Asian-Marinaded Salmon

This was supposed to be grilled but I really didn't feel like fussing with it last night. So I baked it instead - turned out brilliantly.

Asian-Marinaded Salmon

2 tbsp less-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp chile paste
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
1/4 tsp ginger

1 lb salmon filet

Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Put salmon in a small baking dish, skin sidedown. Pour marinade over top, cover and refrigerate. Let marinade 1-2 hours, turning halfway thru.

Bring dish out of refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375º. Uncover and place dish in oven. Bake at 375º for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove skin, plate and serve.

Loyola Academy Buttermilk Bread

This is a recipe from The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking, which was my first-ever bread book. The recipes in there are relatively simple and a good start for a beginner. This is one of my absolute favorites - it makes great sandwich bread and deliciously crunchy toast. Yesterday I used well over 4 cups of flour - closer to 5 - but I had a bit more buttermilk than normal as well. I also used the Bread Proofing setting on my oven for the first time. So.Cool. Though it also cuts down on baking time - good thing I kept checking frequently. Turned out wonderful.

Loyola Academy Buttermilk Bread

1 package active dry yeast
2 cups warm buttermilk (~100-110º)
2 tsp salt
5 1/3 tbsp butter (I did just 5)
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 cup whole wheat flouwer
3 1/2 to 4 cups unbleached flour (reserve some of this for kneading)

Combine the yeast and buttermilk in mixer bowl. Stir in the salt and butter. Gradually add wheat germ, whole wheat flour and unbleached flour, beating vigorously until the doubg pulls away from the sides of the bowl (about 10 minutes).

Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary to prevent stickiness.

Lightly oil a large bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat on allsites. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk - about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

Punch down dough. Divide in half, shape into loaves, and place in the pans. Cover with a tea towel and let rise again until doubled in bulk - about 45 minutes.

Place in a cold oven set at 375 degrees. Bake for 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

We've been meaning to have this dinner for a while.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp fresh ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Combine the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in in a plastic bag and add marinade. Place in refrigerator for 6-8 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade, discard. Remove excess marinade from chicken. Grill for 10-15 minutes, turning halfway through. Let chicken rest about 5 minutes, then serve.

Chicken Parmesan

Nothing fancy here, though we do prefer to use linguine instead of spaghetti.

Chicken Parmesan

2/3 box linguine
1 20oz jar of spaghetti sauce
3 chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded to 1/4" thickness
1 cup bread crumbs
Italian seasoning
salt
pepper
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine according to package directions. When done, drain thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 400º. Add linguine to 13x9 baking dish. Mix in 2/3 of the sauce. Mix the bread crumbs and spices together. Dredge chicken breasts thru crumbs and place on top of linguine. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle on mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Lightly dust some italian seasoning on top of cheeses.

Bake at 400º for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Let sit 5 minutes to cool slightly.

Roast Chicken Provençale

So, about a month or so ago I sprained my ankle. I was saving my dog from drowning (not just making that up to sound cool), and twisted my ankle on a rock on the riverbed. As we were walking back to the car, sodden and freezing, I hit a tree root at a funny angle and SNAP. I know enough about sports medicine to know that hearing a snap isn't a good thing, but I'm an idiot when it comes to my own health sometimes. So I hobbled a mile back to the car, loaded the dog up, drove home, bathed the dog, rinsed myself off, then cooked dinner (pizza). And 3 hours later, I was sobbing hysterically with pain. So, off to the ER we went and x-rays, a set of crutches and a prescription for vicodin later, I was sent home with a diagnosis of "moderate sprain". Rather than trying to hazard the stairs on crutches for the first time ever at 3am after a dose of vicodin, I spent the night on the pull-out sleeper.

Now, our oven has always squeaked, whistled and squawked when heating up and cooling off. It's 17 years old, after all. The inspector said it was a loose seal somewhere in the oven. Ok, fine.

Except the night I spent on the pull-out, I realized it was squeaking and whistling at 3am, 4am, 5am. And, loose seal or not, that's not normal.

So we got a new oven. It's a KitchenAid wall oven, 30" wide, convection, in black. It has all sorts of neat functions that I haven't tried out yet. But tonight I decided to "christen" it by roasting a chicken with veggies. Using convection, it halved the cook time outlined below (convection directions at the asterisk). And, oh, so delicious.

Roast Chicken Provençale

2 tbsp Herbes de Provance
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 7lb roasting chicken
1 small onion, quartered

1 small bag baby carrots
1 bunch celery, chopped
1 medium shallot, chopped
2 russet potatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp butter, divided

2/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup white wine
1 tbsp butter

Combine the first 5 ingredients into a paste. Remove neck and giblets from chicken (if necessary). Starting at the neck, loosen skin from the chicken. Rub seasoning mixture under skin. Place onion in body cavity. Truss chicken and place on roasting rack and place rack in pan.

Preheat* oven to 400. Add vegetables to bottom of the roasting pan. Add divided butter. Once oven is preheated, place chicken in oven. Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes or until a thermometer stuck in the breast reads 180.

Remove rack from pan, spoon veggies out. Heat pan over medium heat, add wine, broth and butter. Stir with a whisk until browned bits are lifted off bottom of the pan and is well combined. Pour into a fat separator and let settle.

Meanwhile, carve chicken and plate, add veggies to plate. Pour broth over chicken and veggies. Serve immediately.

* For convection, heat oven to 350 and cook 1 hour or until a thermometer reads 180.

Grilled Pork Chops with Rice Pilaf

I have the Back of the Yards Butcher's Rub from The Spice House. Goes great on chicken, pork or steaks.

Grilled Pork Chops with Rice Pilaf

3 BBQ-cut pork chops (these are thicker than your average cut)
Back of the Yards Butcher's Rub

1 tbsp butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 cup white rice
1/4 cup orzo
2 cups chicken broth

Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork chops liberally with rub. Grill over direct heat for 10-15 minutes or until done.

Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add in onions and garlic and sautee until lightly browned. Add in rice and orzo. Sautee until fragarant and the white rice is translucent. Add in broth. Bring to a boil, stir, then reduce heat, cover and simmer over low for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Cajun-rubbed Grilled Salmon

Many updates today. Nothing extraordinary, but all good.

First was a grilled salmon. Now that it's so nice out, The Spouse and I are grilling fools. Salmon sounded good, grilled sounded even better, and cajun was something new.

Cajun-rubbed Grilled Salmon
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 14 oz salmon fillet (skin still attached)

Preheat grill to medium heat. Mix together spices. Rub into flesh of salmon. Place salmon directly on grill and grill over direct heat. Grill until done. Serve with fresh salad.