Citrus Chicken

A couple of weeks ago I was hunting for a new chicken recipe. Nothing in particular in mind....just something I hadn't done before. I came across Grilled Citrus Chicken over at Spryte's Place and the freshness of it...zest and juice from lemon, lime and orange....really got my attention. As I read her post, I noticed that Spryte had gotten the recipe from a fellow BakeSpace member...AND she included the link to the forum thread that lead to the sharing of the recipe. I clicked on the link to see if I would remember the conversation...but of course I didn't. It occurred over 2 yrs ago...but it was fun to reminisce.

The good ole days.

Well...I made a couple of changes in the recipe. Not because it "needed" it by any means...but we weren't grilled and I was in the mood for little bite sized chicken. And I was planning on making rice. The original recipe had Dijon mustard in it. Spryte replaced it with soy sauce. I used both. I'm not a fan of thyme...which was in the recipe. I replaced it with sage. I then made a sauce so go over the chicken and rice.

Let's just say....it was fabulous! A new favorite around here for sure! I wish I had made it 2 yrs ago when it was first shared with all us lucky BakeSpace peeps.

I have to warn ya here...I didn't jot down exact time frames on cooking this dish...you just have to kinda keep and eye on it and go with your gut.

Citrus Chicken
Printable Version

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs or a couple of boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used the prepackaged chicken thighs from Costco) cut into chunks
1 TB each lemon, lime and orange zest
1 TB each lemon, lime and orange juice
2 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 TB Dijon mustard
1 TB soy sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil plus extra for the pan
1 1/2 TB honey
2 TB fresh sage, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

In a sealable baggy, combine the citrus zests and juice along with the shallots, garlic, Dijon, soy sauce, veggie oil, honey, sage, salt and pepper. Squish around to combine. Add in the chicken. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate for a few hours. I wouldn't do it overnight though. Citrus is a fantastic tenderizer but if left too long, it starts to break down the meat. I've even heard that it will begin to "cook" fish. I don't do fish (due to allergies) so I haven't investigated how and why this happens. Or how technically true it is.....anyways....2 - 6 hours is fine.

Add enough oil in a hot skillet to cover the bottom. Pour everything, chicken and marinade, into the heated skillet.

Cook on medium low, stirring often, until liquid is pretty much cooked down. This is were you have to be careful. If the heat is too high or you cook it too long, you could scorch the marinade residue.

Remove the chicken and set aside

Add the vermouth to the hot skillet and deglaze the pan, stirring up all those crispified bits that might be stuck to the bottom...mmmm....lots of flavor in those babies. Add the chicken broth

Allow to simmer until reduced a bit. Not too much cuz you want enough sauce to pour over the chicken and soak into the rice...ya know? Because once the sauce is done, you add the chicken back into the pan and serve it over some nice fluffy rice

Julia Child's Cotes De Porc Poelees

 

 

Pork Chops. Plain and simple but they sound soooo decadent in french. This is one of the many incredible recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (found on pg. 386)

Did I mention that these pork chops are anything but plain? Simple yes. A few steps....of course. Great results...for sure.

It all starts with a simple marinade. It's even titled "Marinade Simple" a.k.a. Lemon Juice and Herb Marinade. Julie states that it can be used on chops, steaks and small boned roasts.

Per 1 pound of pork:

1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper (I think I doubled that...I like me some pepper)
3 TB lemon juice (I didn't have any lemons so I used limes instead)
3 TB olive oil
3 parsley sprigs (didn't have any so I used a couple teaspoons of dry parsley)
1/4 tsp thyme or sage (I used sage...not a big fan of thyme)
1 bay leaf
1 clove mashed garlic

Combine all ingredients and pour over meat in a zip lock baggy. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours....6 to 12 hours would be better. Turn baggy over every so often.

Cotes De Porc Poelees (a.k.a. Casserole-sauteed Pork Chops)
Printable Version

6 pork chops, 1" thick and marinaded
3 - 4 tablespoons pork fat, lard, or cooking oil (Yes....I put my lard to use)
2 TB butter
2 cloves garlic, halved
1/2 cup dry white wine, dry white vermouth, brown stock, beef bouillon or marinade liquid (I used vermouth)

Preheat the oven to 325' F

Dry the pork chops on a paper towel.

Heat the fat in a heavy large oven safe skillet or fireproof casserole dish over medium heat. Brown the chops on each side for 3 - 4 minutes. As they brown transfer them to a dish. You will probably have to work in batches of 2 to 3 at a time. You don't want to crowd them when you brown them....this will cause them to steam instead of brown.

