Monthly Archives: June 2014

Red Pepper, White Corn, Blue Potato Medley

This red pepper, white corn, blue potato medley is a very easy, tasty and vibrant looking side dish. It’s a festive side dish for your Fourth of July barbecue, and it’s good anytime when you can get fresh corn. I use white corn for the symbolic white in the Red, White and Blue theme of Independence Day, but you can easily use yellow corn. Blue potatoes are a bit nuttier in taste than their white sisters and they have more health benefits as they contain antioxidant-rich flavonoids.

Freshly chopped rosemary and kosher salt, olive oil and some freshly ground pepper are the only flavors added to the peppers, corn and potatoes. Just cut up the peppers and potatoes and slice the kernels off the cobs of corn and mix with the oil, salt and rosemary, then roast in a 375 oven for 45 minutes. This recipe is good for 4 people, or 8 people if there are other side dishes on the table. You can easily double the recipe.

Red Bell Pepper, White Corn, Blue Potato Medley

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs blue potatoes, skins intact, cut into 3rds or quarters

2 red bell peppers, cut into half-inch pieces

Kernels from 2 ears of white corn, sliced off cob

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Ground black pepper

1/4 cup of EVOO

Preheat oven to 375°. Wash and cut the potatoes, keeping skins intact, and add to a roasting pan along with the cut papers and corn kernels. Drizzle oil, rosemary, salt and pepper over the medley, mixing through with your clean hands. Put into oven on rack in middle of oven and roast for 45 minutes, checking and tossing potatoes, peppers and corn once about 25 minutes into cooking.

Serves 4

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

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What is summer without grilling? And what’s better than sweet and spicy grilled food on a summer’s day? This recipe for sweet and spicy grilled chicken gets it’s sweetness from honey and its spice from cayenne pepper – so you can easily control how much heat you want. It’s a quick and easy marinade to make and the chicken only needs 15 minutes of marinating time.

The marinade is also used as a glaze for the grilled chicken. It’s made with honey, lime juice, mustard, ketchup. EVOO, ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper. This recipe makes about 2/3 cup of the marinade for which half is used to marinate the chicken and the rest is used as a glaze after the chicken has been cooked. The lime juice in the marinade gives it an extra twang. Be sure not to marinade the chicken too long as it will break down the protein in way that leaves the chicken rubbery, even on the grill. About 15 minutes of marinating time is sufficient to flavor the chicken. This recipe makes enough for 2 pounds of chicken, but it can easily be doubled.

Cayenne pepper provides the spice and this recipe calls for a lot of it – a half-tablespoon. If you prefer less heat use a teaspoon and if you prefer just a hint of heat, use a half-teaspoon. Grilled pineapple is a great accompaniment to this chicken, especially when made with the full amount of spice. For a great summer picnic, see the sweet and spicy grilled chicken sandwich balanced with grilled pineapple and sweet basil leaves.

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken boneless skinless breasts – sliced lengthwise into 1/4″ thickness

For the marinade and glazing sauce:

2 tablespoons EVOO

Juice of one lime or 3 tablespoons of lime juice

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon mustard

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

2 garlic cloves grated

1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper (if you prefer less heat then use 1 teaspoon or a half a teaspoon)

Grilled pineapple (optional garnish)

Slice chicken breasts lengthwise into 3/8″ thickness. Mix all ingredients of the marinade together. It’ll make about 2/3 cup. Marinate chicken in half of the marinade (1/3 cup) for 15 minutes, reserve remaining marinade. Grill chicken on medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes on each side. Brush cooked chicken with remaining unused marinade. Serve with grilled pineapple as a garnish.

Serves 4-6

Seared Duck Breasts with Blueberry Port

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Blueberries are my favorite fruit. You can always find them in my refrigerator when they are in season. I eat them mostly as is but in this recipe, I cook them down to release the sugar and flavor in a port wine sauce that works wonderfully with seared duck breasts.

This recipe for seared duck breasts with blueberry port sauce is a great dish that looks as impressive to serve as it is easy to make. You should be able to buy duck breasts at your local butcher. I use Peking duck breasts but you can easily substitute Muscovy duck breasts, if you prefer. The duck breasts cook up pretty quickly with a sear on the stovetop and a quick finish in the oven to serve the duck medium-rare, so it is still pink and flavorful.

The key to searing the duck is to have a very hot pan before the duck breasts are added skin side down. To prepare the duck, cut 3-4 slits into the skins of the duck breasts on a 45° angle, then salt and pepper both sides of the breast and then place them skin-side down into the dry hot pan for 5 minutes. Turn the breasts and cook for 3 minutes on the other side, then place the skillet into the preheated oven for 5 minutes for medium-rare.

While duck is a fatty bird, seared duck breasts are not too bad, as most if the fat os cooked off while cooking and the meat plumps up. You can easily cut around the fatty skin once the duck has been cooked. Do keep the skin on for cooking, as it flavors the breasts and is great for the sear. The sauce is made separately and combined with the duck breasts on the plate. Cauliflower mash is a great side dish to accompany the duck and the blueberry port sauce.

