Saturday Night: BP and Honeycrisp Recommend....

....grilling your pizza! It's amazing. We tried it for the first time tonight and we're hooked. Word to the wise, don't overload and keep the sauciness to a minimum. Yey for summer nights, roof top decks, and deliciously grilled pizzas.

And happy birthday to D. We'll be at your fete in just a few!

Friday Night: Nice Shabbos Chicken

You wouldn't know it by the way we speed through most of our Friday - Saturdays, but I really do like to celebrate Shabbat. So when my magnanimous employer offered me the chance to walk out a few hours early, I seized upon the opportunity to transform our otherwise "quick prep" dinner into a lovely Shabbat dinner. We had planned on a tasty Greek Roast Chicken (only 35 minutes in the oven with relatively little prep), but I stopped at the store for some green beans, a challah, and the makings for some miniature apricot-raspberry tarts. I also picked up a wonderful Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, to get us in the mood for our upcoming family vacation to Oregon. All those things, plus some Shabbat candles, a nice table cloth, and some family (urban or otherwise) help pave the way to a restful evening to give thanks (either directly or silently) for all the many things in our lives we have received. The chicken was fantastic and we can't wait to eat it again on sandwiches today. Shabbat Shalom.

Greek Roasted Chicken
From a Week of Menus

A whole chicken, cut up (or bought cut up - 4-5 lb chicken)

2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Honey Lemon Drizzle
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 500.

Mix lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, salt together in a large bowl. Add cut chicken. Rub and cover all pieces with the mixture. I prepared this earlier in the day and stuck it in the fridge, but the flavors are strong enough that you could do this right before cooking.

Place chicken into a deep roasting pan, keeping the chicken in a single layer.

Roast for 30 minutes. While chicken is roasting, mix together honey and lemon juice.

Watch chicken carefully the last 5 minutes. When the chicken skin starts looking golden, then quickly pour a bit of the honey drizzle over the chicken pieces. Cook for an additional 5 minutes until skin is blistered and slightly glossy.

Take out from oven. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.

Thursday Night: Sweet Potato and Poblano Salad with Honey and Rosemary

Years ago before Bobby Flay had such a vast Food Network empire, he was just a great cook with a couple of restaurants in NY. And Koko and Dr. S had his cookbook, "Boy Meets Grill," and we often made a grilled sweet potato salad from that I thought was so delightful. I loved the smoky taste of the charred sweet potatoes (it's especially refreshing if you're used to sweet potatoes in pureed form covered in marshmallows) mixed with a fresh and acidic vinaigrette. This recipe from Bon Appetit has a similar appeal. It required a few more steps than I think BP would have liked, but I think it's worth it. Would be a great side dish at a BBQ or potluck, or a terrific light vegetarian dinner.

Sweet Potato and Poblano Salad with Honey and Rosemary
Bon Appétit | July 2009

2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon minced shallot (about 1 small)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, quartered lengthwise
Canola oil or vegetable oil (for brushing)
2 fresh poblano chiles (about 8 ounces total),* seeded, diced
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced diagonally (about 2)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Whisk first 6 ingredients in small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook sweet potatoes in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just barely tender, about 6 minutes. Drain; run under cold water to cool. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Preheat barbecue (high heat). Brush potato wedges with canola oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill potatoes until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer potatoes to work surface. Cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Place potatoes, poblanos, green onions, and parsley in large bowl. Drizzle dressing over; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Wednesday Night: Citrus Collards Quesadillas

With BP back in town and we finally both home for dinner, we're back to trying out some new recipes. And boy, was this delicious. I heard the author of the collard greens recipe, Bryant Terry, the genius behind the Vegan Soul Kitchen, on NPR the other day and was immediately intrigued. Though I appreciate many of my family members' embrace of Southern cooking, I am definitely left wishing it were not so artery hardening sometimes. So when I found Terry's fresh and healthy vegan collard recipe on the Splendid Table website, I was drawn to it. And Lynne R-K recommended using as a filling for quesadillas, which I knew would win BP's heart. And it did. These were so so delicious and perfect topped off with a few drops of hot sauce. Sweet, hot, and creamy.

Citrus Collards Quesadillas
From the Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry via the Splendid Table

Coarse sea salt
2 large bunches collard greens, ribs removed, chopped, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
6 fajita size flour tortillas
Favorite hot sauce for serving

In a large pot over high heat, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoons salt. Add the collards and cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water to cool the collards. Remove the collards from the heat, drain, and plunge them into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking and set the color of the greens. Drain by gently pressing the greens against a colander.

In a medium-size sauté pan, combine the olive oil and the garlic and raise the heat to medium. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the collards, raisins, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add orange juice and cook for an additional 15 seconds. Do not overcook (collards should be bright green). Season with additional salt to taste if needed and place in a bowl.

Wipe out the saute pan and reheat over medium high. In one side of a tortilla, layer 1/2 of about 1/6 cup of the cheese, 1/4 cup of the collards, the rest of the 1/6 cup of cheese and fold the tortilla over. Cook on one side for a few minutes and flip, browning each side of the tortilla 'til slighty more than golden brown and a little crispy.

