Cilantro Chimichurri Chicken

This recipe is about more than just alliteration -- grilled chicken with an Argentinean twist. A traditional chimichurri sauce is made with parsley, so if you don't care for cilantro, simply replace it with parsley.  You can also blend half cilantro and parsley for a milder version.


I got the recipe from Eclectic Recipes, but as always, I added my own twists.

CILANTRO CHIMICHURRI

• a large bunch of cilantro, about 1 cup packed
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 tablespoon fresh
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake, optional
• kosher salt
• pepper

1. Combine cilantro, garlic, vinegar, oregano, cumin, and optional red pepper flake in a food processor. Pulse until fine.
2. Turn food processor on and stream in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Instead of red pepper flakes, I added Tabasco. I also added about a tablespoon of lime juice.  Before I added the olive oil, I divided the sauce in half and rubbed my chicken with vegetable oil and half of the chimichurri (so it won't stick to the grill.)


You actually don't need to add olive oil to the sauce if you prefer a coarse herb mixture (think gremolata.)


Grill the chicken until it's done, then serve with a dollop of chimichurri and whatever side you choose. For this evening, I grilled corn on the cob and asparagus.

Lettuce Chicken Wraps Recipe

I'm traveling now, but I figured I'd post a recipe that I've tried three times that is worth copying for anyone looking for a quick, easy recipe.


1 lb of ground chicken (ground beef and even shrimp work just as well)
Hoisin sauce to taste (about 4 tablespoons)
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 mango
Butter leaf lettuce
Rice noodles
Salt and pepper
Olive oil


Mince garlic and dice onion and bell pepper.  Sautee them in a pan with a little olive oil until the onions and pepper soften. Bring water to boil and cook rice noodles.  Add ground chicken and season with a small amount of salt and pepper (the Hoisin will add sodium so don't over salt!) After the meat browns, add the Hoisin and stir.


Julienne or dice the mango and arrange a Butter leaf lettuce on a plate. Place the noodles and chicken on the lettuce with a couple of slices of mango and you're ready to eat!


Note: I've tried this recipe with other types of lettuce, and none hold up to the weight of the chicken mixture and noodles like Butter lettuce.

Recipes

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Looking to impress someone with a delectable dinner? I use this recipe as my base for preparing the most succulent short ribs:

 

4 English cut beef short ribs, trimmed (roughly 8 ounces each)

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 bottle full bodied red wine, such as Cabernet

2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (original recipe calls for 4 cups of veggie broth)

4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Notice that there are only five main ingredients, so it makes your shopping list as well as the cooking very easy.  Short ribs can be expensive, but in Seattle, Fred Meyer, QFC and Safeway all sell them for half the cost of a butcher or fancy grocery store; you just might need to budget for two ribs per person. (Five, 5 oz short ribs at Fred Meyer was $9; Five, 8oz short ribs at Central Market was $22.75.)

My spin on the recipe is that after one hour in the oven, I add chopped carrots (figure one carrot per person) and any leftover wine and give it all a big stir.  It’s also important to use good red wine in this recipe if you want the meat to develop full flavor.  I serve the ribs with mashed potatoes, polenta or rice. Add a green vegetable if you want more than carrots (asparagus, Swiss chard or broccoli are good choices.)

For the original recipe, click here.

Hoisin Glazed Shrimp

I bought a pound of fresh, medium shrimp and wanted to make a tasty, easy dish, so I turned to my trusted Real Simple magazine.

1 lb shrimp

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds

Instead of threading the shrimp on skewers and broiling them, I simply put them in a pan for three minutes on one side, flipped them and then added the hoisin sauce to the pan for another four minutes of cooking.

My spin on this recipe is the hoisin glaze.  I added a tablespoon of orange marmalade and a splash of orange juice to the sauce, stirred it and then poured it on the shrimp. I served the shrimp over brown rice with a cucumber salad on the side. (See recipe for more details.)