Monday, June 29, 2009

Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

If you're looking for something to do with that leftover BBQ chicken, why not make a Cobb Salad? It's a good excuse to use those perfect summer avocados and tomatoes, and it is low in fat and carbo's.

Cobb salad was created at the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood. As with many "how this began stories" we don't know how much is actual fact, but here is the official story from the Brown Derby themselves:

"One night in 1937, Bob Cobb, then owner of The Brown Derby, prowled hungrily in his restaurant's kitchen for a snack. Opening the huge refrigerator, he pulled out this and that: a head of lettuce, an avocado, some romaine, watercress, tomatoes, some cold breast of chicken, a hard-boiled egg, chives, cheese and some old-fashioned French dressing. He started chopping. Added some crisp bacon -- swiped from a busy chef.

I use chopped smoked ham instead of bacon, and remove one or both of the egg yolks from the hard-boiled eggs to reduce the fat and calories.

Cobb Salad

Ingredients

• 3 slices smoked ham, diced
• 1 ripe avocado, split, pitted, and diced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped after yolk(s) removed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups mesclun greens
• 2 cups cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup blue cheese

Directions

Dice the smoked ham, chicken, egg, tomatoes and avocado, seasoning them with salt and pepper, to taste, as you go. Mix the greens with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette or blue cheese dressing and layer them on the bottom of a plate. Top the mesclun greens with rows of smoked ham, chicken, egg, tomatoes and avocado, then scatter crumbled blue cheese on top. (Optional: you can also top the salad with crumbled bacon bits.)

Serve with some grilled french stick if you want some carbs.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

"Mesa Grill" Inspired Chops with Grilled Peach Salad, Goat Cheese and Toasted Walnuts

I'd love to go to New York City for the weekend sometime and check out both Mesa Grill and Bar Americain. Until I get there, I'll make some of their signature dishes at home.


The secret to this recipe is the dry rub, which Mesa Grill uses on it's steaks. Since the rub works equally well on pork, I got a couple of extra thick, center-cut loin chops to try it with. (If you're barbecuing thick cuts I recommend that you use a temperature probe, or instant read thermometer so you can pull it it at the perfect time.) I used a mortar and pestle to grind the coriander and cumin, and my spice grinder to take care of the dried chilis. By the way, if you can't find ancho chiles than you can substitute them for another low-heat chili such as a New Mexico Red.

Since the rub might be a little spicy, I paired the chop with a sweet and savory Grilled Peach and Goat Cheese Salad. If you have the preparation time it's good to drizzle the salad with a balsamic reduction. To make it just put a 1/2 cup of your favorite balsamic vinegar & 1 tablespoon of honey in a pot and simmer it until it is a thick syrup.

Mesa Grill Steak Rub
Ingredients
• 1 cup ancho chili powder
• 1/3 cup Spanish paprika
• 3 tablespoons ground dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Directions
Whisk together all ingredients. Store rub in a container with a tight fitting lid in a cool, dark, place.




Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Grilled Potato Salad with Red Pepper & Paprika Mayo

This is a great potato salad borrowed from one of my favorite chefs, Bobby Flay. We use light mayo to keep the calories down to a reasonable level. Make some extra and keep it in the fridge. I paired the salad with a charcoal grilled, hickory smoked chicken breast with a Peach & Bourbon glaze. Click on the pic to see it full size.

Grilled Yukon Gold Potato Salad with Red Pepper &
Smoked Paprika Mayonnaise
Ingredients
• 2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 red bell peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon champagne or white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Spanish smoked paprika
• Canola oil
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

Directions

Heat the grill to high. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover by 1-inch with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, bring to boil over high heat and cook until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain, let cool slightly and halve.

While the potatoes are cooking, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, peppers, garlic, vinegar, paprika and salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Brush the cut sides of the potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill cut side down until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Toss the potatoes with the red pepper mayonnaise while still warm, mashing slightly to break them up. Fold in the parsley and season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Charcoal Grilled Chicken Breast with Peach & Bourbon Glaze

I found a great sauce last week. There are several different varieties to choose from. I chose peach and bourbon because it would go with either pork or chicken. I grilled the chicken on my kettle BBQ using charcoal (not briquettes).

You can make your own version of this by simmering some peach marmalade and Jack Daniels until it thickens up.






Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)

Tonight we made a delicious Tuscan Bread Salad. There are many variations of this salad, but mine sticks to the Italian cooking philosophy of "less is more" and using fresh, in-season quality ingredients. The bread for this salad is important... you need something with some chew (like a nice ciabatta) so the bread doesn't go soggy. We used a day-old crusty French stick, cubed it and put in in the oven to simulate the "3-day-old-bread" dryness.

My version of Panzanella contains seeded vine ripened tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil along with red wine vinegar, kalamata olives, capers and roasted red peppers. You can add sardines or anchovies to it if you're in a Sicilian mood. Click on the picture above to get a better idea of what it looks like.

Tuscan Bread Salad

Ingredients
• 1 Tablespoon drained capers
• 3 or 4 slices of ciabatta or other country-style white bread, 2 to3 days old
• 4 ripe tomatoes, cored and scored on the bottom
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 or 3 thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup drained roasted red bell pepper strips
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
• Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Directions
Cut the bread into 2-inch slices and grill or broil, drizzling about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on both sides of the bread. Once grilled, cut or tear bread into 1 inch cubes and set aside.

Cut the tomatoes in quarters and scoop out the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch cubes and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the bread, tomatoes, capers and basil; toss to combine. Plate bread mixture, and arrange the roasted peppers and olives over the bread mixture. Let stand at room temperature for flavors to blend, at least 1 hour.

Garnish with the basil sprigs.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Citrus Chicken with Yogurt Sauce and Rice Pilaf with Orange, Raison and Toasted Almonds

Here's a way to take your same old/same old chicken breast to a whole new place. We mix a Yucatan citrus marinade and add a Moroccan twist with yogurt and ground coriander.
This was baked, but it can also be grilled. We paired it up with a Rice Pilaf with Orange, Raison and Toasted Almonds. Click on the picture to check it out full size.

Marinade
1 cup (250 mL) orange juice
3 tbsp (45 mL) lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
2 tsp (10 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) coarsely ground pepper
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
½ tsp (2 mL) dried oregano
½ tsp (2 mL) hot pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground coriander
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups (500 mL) plain yogurt
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh parsley

In a large bowl, combine orange juice, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, sugar, pepper, salt, oregano, coriander and hot pepper flakes. Divide marinade in half, reserving remainder to make sauce. Add chicken to half of the marinade and toss. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 425*F. Drain chicken well. Arrange on a cookie sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until internal temperature is at least 165*F.

In small saucepan over medium heat, cook reserved marinade 10 minutes or until reduced by half to about ½ cup (125 mL). Strain and let cool; stir into yogurt. Pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with parsley.

Rice Pilaf with Orange, Raison and Toasted Almonds

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 pinches kosher salt
1 cups jasmine rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 strips orange zest
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
Raisins and toasted almonds

Directions

In a medium saucepan melt butter or oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, red pepper, and kosher salt. Sweat the onions and peppers until aromatic, stirring constantly. Add the rice and stir to coat. Continue stirring until rice smells nutty. Add chicken broth, orange zest, water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Stir once, then cover pan lid. Simmer until liquid is evaporated, approximately 15 minutes. Let rice rest at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes without removing the cover. Crush almonds and toast in a small skillet over medium heat. They are done when you can smell them. Meanwhile, simmer peas and raisons in salted water until heated through or heat in a microwave.

Remove lid from rice. Add peas and raisons and fluff with a large wooden spoon. Add tarragon and almonds.