Eye for a Recipe

This is my first post in about 10 days, due to the fact that we just returned to our house in Almonte for the summer. We love the apartment, but I am delighted to be back in my house kitchen, with my beloved gas stove. And I am over the moon about being able to barbecue again for the first time almost five months. There is also tarragon in the garden, so I decided to make Chicken Skewers with Tarragon-Pistachio Pesto from the April 2011 issue of Bon Appetit. It is dead easy to make: thread chicken, onion, red pepper and lemon slices on skewers; whirl parsley, tarragon, pistachios, lemon juice, garlic and oil in the food processor to make the pesto; brush some of the pesto on the skewers, and grill. The recipe calls for chicken tenders, but I used chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces.

Tarragon-pistachio pesto

Grill the skewers until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender

Serve the remaining pesto with the cooked skewers.

Chicken Skewers with Tarragon-Pistachio Pesto

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use all-natural pistachios and fresh lemon juice.

Ingredients:

½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons unsalted natural pistachios

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 medium garlic clove, peeled

¼ cup olive oil

16 1-inch pieces red onion (1/3 inch thick)

16 1-inch squares red bell pepper

8 lemon slices, halved

1 pound chicken tenders (about 8 large)

Special equipment – 8 metal skewers

Preparation:

Puree first 5 ingredients in processor. Add ¼ cup olive oil and blend until slightly coarse paste forms. Mix in 2 tablespoons water. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 3 tablespoons pesto to small bowl (for brushing chicken and vegetables); reserve remaining pesto.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill with oil. Thread 1 onion piece, 1 bell pepper square, 1 lemon slice half, 1 chicken tender (lengthwise), then 1 onion piece, 1 bell pepper square, and 1 lemon slice half alternately on each of 8 skewers. Brush vegetables and chicken on skewers with olive oil, then with 3 tablespoons pesto from small bowl. Sprinkle skewers with salt and pepper. Grill until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are slightly softened, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Serve with reserved pesto. Serves 4.

From the April 2011 issue of Bon Appetit

If you love roast chicken and vegetables, this one-pot dinner from the May issue of Everyday Food is perfect for you. Rub a whole chicken with spices, arrange wedges of carrot, sweet potato and orange around it and roast until the chicken is done. The recipe says a 3½- to 4-lb. chicken will be ready in an hour, but mine took about an hour and 15 minutes. The roasted orange wedges add great flavour.

Rub a whole chicken with spices and arrange vegetables and orange wedges around it

Roast until the chicken skin is golden and the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees

I used one large sweet potato instead of two and added a parsnip to the mix. I served the chicken and vegetables with couscous.

Coucous is a nice accompaniment

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, make sure your spices are all-natural and do not contain anti-caking agents or colour.

Ingredients:

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

1 whole chicken, 3½ to 4 lbs., rinsed and patted dry, legs tied

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, halved crosswise and cut into ½-inch wedges

2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 orange, unpeeled, cut into 8 wedges

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, combine spices. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then rub all over with spice mixture. Place in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Arrange vegetables and orange wedges around chicken and add ½ cup water. Cover and roast 30 minutes. Remove lid and roast until skin is golden brown and juices run clear when chicken is pierced between breast and leg (an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh, avoiding bone, should read 165 degrees), 30-45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes, covered loosely with foil, before carving. Serve with vegetables and orange wedges. Serves 4.

From the May 2011 issue of Everyday Food

Last week we took a trip to Toronto’s Chinatown. While it is fun to just meander up and down the streets, we were also on the lookout for a large bamboo steamer. We finally found one, and, at $16 including tax, it was worth the hunt, given that specialty kitchen stores sell them for more than $50. The next day, we visited the fish counter at Whole Foods and bought a whole Branzino fish, also known as European Sea Bass. It was the perfect size for two. To prepare it, I adapted a recipe for steaming whole fish from the May 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living. The fish is marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil, topped with ginger and scallions and steamed for 15 minutes. It was amazing, and so easy.

Marinate the fish in a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil

Top the fish with scallions and ginger, place on top of red onion and steam

We served the fish with rice and a mélange of rapini, onion and peppers.

The steamed fish is moist and delicious

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use tamari sauce, which uses alcohol as a preservative instead of sodium benzoate.

Ingredients

½ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons toasted-sesame oil

1 whole branzino or other whole fish, scaled and gutted, gills removed

1 piece (2 inches) peeled fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks

5 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

2 cups water

1 large red onion, sliced ½ inch thick

Directions

Whisk together soy sauce and sesame oil in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cut a few slits into the fish on both sides using a sharp paring knife. Transfer to dish; turn to coat.

Toss ginger with scallions; stuff some into each fish cavity. Spread remaining mixture on top of fish. Let stand, covered, spooning marinade over fish often, for 30 minutes.

Bring water to a boil in a large skillet or wok. Arrange red onion on bottom layer of a 12-inch bamboo steamer. Remove fish from marinade with ginger-scallion mixture still on top, and arrange side by side on onion; reserve marinade.