One finely diced shallot sautéed in extra virgin olive oil balances the sweetness of the port wine and blueberries to make the sauce savory and a great complement to the duck breasts. One cup of port wine, one cup of fresh blueberries plus 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses are added to the shallot to make the sauce. Simmer the sauce for about 25 minutes with some light stirring. The sauce is not very thick and but thick enough to coat a spoon when inserted.

To serve, slice the breasts cross-wise on a diagonal. Spoon some sauce onto individual plates, then fan the duck slices on top of the sauce.

Seared Duck Breasts with Blueberry Port Sauce

Ingredients:

1 shallot finely chopped

1/2 tablespoon EVOO

1 cup port

1 cup blueberries

2 tablespoonspomegranate molasses

2 duck breasts, about 6 ounces each

Salt and pepper

Make the sauce first. Finely chop one shallot and add it to a small (2 quart) saucepan with a half tablespoon of EVOO and sauté 2 minutes. Then add 1 cup of port wine and 1 cup of blueberries and 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses. Cook sauce, stirring occasionally for 25 minutes. The sauce will not be very thick, but it will coast a spoon when inserted.

As the sauce is cooking, prepare duck. Pre-heat oven to 350° and place an ovenproof skillet on the stovetop and heat. Using a paring knife, cut 3-4 slits cross-wise on a diagonal (45° angle) into the skins of the duck breasts. Salt and pepper both sides of the duck breasts and add to the hot skillet skin-side down. Cook for 5 minutes. Then turn the breasts over and cook for 3 minutes, then place the skillet into the preheated oven and roast the breasts for 5 minutes for medium-rare.

To serve, slice the breasts cross-wise on a diagonal. Spoon some sauce onto individual plates, then fan the duck slices on top of the sauce and top with extra blueberries. Serve with cauliflower mash (optional).

Serves 2

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Pineapple and Basil

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This sweet and spicy grilled chicken sandwich with pineapple and basil is made for a summer picnic. The sweet and spicy marinade is perfectly complemented by slices of grilled pineapple, fresh sweet basil leaves and a slice of red onion. It’s great served at room temperature so you can grill the chicken early in the day and have it on a sandwich later on.

To make the sandwich, make the sweet and spicy grilled chicken recipe and grill the pineapple along with it. The basil leaves are the real twist to this sandwich, adding a great sweetness that balances the heat of the cayenne pepper and adding a great flavoring agent to the pineapple. Red onion rounds out the flavor with a bit of crunch and bite.

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Pineapple and Basil

2 pounds, Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

1/2 pineapple sliced in half lengthwise and then in thin half moon pieces

1/2 red onion, cut into thin slices enough for 8 sandwiches

12-16 basil leaves

2 sweet baguettes, cut into quarters and sliced in half

To assemble the sandwich: Make chicken. Slice 1/2 pineapple in half lengthwise and in thin half moon pieces (if core is hard cut on edge of core or cut core out of half moon pieces) and grill 3 minutes on each side. Slice 2 sweet baguettes lengthwise. Place chicken brushed with reserved marinade on bottom of baguette. Cut chicken to fit bread as needed. Layer the pieces of grilled pineapple on top, followed by a slices of red onion and topped with enough basil leaves to cover the chicken. Add the top piece of the baguettes and cut baguettes into quarters. If you have left over marinade, you can brush it on the bread, but with the chicken and pineapple, you don’t need it as the sandwich is plenty moist.

Makes 8 sandwiches

Einkorn Flour Recipes

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For anyone who is gluten sensitive, Einkorn flour is the one type of wheat flour that your body might find compatible. According to Dr. William Davis, author of Wheat Belly – Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find your Path Back to Health,wheat is the cause of many health problems such as obesity, fatigue, arthritis, gastrointestinal distress, and cancer. Dr. Davis mentions a wheat available today that is most similar to the wheat of generations ago, without the genetic modifications and therefore without the elevated blood sugar levels. It is known as Einkorn wheat, which is perfectly fine for gluten-sensitive people.

If you have celiac disease or any allergies to wheat, Einkorn flour is not a good substitute. However for many people with arthritis or other ailments that benefit from a gluten-free diet, ask your doctor, nutritionist, acupuncturist if Einkorn flour is acceptable for your diet and chances are they will say it is.

Einkorn flour recipes can be a bit tough to find, as not many people know about this flour. For most recipes, substituting Einkorn flour for regular flour will be fine, especially if you are using it as a coating for chicken or fish before pan-frying. For baking, sometimes Einkorn flour cannot be substituted for the dough. I tried making my mini cocktail knishes using Einkorn flour or the oil-based dough and the dough was not elastic enough. I tried using it for rugelach cookies where the dough is a cream cheese-based dough and it worked fine.

Try these Einkorn flour recipes:

Soft Shell Crab on Arugula, White Bean and Zucchini Salad

Cod with Lemon Caper Sauce

Judy’s Chicken – Chicken with Mushrooms and Lemon

Wine-Braised Short Ribs

Low-Fat Seafood Bisque

Mini Baked Potato Latkes

Einkorn Flour Flatbreads