Grilled Chicken Skewers With Habanero Chile and Allspice

From Williams Sonoma New Flavors For Chickens – Classic Recipes Redefined, by Rick Rodgers and photography by Tucker + Hossler:

Allspice tastes of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg combined. Its warm flavor blends with the fiery heat of habanero chile in this rendition of Jamaican jerk seasoning. The heat is tempered by fresh-tasting green onions, salty soy sauce, and sharp vinegar.

Ingredients

• habanero chile, 1
• garlic, 2 cloves
• green onions, 6, coarsely chopped
• cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons
• soy sauce, 1 tablespoon
• ground allspice, 1 tablespoon
• dried thyme, 1 teaspoon
• kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon
• canola oil, 1/2 cup, plus oil for grilling
• boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, 3 (about 7 ounces each)
• red bell pepper,1 large, cut into 1-inch squares

Directions

Cut the chile in half and remove and discard the seeds. Reserve half of the chilew for another use (or both halves if you like your food very spicy).

Turn on a food processor and drop the garlic and chile half through the feed tube to chop them. Stop the motor, add the green onions, vinegar, soy sauce, allspice, thyme, and salt. Pulse a few times to finely chop the green onions. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream and process until the mixture is smooth.

Cut each chicken breast into 8 pieces each about 1 inch square, to make a total of 24 pieces. Transfer the pieces to a nonreactive bowl. Pour in the marinade and stir to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours.

Soak 6 bamboo skewers in water to cover for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat. * Replace the grill grate and lightly oil it.

While the grill heats, drain the skewers. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Thread 4 chicken pieces, alternating with 3 red pepper pieces, onto each skewer.

Place the skewers on the grill, cover, and cook, turning the skewers occasionally, until the chicken feels firm when pressed with a fingertip, 10-12 minute total.

Transfer the skewers to a warm platter and serve right away.

Makes 3 – 4 Servings

* Direct-heat grilling over medium-high heat

Preparing a charcoal grill

Ignite about 2 1/2 pounds of coals and let the coals burn until covered with a layer of white ash. Spread the coals in an even layer on the fire bed and then let the coals burn until medium-hot 20 – 30 minutes.

Preparing a gas grill

Make sure there is enough propane in the tank. Turn all the burners to high heat. Close the cover and preheat the grill for 10 – 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-high.

Enjoy, gentle reader. Enjoy!

CS

Beef Brisket with Caramelized Onions

In our constant search for new recipes or variations from the traditional ones, we scour through books, magazines and the net. Here we present a brisket recipe from the Peppermill‘s The Culinary Connoisseur:

Ingredients

• 1/23 cup plus 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 1/2 pounds onions, thinly sliced, about 5
• 1 5 pound brisket
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 12 ounce bottle of beer
• 8 ounces barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Slow cooking will bring out the flavor without browning too much. If they start too brown too fast, lower the heat.Transfer onions to a large roasting pan. Sprinkle brisket with paprika, salt and pepper. Place brisket on top of onions. Set aside.

In the same heavy pot heat the remaining tablespoon oil. Add celery and saute until brown, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock to pot. Bring to a boil and scrape up any caramelized bits from bottom of the pan. Remove from heat. Add the beer, BBQ sauce, tomato paste and marjoram to pot, stirring to combine. Pour sauce over brisket. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 3 hours and 45 minutes until very tender. Uncover and let brisket stand 1 hour at room temperature.

The brisket can be prepared 3 days in advance. Cover and keep refrigerated. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spoon off any fat from brisket and sauce. Slice meat thinly across the grain. Return to roasting pan. Transfer sauce to saucepan and bring to a boil. season with salt and pepper. Cover and rewarm until heated through. Serve brisket on a bed of onions and sauce generously spooned over it.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Pot Roast

[Reader Leah B. – from Miami – sent in this recipe recently. Being a hard-core carnivore, I tried it and found it worthy to be shared. CS]

Photo submitted by Leah B. – Nice shot,makes me want to reach into the image and grab a piece!

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 5 lb chuck roast
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp margarine
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 lb (10 to 12) white potatoes
• 4 carrots, peeled, cut in large chunks
• 1 lb parsnips, peeled, cut in large chunks
• 1 tbsp melted margarine
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. season the beef with salt and pepper. Place a Dutch oven on high heat on the stove, add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, brown the beef, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the meat to a platter and turn the heat to medium.
2. Add the margarine, onion, celery, and a pinch of salt. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes, then add the flour. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes, add the garlic, cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the wine scraping to deglaze the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the tomato paste, bring to a boil, and pour in the chicken broth.
3. Add the bay leaf, thyme, and salt. Bring the liquid to a simmer and put the beef back in the pot. Turn the heat to low and simmer gently for about 45 minutes per pound, or until fork tender. After 2 hours carefully turn the beef over.
4. Preparing the vegetables: Add the potatoes, carrots, and parsnips to a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle fat from the beef’s braising liquid over the vegetables, along with the melted margarine. Toss the vegetables to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and reserve.
5. About 30 minutes before the beef is done, add the vegetables to the pot. Continue cooking until the beef  and vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Remove the beef to a platter. Cut into thick slices or simply tear into large chunks, serve with the vegetables and gravy. Top with fresh parsley.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS