar, sugar and pepper or else you won’t have enough syrup.

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, look for balsamic vinegars labelled “no sulfites added” or “contains naturally occurring sulfites”. Also be sure that your butter does not contain artificial colour (if it says “may contain colour” it probably does) and that your vanilla extract is pure, not artificial.

Strawberry Shortcakes with Balsamic and Black Pepper Syrup

Ingredients:

Biscuits

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

5 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)

Filling

2 pounds fresh strawberries (about 8 cups), hulled, quartered if small, sliced if large

6 tablespoons sugar, divided

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 large pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Biscuits

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, process to blend. Add butter; cut in using on/off turns until butter resembles large peas, about five 1-second intervals. Add cream; using on/off turns, process until moist clumps form. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Gather dough into ball; flatten into 8×4-inch rectangle (about 1 1/4 inches thick). Cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 4 equal strips, forming 8 square biscuits. Transfer biscuits to prepared baking sheet and chill 20 minutes. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Brush top of biscuits with egg glaze; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and tester inserted horizontally comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Filling

Mix strawberries, 5 tablespoons sugar, vinegar, and black pepper in medium bowl. Let macerate 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Using electric mixer, beat cream, vanilla, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another medium bowl until peaks form.

Cut biscuits horizontally in half. Place bottom half of each biscuit, cut side up, on plate. Using slotted spoon, divide strawberries among biscuits. Spoon dollop of whipped cream atop strawberries. Cover each with top half of biscuit. Drizzle some of juices from strawberries around shortcakes. Serves 8.

From Bon Appetit,  June 2010

This grilled miso shrimp is another great new find from the June 2010 issue of Food and Wine. It is a very fast meal to make; the shrimp marinate for 30 minutes before going on the grill for about 5 minutes. I served it with a refreshing Thai noodle salad that included cucumber, red pepper and cilantro.

Grilled miso shrimp with Thai noodle salad

To avoid artificial additives and preservatives, be sure to use fresh lime juice, as concentrates usually contain sodium benzoate. The sambal oelek available in my grocery store contains artificial ingredients, so I substituted Tabasco hot sauce.

Grilled Miso Shrimp

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons yellow miso

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

3 scallions, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sambal oelek

Sorrel is a is lovely, leafy plant that is one of the first things to appear in the garden each spring. It has a lemony flavour and can be used to add zing to salads.

Sorrel is one of the first things to appear in the garden each spring

If you cook sorrel, it wilts very fast and turns a rather unappetizing shade of green. However, it is wonderful spring soup ingredient. I recently made this sorrel and chive soup recipe from A Year in Lucy’s Kitchen and it was a big hit. I did not have time to make the chive oil, but I’m sure it would be a great addition. This soup can be served hot or cold.

To avoid additives, preservatives and artificial flavours/colours when making this, either make your own chicken stock or purchase one without additives, such as Imagine Organic Chicken Broth. Also be sure to use fresh lemon juice. Concentrated lemon juice contains sodium benzoate, which is a preservative that many people, including my husband, are allergic to.

Sorrel and Chive Soup with Chive Oil

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup peeled and cubed Yukon Gold potatoes

1 cup chopped leeks (white and light green parts only)

4 cups chicken stock

3 cups torn sorrel leaves

1/2 cup chopped chives

1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Chive oil

Directions:

Heal oil in a pot over medium heat. Add potatoes and leeks and saute for 2 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add sorrel and chives and simmer gently for 4 minutes, or until sorrel has dissolved. Puree soup. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and reheat. Sprinkle with dots of chive oil. Serves 4.

Chive Oil

Combine 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup chives, 1/4 cup chopped green onions (green parts only) and a pinch of salt to blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Heat mixture in a small pot over medium heat until it simmers, about 3 minutes. Cool and strain. Makes about 1/2 cup. Keeps in fridge for a month. Use to garnish plates, soups, fish and poultry dishes.

From A Year in Lucy’s Kitchen by Lucy Waverman

If you’re looking for a tasty variation on lamb souvlaki, try this new find from the June 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living. The feta sauce is lovely (for those of you who want to avoid additives, be sure to read the label on the feta to make sure it contains only natural ingredients). The suggested side dish for the kebabs is a green salad with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, olives and red onions, dressed with a balsamic-honey dressing. I can’t find white balsamic vinegar without sulfites added, so used regular balsamic with no added sulfites.

Lamb-and-Cucumber Kebabs with Feta Sauce

Kebabs
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
3 1/2 lbs lamb, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise then cut into 24 pieces
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Feta Sauce
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
4 ounces Greek yogurt (1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Make the kebabs: Combine oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and lamb; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the feta sauce: mix all ingredients and refrigerate until serving.

3. Heat grill to medium-high. Thread lamb and cucumbers onto 8 skewers finishing with a lemon wedge. Season with salt and pepper. Grill 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare, flipping halfway through. Serve with sauce.

From Martha Stewart Living, June 2010

My dear friend Eileen loves stewed rhubarb and suggested I post a recipe for it on my blog. We have two large patches in the garden that are growing like crazy in this weather.

The fastest recipe for stewed rhubarb is to combine five cups of chopped rhubarb with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water and simmer it until tender. I also recently made this delicious confit from Lucy Waverman’s latest cookbook, A Year in Lucy’s Kitchen. Roasting gives the stalks a different texture and the caramel adds a depth of sweetness of flavour that counteracts the tart rhubarb. It’s delicious on its own, over vanilla ice cream or with just about anything!

