Chicken Satay-ish

Grilled chicken thighs with a tasty marinade are fairly effortless and I am especially appreciative of the short time it takes to grill chicken. I threw together a marinade with whatever suited my fancy the night before and refrigerated the chicken overnight to let the flavor soak in. My lazy self slipped to new lows for this, as I skipped making peanut sauce and simply mixed the peanut butter into the marinade. Grilled and served with chopped red onions and wheat naan made from Artisan Bread’s 100% Whole Wheat Bread, this made a filling meal.

For 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs:

4 garlic cloves
~1 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
3 t coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 lime or lemon
1 T fish sauce
1 T soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy is better)

Mix all of the ingredients (besides the chicken) in a food processor. Add or subtract various things to taste (I didn’t measure, as usual, so I’m estimating amounts here…). Marinate the chicken overnight, and grill the next day for ~3 minutes/side or until the inside is no longer pink on a high flame.

Spinach Panzanella

Some of my favorite foods are spinach leaves, fresh bread, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. When combined I’m on overload. I was at a bakery the other day and picked up a baguette still hot from the oven. While I couldn’t resist tearing off a chunk to eat immediately, I saved the rest for this salad. Panzanella is a bread salad typically enjoyed with stale bread, because it absorbs the dressing really well. I couldn’t wait for the bread to become stale, so I toasted it in the oven.

Baguette, or pretty much any crusty bread.
Spinach Leaves
Tomatoes (quartered if Roma, halved if Cherry)
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Red Onions (I didn’t use any this time, but they would be great)
Olives (I didn’t use any of these this time either, but they would be great)
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Basil
Rosemary
Sea Salt
Pepper

I chopped up the mozzarella cheese into cube-like pieces and started by seasoning those in a bowl with vinegar, basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. I think it’s crucial for the cheese and tomatoes to be well seasoned, or the dish is bland. I added chopped tomatoes to this and let the tomatoes and cheese marinate for about 15 minutes. Next, I added the spinach and toasted baguette (which was ripped into small chunks). More salt and pepper were liberally applied followed by a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I fail to provide measurements for this recipe because I didn’t measure anything- it’s all based on your personal preferences and what you like. If you don’t like spinach, don’t use as much or don’t use any at all. The same goes for all of the ingredients (although I would argue that all are necessary). The most important thing is that the bread is saturated with the vinaigrette, so take care to do this. I mixed the whole thing up and let it sit in the fridge for about 30-40 minutes to let the flavors soak in. The salad was delicious, and the next day I briefly warmed the leftovers and added them to spaghetti- yum.

Steak and Potatoes

Most non vegetarian beef-eating people love steak and potatoes, and I am no exception. The allure of grilling steak transcended its way to trying to grill potatoes this week. They actually turned out surprisingly well, and grill so much faster than any method of cooking I’ve tried before. Perfect for me, because I’m incredibly impatient. One word of caution- they burn quickly!

small Red Potatoes (as many as you’d like- I used 8)
3 cloves of minced Garlic
Rosemary
Sea Salt
Pepper
a few tablespoons of Olive Oil
a few tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
Red Onions for roasting

I quartered the potatoes and rubbed them with the garlic, rosemary, sea salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar. I let them sit for about an hour in a bowl to marinate. Next, I divided the potatoes on two sheets of tinfoil and sort of wrapped them inside. I don’t think it really matters how you wrap them as long as they are completely covered in tin foil. After heating the grill to a medium heat, I put the tin foil packets on the higher shelf of the grill and cooked them until tender, turning them occasionally. This probably took 10-15 minutes, but I honestly wasn’t paying attention to the time. I should probably start doing that so that these recipes are more exact when I record them. The potatoes were really delicious and my sister and I ate nearly all of them!

For the steak:
I used exactly the same ingredients as above but also added lemon juice to help tenderize the meat. The steak marinated for a few hours in the fridge, but I took it out 90 minutes before grilling to warm it to room temperature. The key to cooking excellent steak is patience (which I lack) and a really hot grill (pre-heat on high for at least 15 minutes before you go near it). I hate it when my steaks stick to the grill, so I just lightly sprayed them with Pam before setting them on the grill. As soon as they’re on the grill, close it and don’t open for 4-6 minutes (for medium-rare!). Flip steaks and do the same on the other side. I put the leftover marinade on the side of the steak that had just cooked while the other side was cooking. This was the first time I grilled steaks without the guidance of my mom (who loathes over-cooked meat) but they turned out really well! I liked the simple marinade a lot and now feel comfortable enough with grilling steaks to try more complex seasonings.

Potatoes in seasonings

Potatoes wrapped in Tin Foil

Voila! The roasted onions are delicious (just set some quartered red onions on the grill and turn occasionally until they are cooked) and I highly recommend adding them to this meal.