Another sunny Saturday, another barbecue! The idea to use Wagamama salad dressing as a marinade for tonight's chicken was inspired by having left-over dressing from our afternoon brunch salad! It is very tasty as a dressing with flavours that work very well together; soy sauce, oil, vinegar, shallots, tomato ketchup - here's the recipe:
Wagamama Salad Dressing
Makes about 125ml (4fl oz). Can be kept in the fridge for a few days.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon water
100ml (3½fl oz) vegetable oil
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
Method:
Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl or screwtop jar and set aside.
I usually make a double batch because it keeps for much longer than suggested in the refrigerator. Naturally, it's at its very best when fresh. I like the soy flavour (which really comes through) and the sweetness of the tomato ketchup - these flavours work surprisingly well together. Dead easy to make, and a little goes a long way.
I first skinned the chicken pieces (leg and thigh - the most flavourful part of the bird, in my opinion) and slashed them with a sharp knife to ensure that the meat cooks thoroughly and the marinade penetrates the meat. The chicken was left to marinate for about an hour, while the briquettes were heating up in my Weber kettle barbecue. Once the fire was ready, I shoved the coals to the sides of the grill, and put the whole, un-jointed chicken pieces in the centre of the grill so that they would cook more slowly by indirect heat. I covered the grill and went to watch Steve make his Lemon-Saffron rice:
Lemon Saffron Rice
Ingredients:
4 tbsp. butter
2 c. long grain rice
5 c. chicken stock
2 generous pinches saffron
2 tbsp. lemon zest (finely grated peel)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
Method:
1. Melt butter in large heavy saucepan. Add rice and cook, stirring until rice is opaque, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add chicken stock, saffron, salt, garlic and lemon zest. Stir well to dissolve saffron.
3. When stock begins to simmer, lower heat and cook, covered 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove garlic.
4. Before serving, gently stir in cilantro.
Now, back to the chicken: After about 30 minutes, I liberally dosed the pieces on both sides with the marinade and turned them over. I turned the pieces once or twice more after that.
When I brought the chicken pieces indoors, I knew I had something special. The chicken was well cooked and tender and smelled delightfully smoky, as though I'd used wood chips to flavour it - wonderful!!
This recipe is a 'keeper'.
Experiment with your food!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Wagamama-style Chicken Barbecue
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Roast Chicken Dinner Provençal
Our first full day in Nice was very domestic - we went shopping in the local supermarket and cooked and ate at home.
On our first shop this visit at the local Monoprix, I was very impressed with the Meat and Poultry section - the meat was very fresh-looking (and included veal, fresh brains and pig trotters among its many delights) and the poultry didn't look anything like what I've become accustomed to living here in Britain: besides the usual chickens (which were all 'corn fed') there were chickens from several different farms. While I didn't spot any 'poussin', (the British equivalent of the 1-2 person Rock Cornish game hen we have in the States), there was something called a "coquette" which was just a little bit larger and perfect for 2 - 3 people.
Duck (both mature and duckling) appeared in several forms in the poultry cabinet - there were, in addition to whole duck and duck breast, duck drumsticks and duck wings (the latter, presumably, used to make stock). I was in heaven!
I can't overstate the freshness and delights of the "wet fish" counter - everything 'delivered daily'... or the deli counter with its salami, saucisson and fois gras... or the meat counter - a groaning board of veal, fresh farmed rabbit, pig tails and things I'd never even seen before (but wouldn't shy away from trying to cook).
Hmmmm... I digress.
To sum up this particular evening: we bought a regular, farmed chicken, some (really good, La Molisana) pasta, and some screamingly fresh-looking lettuce and tomatoes for a salad.
Once home we decided to prepare the chicken simply with salt, pepper, butter and herbs de Provence. We ended our meal with a fresh salad, simply dressed, with home-made vinaigrette...
Voilà!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Wednesday's Chicken
This could almost be called "Kitchen Sink Chicken" or "Chicken Whatever" but that wouldn't do it justice, really. This was an invention necessitated by the need to use up sweet red peppers and onions - and a taste for an easy, warming and fresh-tasting chicken dish. The basic elements of this repast were:
Chicken legs and thighs
1 large red pepper, sliced into strips
2 medium onions, sliced
250 ml white wine
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, bashed with a knife
100 ml olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 bay leaves, crushed
These are the basics - see what you make of it OR tune in a few days time to see what I did with them!
Cooking is such good fun!
--
Monday, February 23, 2009
Leek & Pea Risotto with Baked Chicken Drumsticks
This was a kind of 'store cupboard' meal - chicken drumsticks from the fridge, seasoned, floured and roasted in olive oil and Leek and Pea Risotto. Yum.
Happy eating!
L
x
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Coconut Fish Curry; Kerala, South India
For the fish, I used frozen Kingfish steaks, available from any good Asian market. I would say that, in my humble opinion, 'curry leaves' are essential to the full appreciation of this dish. Although they can be hard to find, being available only in specialist Asian food stores, they freeze well and keep for months.
Coconut Fish Curry
Ingredients
4 sea bass fillets, each about 150g (I used Kingfish steaks instead)
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1-1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil
2 medium onions, finely sliced
6 green chillies, slit lengthways
3 garlic cloves, sliced into thin strips
25-30 curry leaves
2.5 cm ginger shredded
400 ml coconut milk
2 tbsp lime juice
coriander sprigs, to garnish
Method
First, mix 1/2 tsp salt with 1 tsp turmeric and gently rub into the fish steaks.
Then, heat the coconut oil in a wide pan and add the onions, chillies, ginger and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes then add the curry leaves and keep cooking until the onion is translucent. Take out half of the curry leaves and set aside for the garnish.
Next, add the rest of the turmeric and salt to the pan, Pour in the coconut milk and heat through, then add the fish steaks and simmer very gently for 3-4 minutes until just cooked.
