Recipe: Indian Roasted Chicken with Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad

I have been watching way too much Food Network and Cooking Channel lately and have been getting inspired yet again. The roast chicken was inspired by some of the newer shows that feature American cuisine influenced by flavors of India. The salad is just a very simple dish I actually make quite often. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Roast Chicken

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2 3/4 lbs.)

1 stick of unsalted butter

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 whole red chile, minced

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. cardamom

1 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad

2 large heirloom tomatoes, cut into large cubes

1 cucumber, cut into large cubes

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. Herbs de Provence

Small sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

Leave the butter out in a dish at room temperature until it is fully pliable so you can work with it. Go ahead and make the dressing for the salad to allow the dried herbs to infuse. Mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Herbs de Provence, and sea salt in a sealable small bowl. Seal up, shake vigorously until fully combined, then place in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Once the butter is pliable, add the minced garlic, butter, all of the dried spices, and the salt and pepper to the bowl and use a large fork to mash and mix the ingredients into the butter. Coat a 9 x 13 porcelain baking dish with cooking spray. Place the chicken breasts skin-up into the dish. Coat every breast equally with the spiced butter, using your fingers and the fork to get the butter underneath the skin to coat the flesh completely. Cover the baking dish with tin foil and place into the oven. Cook for 90 minutes. Take off the foil, coat the top of the chicken generously with the juices that have fallen off into the dish, and place back into the oven. Raise the temperature to 375 and cook for an additional 20 - 25 minutes to crisp the skin. Remove from the oven.

Chop the tomatoes and cucumber into cubes and mix together evenly. Serve the chopped vegetables directly onto your plates. Shake up the dressing you made earlier one more time before drizzling over the vegetables generously. Serve the chicken on the side. Bon appetit! :)

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe: Shrimp Creole

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of peeled and deveined shrimp

3 bell peppers, preferably red or yellow, diced

3 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried tarragon

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 habanero peppers, finely diced

1 1/2 cups of yellow onion, diced

3 cups of diced tomatoes (1 large can), drained

1/4 cup of butter (approx. 1/2 stick)

1/4 cup of canola oil

4 tbsp. rice flour

1/2 cup of water

2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, habaneros, and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent - approximately 10 minutes. In a deep pan, heat the butter and canola oil over medium heat until the butter is fully melted and the mixture is hot. Add the flour to the oil mixture slowly, stirring to make a thick roux. Heat the roux until it turns a light brown color, stirring frequently. Stir in the water, dry spices, shrimp, tomatoes and the sauteed onion/pepper mixture. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for approximately 10 - 15 minutes until the shrimp are pink. Final consistency should be similar to a gravy. If not thick enough for you, mix 2 tsp. of cornstarch into 1 tbsp. of warm water and stir into the plan to thicken. Serve over rice.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Easy Pepper Gravy

Serve over grits and/or biscuits on a Sunday morning, be in a food coma by lunch... guaranteed!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of unsalted butter

1/4 cup of canola oil

3/4 cup rice flour

2 teaspoons sea salt

2/3 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped

2/3 teaspoon ground black pepper

2/3 teaspoon cracked red pepper

2/3 teaspoon ground white pepper

2/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cups milk

Directions:

Melt the butter into the canola oil over medium heat. Once the butter is melted into the oil, whisk in all of the rice flour to make a roux. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the roux starts to turn a light brown. Whisk in the milk one cup at a time, blending thoroughly. Add all of the salt and spices and whisk in thoroughly. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue heating, whisking occasionally, until the mixture becomes a thick, creamy crazy. Whisk in the fresh chives. Remove from heat and ladle over biscuits, grits, chicken, steak... whatever makes you comfortable.

Makes 8 - 10 servings.

Out and About: Chairman Bao Bun Truck

It pulled up 5 blocks behind my office, tweeted its presence, and I was magnetized toward it... assorted stuffed steamed bao: pork belly with pickled daikon, red sesame chicken with bok choy, duck confit with mango relish... for $9... I think I need to chain myself to this truck...