Set steamer in skillet. Steam, covered, until fish is cooked, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring marinade to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook until reduced by half. Strain through a fine sieve. Serve fish with reduced sauce. Serves 2.

Adapted from the May 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living

Epicurious.com is a great foodie site. It includes recipes from Bon Appetit and the late, great Gourmet that are searchable by keyword. It also includes a handy shopping list feature, photos and reader reviews. Last week I felt like trying a new recipe for pork stir-fry and Epicurious.com yielded this great recipe from Gourmet’s February 2001 issue. The sauce uses ingredients you are likely to have on hand and you can use a variety of vegetables. In addition to the red pepper and snow peas called for in the recipe, I used some leftover asparagus.

Assemble all your stir-fry ingredients before cooking

Stir fry the vegetables and cashews first

Then sear the pork; don't crowd the pan or the pork will steam instead of sear

Recombine the ingredients, add the sauce and heat through

Serve with rice

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use tamari instead of soy sauce. Tamari is preserved with alcohol, instead of a preservative such as sodium benzoate.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon medium-dry Sherry
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
3/4 lb boneless pork loin, thinly sliced, then cut into 2- by 1/4-inch strips
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
1/2 lb snow peas, trimmed
1 cup salted roasted cashews

Preparation:

Stir together Sherry, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce, then stir in sesame oil. Add pork, stirring to coat well, and let stand 10 minutes.

Stir together sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce.

Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat until a bead of water dropped on cooking surface evaporates immediately. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil, swirling wok to coat evenly, then stir-fry 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Add bell pepper and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add snow peas and cashews and stir-fry until snow peas are crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil in wok until just smoking, then stir-fry remaining ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Add pork and stir-fry, separating strips, until browned and barely cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vegetables and sweetened soy sauce, then stir-fry until vegetables are just heated through, about 1 minute more. Serve with rice. Serves four.

From the February 2001 issue of Gourmet, found on Epicurious.com

This is a delicious new find from the Spring 2011 issue of the LCBO’s Food and Drink. Slices of pork tenderloin are pounded flat, dredged in flour, sautéed and then combined with a luscious maple-mustard-balsamic sauce. This recipe is quick and easy to make for a weeknight supper, but elegant enough to serve to company. Don’t overcook the pork, or it will become tough.

Flatten slices of pork tenderloin and season with salt and pepper

Dredge the pork and saute in batches

Simmer pork in a maple-mustard-balsamic sauce

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use butter without colour, mustard and chicken broth without preservatives and balsamic vinegar with no sulfites added. I served the medallions with yam frites.

Maple-mustard pork medallions

Ingredients:

2 small pork tenderloins, each ¾ to 1 lb (375 to 500 g)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp (25 mL) unsalted butter
2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
¼ cup (50 mL) grainy mustard
2 tbsp (25 mL) maple syrup
4 tsp (20 mL) balsamic vinegar
¼ cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) finely diced Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 cups (500 mL) low-sodium beef or chicken broth
2 to 3 tbsp (25 to 45 mL) thinly sliced green onions, snipped chives or chopped parsley

Preparation:

Remove pork’s exterior tough silver skins and any fat; then crosswise cut into 1½-inch-thick (4-cm) chunks. Up-end on plastic wrap; cover with more plastic. Use a meat pounder or heavy frying pan to easily flatten into medallions to about ½ inch (1 cm) thick. Lightly season with salt and more generously with freshly ground black pepper. (Do not use any salt if tenderloins were purchased as “seasoned.”) Refrigerate until needed, up to a day.

Melt butter and mix with olive oil (all of this mixture may not be needed). Stir mustard with syrup and vinegar. Assemble remaining ingredients, as medallions sauté very quickly.

Sauté pork medallions in 3 or 4 batches. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat until quite hot. Meanwhile, dip a few pieces of pork into flour; shake off excess. Add a tablespoon of oil mixture to pan and several pieces of pork—do not crowd the pan! Sauté, adjusting heat as needed, until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Keep on a deep plate while repeating as needed with remaining pork, flour and oil mixture. (The sautéed pork is pink inside.) Discard any remaining flour.

When finished sautéing (and without cleaning), return pan to heat. Add another 1 tsp (5 mL) oil mixture only if needed to sauté added onion. Sauté onion for 2 minutes or until softened. Slowly stir in broth; bring to a boil. Boil over medium-high heat 3 minutes to reduce slightly. Stir mustard mixture into sauce. Continue to bubble until sauce-like, about 6 minutes.

Return pork and any juices to sauce; heat 2 minutes, turning medallions once, or until hot. Serves 4 to 6.

From the Spring 2011 issue of Food and Drink

We love baked pasta dishes, and the March 2011 issue of Bon Appetit features several recipes, including this Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch. The vegetables are roasted and then combined with cooked pasta, Parmesan cheese and a tomato cream sauce.

Cut the eggplant, peppers and tomatoes into pieces of equal size

Roast the vegetables until tender

The tomato cream sauce adds richness and flavour

The end result is a hearty, gooey, delicious dinner.

