Grilled Spice-Rubbed Chicken with Lemon and Garlic Oil
This recipe calls for bone-in breasts, but mixed chicken parts or thighs can be substituted. Since boneless, skinless parts cook more quickly, grill them directly over the coals until completely done, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. If you like, you can omit the spice rub and simply salt the chicken before grilling. From “Joy of Cooking: All About Chicken,” makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
Mix:
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons grounds coriander
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Rinse and pat dry, then rub the spice mixture all over:
4 bone-in chicken breast halves (with skin)
Lemon-Garlic Oil:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley or 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or oregano
3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Heat 55 to 65 charcoal briquettes until covered with white ash. Spread coals over one side of the grill to make a medium-hot fire. Replace grill rack and cover grill until rack is hot, about 5 minutes. Place chicken skin-side down over the coals, cover grill, and cook until skin is crisp and golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Move chicken to opposite side of the grill and turn skin side up. Cover grill and cook until meat is opaque throughout, 10-15 minutes more.
Meanwhile, mix all ingredients for lemon-garlic oil in a small bowl.
Remove chicken to a serving platter, spoon lemon-garlic oil over the pieces, and serve.
Wine ideas: The exotic combination of sweet cinnamon, spicy pepper and tangy lemon recalls all manner of Levantine dishes, so look to the Mediterranean for a wine match. The complex, waxy white from Chateau Musar in Lebanon would be delicious, but if you can’t find it, try something from the Greek isles, like Creta Olympias’ bright whites from Crete. -Tara Q. Thomas
Honey-Glazed Lamb Chops with Apricot Salsa
From “Williams-Sonoma New Healthy Kitchen: Main Dishes,” serves 4.
Ingredients
8 apricots, pitted and chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1 tsp minced shallot
1/4 chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons lavender honey
1 rack of lamb, (1 1/4 pounds), trimmed and frenched
1/4 teaspoons each dried thyme and dried
rosemary, crushed
1 1/4 teaspoon ground dried lavender blossoms (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Stir apricots, chile, shallot, cilantro, lime juice and 1 teaspoon honey in a small bowl to make salsa. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Rub lamb with thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon lavender (if using), salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a heavy ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Sear lamb, fat side down, 1-2 minutes. Sear each end 1 minute. Sear bone about 2 minutes. Leave rack bone-side down. Put lamb in oven and roast 15-20 minutes for medium-rare (an instant- read thermometer inserted in thickest part away from bone should read about 130 degrees). During final 5 minutes of roasting, baste lamb with 2 tablespoons honey.
Remove from oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining lavender (if using) and carve between ribs into chops. Serve at once, accompanied with apricot salsa.
Wine ideas: Lamb, lavender, thyme and rosemary point directly to the south of France, where all four ingredients thrive. They thrive in California as well – as do chiles, which are hard to come by in French gardens. So split the difference with a wine made from syrah, a grape that thrives in the sunny warmth of both areas. Check out Smoking Loon’s smoky California syrah, a bargain at $8; or Lulu B., a spicy $10 example from France’s Pays d’Oc. -Tara Q. Thomas
Pan-Seared Sesame-Crusted Tuna Steaks
The cooking times here are for rare and medium-rare. For tuna steaks cooked medium, observe the timing for medium-rare, then tent the steaks loosely with foil for 5 minutes before slicing. If you prefer tuna steaks cooked so rare that they are sill cold in the center, try to purchase steaks that are 1 1/2 inches thick and cook them according to the timing below for rare steaks. Check for doneness by nicking the fish with a paring knife. From “Cooking at Home with America’s Test Kitchen,” serves 4.
Ingredients
Salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup sesame seeds
4 tuna steaks, preferably yellowfin, about 1-inch thick (8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Ginger-Soy Sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 medium green onion, sliced thin
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
Spread the sesame seeds in a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Pat the tuna steaks dry with a paper towel; use 1 tablespoon of the oil to rub both sides of the steaks, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press both sides of each steak in the sesame seeds to coat.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just beginning to smoke and swirl to coat the pan. Add the tuna steaks and cook 30 seconds without moving the steaks. Reduce the heat to medium-high and continue to cook until the seeds are golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.
Using tongs, flip the tuna steaks carefully and cook, without moving them, until golden brown on the second side, abut 1 1/2 minutes for rare (opaque at the perimeter and translucent red and cool at the center when checked with the tip of a paring knife) or 3 minutes for medium-rare (opaque at the perimeter and reddish pink at the center).
Ginger-Soy Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar.
To serve, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve with Ginger-Soy Sauce or Avocado-Orange Salsa (above) , if desired.
Pepper-crust variation: Follow the recipe above, omitting sesame seeds and pressing 1/2 teaspoon cracked black or white peppercorns onto each side of the oiled tuna steaks.
Wine ideas: Whether seared with sesame seeds or peppercorns, this tuna-and-salsa combo is a perfect excuse to break out a rich chardonnay. Versions grown in cooler pockets of California will have both the sunny richness to reflect the tropical flavors of the salsa, and the acidity that will keep the match lively. Look for wines from the far Sonoma Coast, like those from Flowers or Peay; Meridian makes a great ocean-cooled option from Santa Barbara, too, at only $10.
-Tara Q. Thomas
Avocado-Orange Salsa
To keep the avocado from discoloring, prepare salsa just before you cook the tuna steaks. From “Cooking at Home with America’s Test Kitchen.”
Ingredients
1 large orange, cut into segments
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced medium
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
4 teaspoons juice from 1 to 2 limes
1 small jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
Salt
Directions
Combine all of the ingredients, including salt to taste, in a small nonreactive bowl.
Reuben Casserole
Author Emyl Jenkins credits busy doctor’s wife Joan Sprinkle for this all-in-one dinner. From “From Storebought to Homemade,” it serves 6-8.
Ingredients
2 (10-ounce) cans sauerkraut, drained
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing (or a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup and pickle relish)
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces corned beef from the deli, sliced very thin
8-ounces Swiss cheese, grated
1 (8-ounce) can flaky buttermilk biscuits
8 rye crisp crackers, crushed
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spread sauerkraut in the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish. Top with tomatoes and dot with dressing and butter. Cover with corned beef and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. Separate each biscuit into 3 layers and slightly overlap biscuit layers on top of casserole to form 3 rows. Sprinkle with crackers and caraway seeds.
Bake 15-20 minutes, or until biscuit topping is golden brown.
Wine ideas: The powerful flavors in this dish – pickled cabbage, corned beef and the tangy dressing – call for a match more powerful than most wines. A dry hard cider could be delicious, or a good dry honey wine, like one from Medovina in Niwot. -Tara Q. Thomas
Fresh Tomato Soup
It takes only 30 minutes to make this soup, and this is one example of scratch beating canned, hands-down. Use a wooden spoon, rather than metal, to prevent a metallic taste. From “Cooking Basics for Dummies,” makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, canned or homemade
6 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped, or 2 14-ounce cans tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, cilantro or tarragon (optional)
Directions
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes. Pour carfeully into a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth.
Return mixture to saucepan, add lemon juice, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Heat over medium until hot again, about 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Garnish with herbs if desired. Serve with a salad.
Wine ideas: Light and red is the way to go here: red so that the wine can be served room temperature, which will be less jarring against the warm soup than a cold wine; and light, as acidity is key when placing wine against the acidity of tomatoes. Argentina’s bonarda fits the bill – it’s a natural with the country’s red-sauced pastas – as does Italy’s sangiovese. And you can get both in one wine with Viña Maipu’s Viña Antigua, which sells for about $8. -Tara Q. Thomas
