Frankenstein salad, quinoa, chard and plum
This unusual combination took root in my head last week and it just couldn’t be denied. I had a small bunch of chard from our CSA, some of those cute, miniature seedless cucumbers, a perfect Santa Rosa plum, and some red onion. I felt pretty confident that it would all work well together despite the Frankenstein nature of the combination. I blanched the chard for one minute and then dunked it quickly into a bowl of ice water. Once it had cooled down I patted it dry and chopped it into ribbons. All the other ingredients were just a quick chop. I cooked a cup of quinoa according to the package directions but next time I should only cook 1/2 cup of quinoa. Once that cooled down I added the chopped veggies and dressed it with a dressing that combined rice wine vinegar, ponzu, yuzu honey, apple cider vinegar and canola oil. I think I also added a few dashes of chili oil.
The salad was surprisingly tasty. Actually the first bite struck me as a strange flavor but then I couldn’t stop eating it…something about the flavor combination was strangely addicting, the dirt-ish flavor of the chard, the cool slippery cucumber, the crisp bite of the onion, and the sweetness of the plum all wrapped up with a sweet-tart dressing. Dave had the exact same reaction…he thought it was weird but then he couldn’t stop eating it. I’ll definitely make this again.
Chimichurri chicken, rice, and artichokes
This is geek fast food ala Trader Joe’s. But unlike drive-thru fast food, nothing here will make you queasy, it’s all good for you, it costs less than drive-thru fast food, and you can enjoy a bottle of two buck chuck while you prepare it. Ooops….before I forget, it’s delicious. Also, save all the trim from the artichokes and make a vegetable stock with it…perfect for a spring risotto.
What you need:
1 box of baby artichokes
2 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag of chimichurri rice
salt, paprika, cumin
splash of white wine
Olive oilPrep the artichokes according to these instructions.
Blanch them in boiling water for about three minutes, then drain.Slice the chicken into bite-size strips. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the chicken in olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and a bit of cumin. Once the chicken is browned add the artichokes, and the bag of rice. Toss in about a 1/4 cup of wine or water, stir, cover, and cook for about 8 minuted or until fully heated through. Serve.
Thanks for all the birthday wishes…I appreciate each and every one of them. I’d write more now but I want to go play Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. It’s a kick-ass game!!!!
Salmon en papillote
Cooking fish en papillote…oh excuse me…in parchment paper…is a classic, french method. Like so many other classic methods it has been widely written about on the internets, so I’m not going to drone on and on about it other than to say, if you haven’t tried this yet, you should. It’s easy, fun, and foolproof…even for me. The reason it’s classic is that it works so well. You don’t have to worry about flipping a piece of fish, or think about whether you need to start it skin side down or up (I can never, ever, remember that one).
Cooking in parchment paper allows you to make a little nest for your fish. You can arrange, fuss, season, and generally feel pretty damn good about what you’re doing. Then you fold the paper, slide it in a hot oven, and eat a beautiful dinner 20 minutes later. Yes, technically there is a specific folding technique one is supposed to execute…but perhaps that was relevant before staplers were invented…I’ve always invited office products into my kitchen and this is certainly a most appropriate use of a stapler.
So here’s my recipe…no words…because you know, a picture says…
There is only one thing to remember, build your parchement pack on the cookie sheet you’ll bake it on…otherwise you’ll have to move it.
