Chicken and Vegetable Fajitas

This is another recipe we tried in our knife skills class.  Traditional fajitas are skirt steak marinated in lime juice and spices, grilled and wrapped in a warm tortilla, with grilled onions and peppers.  The version here, features chicken instead of skirt steak and a colorful array of vegetables including carrots for sweetness and mushrooms for a meaty flavor.  This is not your Mom's fajita, but it's GOOD!

1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3 tbsp. canola oil, divided
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 (6 to 7oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
1 C. shitake mushroom caps (stems removed and discarded)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and julienned
1/2 medium red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and julienned
1/2 medium green pepper, stemmed, seeded and julienned
1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro
12 to 16 tortillas, warmed
2 limes, cut into wedges
Salsa Fresca (recipe included in this blog)
Sour cream (optional)

Combine the chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and oregano in a small bowl; set aside.

Place 2 tbsp. of the oil , the lime juice and half of the spice mix in a large zip top bag.  Seal the bag and shake to mix the ingredients evenly.  Open the bag and add the chicken, then reseal the bag and knead gently to coat the chicken evenly with the marinade.  Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook until it has lost its pink color.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Note: The chicken will not be fully cooked, as it will be cooked further later.

Return the pan to the heat, add the remaining tbsp. of the oil and heat through.  Add the carrots, mushrooms and garlic, and cook until the just begin to soften, about 2 minutes.  Add the onions, bell peppers and remaining seasoning mix and cook, stirring constantly, until crisp tender, about 2 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and cook until the chicken is just cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes more.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Spoon the fajita filling onto  a warmed plate and present with a basket of warm tortillas, lime wedges, Salsa Fresca and sour cream.

Enjoy immediately.

Salsa Fresca

This is a recipe we tried in our knife skills class that Chris and I took a couple of months ago.  It was delicious and will be even better when everthing comes into season. 

2 medium ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded and finely diced
1/4 C. white or yellow onion, diced
1/4 C. diced green bell pepper
1/4 C. diced yellow bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 to 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste.

Zucchini Tomato Pasta with Fresh Herbs

This will be great to make once my tomatoes come into season.  Of course, that means some of the flowers on my tomato plants will actually have to set fruit.  We'll see what happens.  I suppose I could buy some tomatoes at the farmers market.  The fresh herbs and veggies in this recipe sound really appealing...and of course the garlic!!

3 tbsp. exta virgin olive oil
2 1/2 C. diced tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C. white wine or low sodium chicken broth
1 C. packed coarsely chopped fresh basil plus additional sprigs for garnish, if desired
1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 medium zucchini, diced (about 1 1/4 C.)
8oz. penne pasta or ziti
1 C. coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 C. shaved Romano cheese

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add tomatoes and simmer, covered, 4 to 5 minutes or until softened stirring occasionally.  Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute or until fragrant.  Add wine.  Stir in basil, oregano, salt, and pepper, stir in zucchini.  Reduce heat to medium low or low; simmer, covered 15 minutes or until vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; srain well.  Add pasta and paarsley to skillet; toss well.  Sprinkle with cheese; garnish with basil sprigs.

Turkey Brine

We used the following brine recipe in our Flash Roasted Turkey.  You need a brine bag and a gigantic soup pot to contain the bird, the bag and the brine.  Otherwise it takes over your whole fridge!

This turkey brine gets a portion of its salt from vegetable stock. The combination of spices and herbs will give your turkey a rich flavor.


Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutesYield: Makes about 1 gallon of brine

Ingredients:

•2 quarts vegetable stock

•1/2 cup salt (3/4 cup Kosher or coarse salt)

•1/2 cup white sugar

•1 tablespoon dried rosemary

•1 tablespoon dried sage

•1 tablespoon dried thyme

•2 quarts cold water

Preparation:

In a large pot combine vegetable stock, salt, sugar, and herbs over a medium heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the salt is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add cold water.

Place turkey in a large plastic container. Pour brine over top, cover and refrigerate. Brine for 1 hour per pound.



Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey before cooking. Otherwise there will be a salty flavor to the turkey. For a more detailed explanation, see my article on brining turkey

Flash Roasted Turkey

You've heard of a flash mob, flash floods, flash freezing...have you heard of flash roasting??  Yeah, neither had I until earlier today.  I have wanted to grill a turkey for a while.  I remember a Thanksgiving or two when I was a kid, my Grandfather grilled out Thanksgiving turkey on the red Weber grill that still prowls my Mom's backyard some 30 years later.  I can remember the smell like it was yesterday.  Unfortunately I have a ferocious summer cold/sinus infection situation so my smelling and tasting skills are sorely diminished at the moment so I had to take the word of Chris and the kids.