Recipe: Easy Sukiyaki

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. boneless beef rib eye steak, sliced very thin

1 large sweet onion

3 tbsp. minced garlic

2 cups of crimini mushrooms, chopped

2 large carrots, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds

2 cups of Napa cabbage OR baby bok choy, pulled apart and washed

1 1/2 cups of soy sauce

2 cups of beef broth

1 cup of sake

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of rice vinegar

3 tbsp. of vegetable oil

Directions:

Whisk the soy sauce, beef broth, sake, sugar, and rice vinegar together into a large bowl and set aside.

In a large cast iron pan or cast iron dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and carrots and saute until fragrant. Add the sliced beef and cook until the beef browns, stirring/mixing frequently. Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften. Pour all of the reserved sauce mixture in over the meat and vegetables. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally . Add the Napa cabbage (or bok choy), recover, and continue cooking for 10 - 15 minutes until beef is very tender and the cabbage is wilted. Remove all meat and vegetables to a separate serving bowl with a slotted spoon draining off the sauce. Then, pour about 1/3 to 1/2 of the sauce from the pan over the meat and vegetables in the serving bowl and serve. Best served over short-grain white rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Spicy Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

1 lb. of okra, stems cut off

2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

2 cups of shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions, cut into 1 inch chunks

4 medium tomatoes, chunked into 1 inch cubes

10 garlic cloves, cut into 1/8 inch slivers

1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

6 tbsp. of Thai red curry paste (4 - 5 tbsp. if heat is a problem for you :))

3 tbsp. of fish sauce (to make this truly vegetarian, substitute 2 1/2 tbsp. of rice vinegar mixed with 1/2 tbsp. of sea salt for the fish sauce)

2 tbsp. minced lemongrass

1 tbsp. minced ginger

1 1/2 cups of coconut milk

1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

In a large wok or stir-fry pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, scallions, ginger, and lemongrass and saute until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, okra, and carrots and saute until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, vegetable broth, fish sauce, and curry paste. Stir to combine all ingredients. Turn the heat to high and heat until the mixture is boiling vigorously. Then reduce heat to a steady simmer, cover, and cook for 40 - 45 minutes. Remove the lid and check the consistency of the curry. It should be of medium thickness, akin to a gravy. If the curry is really thin, whisk 1 tbsp. of corn starch with 2 tsp. of warm water and add to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the fresh cilantro as a final step. Serve immediately over jasmine rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Grilled Pork with Maple Habanero Glaze and Sauteed Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

For the Pork

2 1/2 lbs. of bone-in pork chops (4 large chops)

2 cups of apple cider vinegar

1 cup of soy sauce

1 cup of bourbon

3 habanero peppers, finely minced

1 cup of maple syrup

For the Chard

2 large bunches of green or rainbow chard, de-stemmed with leaves roughly torn into pieces

4 slices of uncured, thick sliced applewood smoked bacon, diced

1/2 of a large sweet onion, diced (approx. 1 1/2 cups)

3 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. black pepper

3 tbsp. of unsalted butter

Directions:

Mix the vinegar, soy sauce, and bourbon together with a wisk to make the brine. Reserve 2/3 cup of the brine. Place the chops into a large plastic bag or bowl, pour the brine over, and cover. Place in the refrigerator to brine at least 24 hours.

In a small saucepan, heat the maple syrup, habanero peppers, and 2/3 cup of the brining liquid over medium heat until it bubbles vigorously. Remove from heat and place into a heatproof glass container, seal, and place in the refrigerator for 4 - 6 hours to chill until it thickens.

Brush your grill grate with olive oil and heat the grill to medium-high heat. Before placing the pork on the grill, coat all over with the maple/habanero glaze. Cook for 4 minutes, turn over, then cover with more of the glaze. Continue cooking for 4 minutes on each side, glazing after each turn, for a total of about 18 - 20 minutes for medium-well. The glaze will produce a nice blackening on the pork as the sugar caramelizes. Place in 180 degree oven covered in foil to keep warm.

In a large pan, melt the butter. Add the bacon and saute the bacon until it starts to crisp. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion becomes partially translucent. Add the swiss chard and black pepper, in bunches if necessary, covering the pan to wilt the chard. Cook, covered, checking and stirring every minute or two until all the chard is fully wilted.

Serve the chard on top of or alongside the pork.

Serves 4 very hungry people.