Cut each into 3 wedges and serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Tuesday Night: Garlic-Roasted Garbanzo Beans & Swiss Chard over Polenta

Lately I've been seeing a lot of food porn photos of roasted chickpeas as a snack, which is mildly appealing, but when I saw this recipe, I was excited to live out my own roasted chickpea fantasy in the form of dinner, rather than a bar snack. This dish is a teeny bit fussy (multiple components means multiple pots and dishes to wash), but well worth it. Slightly decadent - to the extent you can be with chickpeas, chard, and corn meal. Very delicious.

Note: I suspect you could easily swap out the chicken broth for veggie broth instead if you felt so inclined.

Garlic-Roasted Garbanzo Beans & Swiss Chard over Polenta
Adapted from Eggs on Sunday, who adapted it from Bon Appetit

For the garbanzos:
2 15.5-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 large shallots
3 small bay leaves
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the chard:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped
3 small bay leaves
2 shallots, sliced
2 small or 1 large bunch Swiss chard, large ribs trimmed off, leaves coarsely torn
1 1/2 cups chicken stock

For the polenta:
3 cups water
1 cup ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup grated cheese, such as parmigiano-reggiano or fontina

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a Pyrex baking dish (8×8 or 11×7), combine the garbanzos, garlic, shallots, and bay leaves. Sprinkle with coarse salt and black pepper, then pour the olive oil over the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until the garlic cloves and shallots are soft. Set aside at room temperature until ready to add to the chard.

Make the chard: Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, bay leaves, and shallots, cover, and cook until the shallots are tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and add the swiss chard, stirring to coat with the olive oil. Add the chicken stock, stir to combine, then cover the pot to braise the chard until it’s wilted and tender.

In the meantime, start your polenta. In a medium pot, bring 3 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt to the boil. Stream in the corn meal, whisking constantly, and continue whisking until the polenta thickens slightly and is suspended throughout the liquid, about 1 minute. Cover the pot, turn down the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the tablespoon of butter and 1/3 cup of grated cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.

Next, return to the chard. Uncover the pot and continue to cook until some of the broth has evaporated, then add the roasted garbanzo bean mixture. Stir to combine, cook over medium heat until heated through, a few more minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt or pepper as needed.

Spoon the chard & garbanzo mixture, with some of the juices, over the polenta in individual serving bowls.

Monday Night: Sweet Potato, Eggplant, and Spinach Curry with Cumin-Mint Yogurt Sauce

Nick Kindelsperger was a little cool to this dish because it's a dry curry, which is to say it doesn't really have a sauce in the way a typical curry does. He's right. It's not saucy. But it is delicious. The mix of the spiced sweet potato, eggplant, and spinach was right on for both flavor and texture. And we addressed the dryness issue (because you know, BP loves his sauce) by serving this vegetarian dish with a quick yogurt sauce. Finish with some naan and you've got a perfect dinner for 2 plus lunch for one. It would also be a great side dish for a future Southasian feast.

Sweet Potato, Eggplant, and Spinach Curry with Cumin-Mint Yogurt Sauce
From Serious Eats

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
1 pound of spinach
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 small container plain non-fat yogurt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 T chopped fresh mint

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Toss in the spinach, and cook for 30 seconds. Drain in a colander, and press try with paper towels. Roughly chop the spinach. Pour the oil into a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, and let cook for about 30 seconds. Then add the garlic and cumin and let them cook for 1 minute.

Dump in the sweet potato, stir well, and let cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the eggplant, spinach, salt, curry powder, and turmeric powder. Put the top on the pan and cook until the eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes or so. Turn off the heat, and transfer mixture to a bowl. Garnish with cilantro and set aside for 15 minutes to let the flavors mingle.

While the dish is resting, make the yogurt sauce by mixing the yogurt (whisk it a bit to make it smooth) with the cumin and mint. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the dish with the yogurt sauce and some warm naan.

Sunday Night: Chicken Mole

A mole sauce is a pretty significant undertaking, even when it's done with a streamlined recipe, like this one from Bon Appetit. But sometimes it's Sunday and you're home with the person you like the most and you don't mind chopping, sauteeing, simmering, and blending scores of disparate ingredients to produce this tasty concoction. This was a good one, although I think I liked a Cooking Light version from a while back just as well.

Chicken Mole
Adapted from Bon Appétit | May 2009

2 tablespoons (or more) peanut oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 cup orange juice
2 medium onions, sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
3 large garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2.5 oz dried Mexican chiles (I used mulatto chiles), stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1 inch pieces
1/8 cup raisins
2 3 x 1/2-inch strips orange peel (orange part only)
3/4 teaspoons dried oregano
1.5 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Chopped fresh cilantro
Warm flour tortillas

Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pot; sauté until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to large bowl.

Return chicken and any juices to pot. Add broth and orange juice; bring just to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until chicken is tender and just cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add almonds, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Sauté until nuts and garlic begin to color, about 2 minutes. Add chiles and stir until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer chicken to large bowl. Pour chicken cooking liquid into saucepan with onion mixture. Add raisins, orange peel, and oregano to saucepan. Cover and simmer until chiles are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat; add chocolate and cinnamon. Let stand until chocolate melts and sauce mixture cools slightly, about 5 minutes.

Transfer sauce mixture to food processor and puree until smooth; return to skillet Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Coarsely shred chicken and return to sauce; stir to coat.

Transfer chicken mole to bowl. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with warm tortillas.