Pour the fat out of the pan and discard (when it is cool and save). Add the butter and garlic to the pan. Return the chops to the pan. It's ok to overlap them. Baste them with the melted butter garlic. Cover and heat until the meat sizzles. Place the pan in the lower 3rd section of your preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes. Once or twice during the cooking time, turn the chops over and baste with the butter and juices.

They are done when the meat juices run clear yellow with no traces of red.

Remove the chops to a hot platter.

Remove all but 2 TB of the remaining juice in the pan. Pour in the liquid (in my case, vermouth) and boil rapidly....scraping up all the good yummy crunchies off the bottom. Boil for just a few minutes until the juice has reduced down to 1/2 cup.....this is your concentrated sauce. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

Pour over chops and server

 As you might notice...my little chops were not 1 inch. I reduced the cooking time to accommodate.

They were delicious! And tender and juicy. And full of all sorts of wonderful flavor.

If you haven't noticed, I don't cook pork chops very often. I think the last time I did....I did the shake and bake thing. Complete with a side of apple sauce. (and when I do that I can't help but think of Peter from the Brady Bunch saying..."Pork Chops and Apple Sauce). I'm not use to these little beauties being so versatile. If they weren't so expensive in the market, I'd probably cook them more often. (wonder if the pig farmers and big markets can hear me?). Anyway, I'd guess that besides bacon, I cook pork once a month or less. How often do you cook pork? (just curious)

Salubrious Sunday - The Beginning

Salubrious Sunday, not to be confused with salacious. I'm not saying that both can't happen simultaneously, but that would be a blog of a different color. 

When I was growing up, Sunday Dinner was usually a bit more special than the dinners during the rest of the week. At least as far as I can remember, they were. Hmmm....not that I can pick out any "special sunday meals"....but for some reason it's in my head. Since starting my own family, thats what I've tried to do. But now that I think of it....what if.....my so called "family tradition" was based on watching a little too much Little House on the Prairie and too many episodes of The Waltons! Oh well, it beats the crap out of The Simpson and Family Guy, right? Oh shit...what will the next generation pick up from those shows and call a "family tradition"!!! (be afraid....be veeeeeery afraid!)

So, where am I going with this? hmmm....well. I think I'm going to alter (no pun intended for the sabbath) my Sunday dinner tradition and make the meals healthy. I currently only have 2 healthy cookbooks by a great author, Pamela Smith....

The things you can learn from her!! 

I know that eventually down the line I will need other recipes and maybe another healthy cookbook or 5....ya think?

So, for this particular entry, I'm just gonna give you an awesome marinade recipe. Way healthy and waaaay tasty!! Let me be more specific:

Each serving = 2 tablespoons, 21 calories, Fat = 2 gr., Carb. = 1 gr., Cal. from fat 85 %, and Sodium = 43 mg. 

I'm totally new at this stuff but I think so far so good. I mean, all the numbers are low....and thats a good thing right? Hahaha....yep.....this will be an adventure. I'll probably talk about new things that I learn and am excited about (if its old hat to you, then well....humor me, will ya?).

Here's what you need:

3 cups chicken stock (fat-free / low salt)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (I hate thyme...so I used rosemary instead)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1/2 Tbsp. chopped chives

1 Tbsp. hot sauce

1/4 cup orange juice

juice of 1 lime

1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

2 tsp. creole seasoning

(ooooh, ya...it's gonna be good!!!)

Heat chicken stock, oil and vinegar. In a separate bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water. Add to the stock mixture. Gently boil for 1 minute to thicken.

Remove from heat and cool. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate.

Stir before using!

Use for marinating meats and vegetables. Marinating time can vary from 15 minutes to overnight. 

Makes 50 servings. 

Ok...here are a few tips from the author....

"Unused marinade can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks." (hmm..I think some of this just might have to be frozen since it makes soooo much!!)

"Marinades flavor and tenderize foods. Most marinades contain an  acid ingredient (like lemon or lime juice, vinegar or wine) which tenderizes tough cuts of meat."

"Always marinade food in a glass or plastic container, never metal. Allow the marinade to cover the food. Food can also be marinated in a large zip-top plastic bag. Turn the bag occasionally to distribute the marinade."

And yes...today was the beginning of my new tradition... Salubrious Sunday. I did use this marinade for tonight's dinner and will post it later in the week.