Roasted Rhubarb Confit with Caramel

Ingredients:

1 lb rhubarb, cut in 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup corn syrup

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup orange juice, preferably from a blood orange

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss rhubarb and granulated sugar together in a buttered baking dish. Spread in a single layer and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender.

Combine corn syrup, brown sugar and orange juice in a small pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat, cool a little, and pour over roasted rhubarb, tossing gently to mix in any rhubarb juices.

From A Year in Lucy’s Kitchen by Lucy Waverman

This is a great new find from the June issue of Food and Wine. The chicken is marinated in a spicy harissa sauce, which is also used as the dressing for the delicious salad of roasted green chiles, grape tomatoes, red onion and cilantro. I couldn’t find frying peppers, so I used a green pepper – you could also use a green pepper and a jalapeno to increase the heat.

The harissa sauce is also used to dress this delicious salad

The harissa sauce is made from scratch, so no worries about artificial ingredients that may be in a purchased sauce (the only possible exception would be the chipotles in adobo sauce; we use Herdez brand, which is free of artificial ingredients).

Harissa-marinated chicken on the grill

I served the chicken and salad with grilled asparagus and the fingerling potato salad with herbs from the June issue of Bon Appetit. Enjoy!

Harissa chicken, chile-tomato salad, grilled asparagus and fingerling potato salad

Harissa Chicken with Green Chile and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 chipotle in adobo, minced, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground caraway

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, lightly pounded

2 mild green chiles, such as Italian frying peppers

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 pound grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

In a mortar, combine the paprika, chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, caraway and olive oil and pound until a paste forms. Season with salt and pepper. Spread half of the harissa all over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Grill the chiles over moderately high heat until charred all over. Place the chiles in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam for 10 minutes. Peel, seed and stem the chiles, then cut them into 1/2-inch pieces.

Transfer the chiles to a bowl and add the onion, tomatoes, cilantro and 1 tablespoon of the harissa. Season the salad with salt and pepper and let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush the chicken with oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat, turning, until cooked through, 9 minutes. Serve the chicken with the salad and remaining harissa.

This recipe from the April 2010 issue of Food and Wine is perfect for a spring lunch or light dinner. Dashi is not available where we live, so I used chicken stock and water with the soy sauce and sugar and it turned out fine. I also used all chicken, instead of both chicken and tofu. Be sure to slice the chicken very thinly and to cook it in batches unless you have a large non-stick frying pan. Otherwise the chicken will steam instead of sear.

Many soy sauces contain benzoate of soda or other artificial ingredients. To avoid them, buy tamari that lists alcohol as the preservative.

Cook the spinach until it is just wilted but still bright green.

Ingredients

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon dashi powder (see Note)

2 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 small onion, sliced lengthwise

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced

Salt

8 ounces light silken tofu, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

5 ounces baby spinach

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced

Steamed sushi rice, for serving

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine the soy sauce with the dashi powder, sugar and 3 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cover and keep warm off the heat.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and mushrooms, season with salt and cook over high heat until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tofu and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture onto a plate.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the chicken, season with salt and cook over high heat, stirring twice, until just white throughout, about 3 minutes. Return the vegetables and tofu to the skillet and cook, stirring, just until combined. Spoon the mixture into shallow bowls and add sushi rice. Ladle the broth on top and serve.

Notes

Dashi is a clear Japanese stock that’s often made with dried bonito (tuna) flakes and water. It is available in powdered form at Asian markets. In place of the dashi and water called for here, you can use 1 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth mixed with 1 1/2 cups of water.

The finished dish, with chicken, veggies, rice and broth. Yum!

My all-time favourite pasta dish is Spaghetti Carbonara, so I perked right up when I saw this recipe in the April 27 edition of the Toronto Star. It is from Mario Batali’s new cookbook “Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking” and is a great new find.

I was really pleased to see that the recipe uses proscuitto instead of bacon. Bacon is off-limits in our house, because of the nitrites and other artificial ingredients it contains. (my husband has life-threatening allergies to food additives and preservatives). A couple of hints when using prosciutto in this way: First, be sure to get it thinly sliced, so it crisps in the pan, and second, don’t add salt to the recipe because the proscuitto and parmigiano-reggiano contain all the salt you need.

This dish is fast to make and very tasty. Enjoy!

This tasty dish is from Mario Batali's "Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking"

Penne, Peas, Prosciutto

Ingredients:

24 cups (6L) water

3 tbsp (45 mL) kosher salt

1 lb (450 g) penne rigate

6 tbsp (90 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

8 oz (225 g) thinly sliced prosciutto, cut in 1-inch squares

2 cups (500 mL) frozen peas, thawed

4 large eggs

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation:

Bring water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Add salt, then pasta. Cook as per package instructions until just al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup (125 mL) cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, combine 3 tbsp (45 mL) oil and prosciutto in large, wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until prosciutto has rendered some of its fat and is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in peas.

In medium bowl, whisk eggs. Whisk in remaining 3 tbsp (45 mL) oil and 1/4 cup (63 mL) reserved cooking liquid.

Add pasta to prosciutto mixture. Toss over medium heat to mix well. Add egg mixture. Stir and toss vigorously to slightly cook eggs. Add some or all of remaining 1/4 cup (63 mL) reserved cooking liquid if needed to loosen sauce). Stir in cheese. Season with pepper. Makes 6 servings.