Tangled up in green
Wow…what a difference a month makes around here. Saturday’s market was overflowing with fresh, local produce. We purchased tender mushrooms, fresh and fragrant basil, strawberries, and black raspberries. We picked up our order from Willow Creek Farm and chatted with Tony Renger about corn and soybean prices and ethanol. We were headed out when I realized I hadn’t bought any of the beautiful spring onions…their pungent aroma lingered in the air as we walked past stalls piled high with red and white varieties. I dashed back to get some and also spied these curly, spiral delights of pea tendrils. I had to have them but I wasn’t sure what to do with them.
As dinner time approached I did a quick online search and found that they are commonly used in Asian cuisine…quickly stir fried. Perfect… those spring onions just needed a brief dance in a pan to bring out their full sweetness, and the mushrooms would lead off and add a nice warm flavor note.
The pork chops were rubbed with minced garlic, ginger juice, and soy sauce and grilled (honestly, grilled a bit past perfection as our grill went inferno for a bit). The tangle of pea tendrils and their supporting cast made a nice nest for the pork chop…of course it only rested for a moment, just long enough for this photo, then it was devoured. The pea pods tasted green, the mushrooms prevented it from becoming too green, and the onions and basil added a punch. A success!
Have you seen any unusual items at your local market? How did you prepare them?
Cherry ginger chicken - WHB
I find myself in the unlikely predicament of wanting to eat bland food. Cereal and milk with berries, yogurt with berries, a handful of cherries, red tea…just the usual standbys but that’s all I want to eat. I had surgery last week and although I’m on the mend after a week of resting it seems as though my sense of taste, smell, and texture is totally different now.
Salad still sounds good, and boring…same old, chicken breast is appealing to me. I dressed it up with a marinade of ginger juice, olive oil, lime juice, a garlic clove, a few dashes of chili oil and a couple of handfuls of pitted cherries. That might seem wild to you but really for me this is kind of tame. It did turn out well though. The cherries colored the pale chicken pinkish and the grill caramelized some of the sugars from the ingredients. Served next to a bed of fresh seasonal lettuces from our CSA share, some chevre, and a balsamic, olive oil vinaigrette…it was totally edible and GH gave it two thumbs way up.
Cherry Ginger Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 cup of pitted sweet cherries
2 teaspoons ginger juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove
a few dashes of chili oil
salt
Put all of this in a blender and pulse until it is well mixed but the cherries should not be pureed. Marinate the chicken in this for an hour or two and then grill over a hot flame (450F) turning as necessary to get the right carmelization.
This post is a part of Kayln’s Weekend Herb Blogging hosted this week by Rachel at Rachel’s Bite. Head on over there and check out her blog, she just recently returned from a cruise and ate quite well.
What do you eat that is kinda bland and boring?
Ginger and black sesame chicken - WHB
I was shopping the other day when I came across a product new to me…Ginger People’s Ginger Juice. Of course I managed to embarass everyone around me when I gleefully shoved the bottle of ginger juice in their face and blurted out something along the lines of “Wooohooo ginger juice…I am soooo excited“. Actually I should have been embarrassed but I was just too damned pysched about the ginger juice to care.
I’ve not done much with it yet other than whip up this marinade for chicken. Chicken breast really doesn’t do much for me unless its been bathing in a bath of deliciousness like this plump specimen was allowed to do. I know I’m given to hyperbole when it comes to food but really, this marinade mixed with the heat of the grill combined to transform this hohum chicken into chicken you’ll fight for. Just make plenty and if you don’t and a fight ensues…well don’t say I didn’t warn you!
The black sesame seeds gave it an almost smoky flavor when they cooked over the fire. All that good taste and good for you too. According to Wikipedia sesame seeds are rich in manganese, copper, and calcium and contain Vitamin B1 and Vitamin E. They also contain antioxidants called lignans, which are also anti-carcinogenic and phytosterols, which block cholesterol production.
Ginger Black Sesame Marinade
1 tsp ginger juice
1/2 tsp wasbi powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsps lime juice
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
salt
This is a weekend herb blogging post and many thanks to this weeks host, Ellie of Kitchen Wench