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch

To finish this vegetarian dish, top with mozzarella cheese and a crumble of Parmesan, basil, garlic and pine nuts and bake. I wanted to make this dish ahead, so I followed the recipe to the point where the vegetables, pasta, cheese and sauce are combined and placed in the baking dish. I then refrigerated it until I was ready to bake it, and, at that point, added the mozzarella and pine nut crunch. If you refrigerate before baking, add about 10 minutes to the cooking time.

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use Parmesan and mozzarella without colour and tomatoes and whipping cream with no preservatives added. To spice this recipe up, add hot pepper flakes when roasting the vegetables and to the Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 unpeeled large eggplant (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 medium yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch squares

2 cups grape tomatoes

3 large garlic cloves, divided

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cups (firmly packed) fresh basil leaves, divided

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 pound rigatoni

1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray; add eggplant and peppers. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise; add to sheet. Using garlic press, squeeze 1 garlic clove onto vegetables. Drizzle vegetables with oil; toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until tender, stirring often, 35 to 45 minutes.

Combine 2/3 cup basil, 1/2 cup Parmesan, pine nuts, and 1 garlic clove in mini processor. Blend until crumbly. Season topping with salt.

Blend tomatoes with juice, cream, 1 1/3 cups basil, and 1 garlic clove in processor until smooth. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally; drain. Return to pot. Toss with vegetables, sauce, and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Transfer to 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella and pine nut topping.

Bake pasta until heated through, 25 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

From the March 2011 issue of Bon Appetit

This new find from the March 2011 issue of Food and Wine is a lovely one-dish chicken recipe. The chicken pieces are simmered in a nicely spiced broth until cooked and are then removed. Add tomatoes, artichoke hearts, onion, preserved lemon and peas to the broth for a few minutes before returning the chicken to the pot to heat through.

Tomatoes, artichokes, minced onion and preserved lemon are added to the broth

The cooked chicken and peas are simmered until heated through

Preserved lemons are easy to make, and they add an incredible flavour. However, if you do make them yourself, the process takes about six weeks. I was able to find some at Pusateri’s that contained only lemons and salt – no artificial ingredients. I couldn’t find frozen artichoke hearts so I used canned ones and they worked just fine. I served the tagine with couscous and asparagus.

Chicken tagine with artichoke hearts and peas

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use an all-natural stock, such as Imagine brand, pure spices and preserved lemon with no colour or flavour added.

Ingredients:

One 4-pound chicken—legs separated into drumsticks and thighs, breasts halved crosswise, skin and visible fat removed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 medium onions—1 coarsely chopped, 1 minced

1½ cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

6 saffron threads, crumbled

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon hot paprika

¼ teaspoon turmeric

2 medium tomatoes, cut into eighths

¼ preserved lemon, rind only, minced (see Note)

8 frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered

1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed

Preparation:

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a medium, enameled cast-iron casserole, combine the chicken with the coarsely chopped onion and the chicken stock and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix the saffron threads with the ginger, coriander, cumin, paprika and turmeric. Stir the spice mixture into the broth. Cover and simmer over low heat, turning the chicken pieces once, until the breast pieces are just white throughout, about 25 minutes; transfer the breast pieces to a bowl and cover. Continue to simmer the drumsticks and thighs, covered, until done, about 15 minutes longer; transfer to the bowl with the breast pieces and keep covered.

Add the minced onion, the tomatoes, preserved lemon and artichoke hearts to the casserole and simmer over moderate heat until the broth is richly flavored, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the peas. Return the chicken to the casserole and simmer gently, turning a few times, until heated through. Serve the tagine in shallow bowls. Serves 4.

From the March 2011 issue of Food and Wine

This stir-fry from the March 2011 issue of Food and Wine comes together in no time. Julienned ginger adds great flavour to shrimp, snow peas and scallions, which are quickly stir-fried and then combined with a simple sauce.

Prepare stir-fry ingredients before you start cooking

Ginger, shrimp, snow peas and scallions are quickly stir-fried

Serve the stir-fry with steamed rice

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use organic chicken stock, such as Imagine brand and tamari instead of soy sauce. I haven’t been able to find a chile-garlic sauce that is additive-free, so I used Tabasco brand hot sauce.

Ingredients:

½ cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese chile-garlic sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ cup fresh ginger, cut into fine matchsticks

½ pound snow peas

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

4 small scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Steamed rice, for serving

Preparation:

In a small bowl, whisk the chicken stock with the soy sauce, Chinese chile-garlic sauce and cornstarch.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the ginger matchsticks and stir-fry over moderately high heat until they are softened, about 1 minute.

Add the snow peas and stir-fry until crisp-tender and the ginger is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.

Add the shrimp to the skillet and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the scallions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Whisk the chile sauce, add it to the skillet and stir-fry until the shrimp are opaque throughout and the sauce is thickened, about 1 minute longer. Serve with steamed rice. Serves 4.

From the March 2011 issue of Food and Wine