I was following directions from another food blog called Fuster Cluck Farm; well, at least the grilling part.  We had brined our turkey using a recipe Chris had found online and I will post it later.  I got the grill going and if you ask Chris and others in my family I am a little heavy handed when it comes to heat on the grill.  I can cook hot dogs in about 45 seconds on a good fire.  At any rate, we have a grill that actually has an internal thermometer so I can get a feel for how long it's going to take...they say 12 minutes per pound.  I had a turkey that was just shy of 12 pounds; you can do the math, right?

OK, it took a bit to get my fire going, and it was lopsided as usual but I put the turkey on and set the timer for an hour.  The intermal temp was just shy of 300 degrees.  Not bad.  After an hour, I went out and added 15 briquettes and the temp was 345 degrees.  Another hour on the timer and suddenly I am realizing that we are going to eat early!  The color on the bird was fantastic...I am still kicking myself that the bird was carved already when I thought to take a photo.  After the second hour, the internal temp on the grill was about 365 and the little timer thing that comes in a turkey had popped.  I came in and got my meat thermometer, pulled the bird off the grate and took its temperature.  182 degrees on the first try---we're eating VERY early.  I pulled the bird and almost 90 minutes later we were still over 300 degrees on the grill.  We couldn't eat until the potatoes and stuffing got finished but dinner was done and the kitchen was clean before 5pm in my house today.  I even got a post dinner nap!

I'll have to grill a turkey again soon.  I want to be able to smell and taste my handiwork...oh yeah and we need a photo!

Chocolate Ice Cream

OK, Summer is here...well, it will be on the calendar as of Tuesday.  It's time to dust off the ice cream machine again.  I found this recipe and it sounds more like a truffle than  ice cream.  We'll have to try it and see.

7oz. dark chocolate (70% to 75% cacao), finely chopped
2 C. plus 2 tbsp. whole milk
1/2 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
6 large egg yolks
13 tbsp. sugar, divided
1/4 C. heavy whipping cream

Place chocolate in a medium metal bowl.  Set bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water.  Stir chocolate until melted and smooth.  Set melted chocolate aside; let cool slightly.

Whisk milk and cocoa powder in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat until mixture begins to boil; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 7tbsp. sugar in another medium bowl until very thick ribbons form, about 2 minutes.  Whisking constantly, gradually add hot milk mixture to egg yolk mixture.  Return mixture to saucepan.  Add melted chocolate and whisk to blend.  Stir over low heat until slightly thickened and an instant read thermometer registers 175 degrees; about 5 minutes.  Transfer chocolate custard to a large bowl and place over another large bowl of ice water.  Stir until custard is cool.

Bring the remaining 6tbsp. sugar and 2tbsp. water to a boil in a small heavy, deep saucepan over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Boil, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush (do not stir), until a dark amber color forms, about 5 minutes.  Gradually whisk in cream (mixture will bubble vigorously).  Whisk caramel into chocolate custard.  Strain into a large container; cover and chill for 2 days.

Process custard in an ice cream machine according to manufacturers directions.  Transfer to another container; freeze for 3 days before eating.  Keep frozen.

Sicilian Salad

I found this recipe in one of my cooking magazines.  I could see this at my sister's for one of the many parties we go to there.  This would also be good if you swapped out the cubed mozzarella and used fresh mozzarella.  This recipe will also make great use of the Roma tomatoes I hope to have later this season in my deck garden.

1 pkg. torn iceberg and romaine lettuce blend
1 16oz. jar pickled banana peppers, drained and sliced
1 jar sliced green olives with pimentos, drained
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 C. chopped pepperoni
1/2 C.  cubed part skim mozzarella chesse
1/2 C. Italian salad dressing

In a large bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients.  Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

Some recent endeavors...

Wasabi BBQ Pork Pizza, look how round it is!

                                           Wasabi BBQ Pork Pizza part 2

                                         Egg Sandwich on Ciabatta with Canadian Bacon and Goat Cheese

                                          Everything is better in bacon grease!

Scrambled eggs, bacon, provolone cheese on an English muffin

OK, the computer saga appears to be over.  I gave up and bought a new laptop.  The guy who was supposed to fix it has had it for a month and still cannot get it to work.  I started charging him for rent on it two weeks ago.  I hope he isn't planning on getting anymore money from me for it.  I gave up and bought a new machine.  Hopefully this one will work longer than 16 months.  I uploaded some photos yesterday and will share them here.