Chicken Gorgonzola Salad with Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

Admittedly, this salad may not be brimming with innovation or creativity...but it is fresh and light, and  perfect for a summer weeknight meal. Our tomato forest is finally starting to produce the most beautiful sweet, bright and colorful heirloom cherry tomatoes - I think the endless Southern California marine layer this year has had the plants a bit confused. The fruit has been there forever and only now is it starting to ripen. It's so exciting to see beautiful pops of red, and yellow after weeks and weeks of checking nervously to find only more tiny growing green babies as well as growing signs of caterpillar destruction!

I have found the best way to prepare this salad is by boiling and shredding chicken breasts. Of course, you can grill the chicken if you like, and even serve the breast in it's entirety if that's your thing, but there is something texturally about the shredded chicken that really floats my boat. Now let's spend a moment on boiling chicken. It is very important (and I mean very) to not overcook the chicken. This is best avoided by keeping the water at a very gentle rolling boil - if you cook it at a high boil, you'll end up with dry, rubbery chicken and that a happy eater does not make. Once the water is boiling, add the chicken and a pinch of salt. After six or seven minutes (or less, depending on the size of the breasts) check the chicken often by cutting down the center. You want the chicken to be just barely cooked through, as it will continue to cook a bit once you take it out of the water. Let it cool slightly, then shred.


          1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and shredded
          8 oz. mixed greens
          1/2 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
          1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
          1/4 cup pine nuts

Toss all the ingredients together with your favorite vinaigrette.

Makes two large, or four small portions.

White Bean and Chicken Chili (with fixins!)

 

What drew me the most to this fantastic recipe by John Ash, was the great number of fabulous ingredients that grace the top of this yummy bowl of chili. I'll admit, the poblano peppers, tomatillos, and navy beans were all quite convincing - but when I read what this chili is served with.....I swear, my heart skipped a beat. My mouth might have even fallen open (slightly). I get weak in the knees for toppings. I have a thing for texture.

The chili itself is worth writing home about, too. All around, this dish was a winner. A hit. A home run. I think I asked Dan, "Isn't it soooooo goooooood?" at least three times. Poor guy. He's so patient with me. The combination of spices is perfect (a dash of unexpected cinnamon is genius). I'll just say this....I LOVED IT.

John Ash, as you may know, has a lovely little book called From The Earth To The Table. The book focuses on local and seasonal wine country fare, and the dishes are prepared with diverse and seductive ingredients. He has a wonderful writing style - it's the kind of book that makes you feel like you know the author personally. I love his tips on technique and every dish has a recommended wine pairing, of course. Ash writes that this is his "Wine Country Super Bowl Sunday favorite". Now it's mine, too.

A couple of points:

I don't love preparing chicken. I get all paranoid and overly cautious about salmonilla and cleanliness and whatnot. At most, I'll rinse boneless skinless breasts and poach them for shredding. Dan's really the raw chicken man. He cleans, marinates, grills, broils, etc. I'm a lucky girl. So having said that, I decided to make this chili in the morning because we were having it for an early dinner with Dan's parents. This recipe calls for chicken thighs, which I was very excited to buy, as I imagined they would lend a rich flavor that you just don't get with white meat. I knew thighs were fatty, but WOW. After 45 minutes of repeated semi-lethal attempts to cut off the fat before cubing, I finally gave up and ended up throwing away 70% of the meat. I know. Terribly wasteful (I'm still harboring guilt over it). But I was so tremendously displeased with, and a little repulsed by the whole event of "dealing with the chicken thighs", that I couldn't go on. Besides, I had completely mutilated the poor things. They were not salvagable. It was actually an awful mess and a horrible sight. The fix? I picked up a freshly roasted chicken and carved off the best pieces of dark meat.

One of the garnishes called for is corn chips. I much prefer the taste of fresh tortilla strips baked until crisp in the toaster oven and highly recommend doing this instead. It's quick and worth the little trouble it entails.

 

                      1 pound dried small white beans (I used navy)

                      5 cups chicken stock

                      1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed

                      sea salt and freshly ground pepper

                      4 tablespoons olive oil

                      1 cup onion, diced

                      2 tablespoons garlic, chopped

                      2 medium fresh poblano chiles, chopped

                      1 tablespoon ground cumin

                      1 tablespoon dried oregano

                      1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

                      1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

                      2 cups fresh tomatillos, chopped

                      1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Rinse the beans well, put in a large bowl, cover with cool water by at least 3 inches, and soak overnight. Drain the beans, put in a large pot with the stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more depending on the bean used. Check to make sure the beans are covered with stock while cooking. Add more stock or water if needed.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and quickly brown the chicken on all sides. Set aside. Add the onion, garlic and chiles to the pan and saute for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly colored. Add the cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and pepper flakes and saute for a minute or two longer. Add the chicken, onion mixture, and tomatillos to the beans. If there are any browned bits in the saute pan, deglaze with a little white wine or water, scrape the bottom, and add to the pot.

Bring the chili to a simmer, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional pepper flakes, if using. Stir in the cilantro just before serving.

Serve with finely sliced raw green cabbage, sliced radishes, chopped avocados, lime wedges, corn chips, and grated Jack cheese on the side.

 Recipe by John Ash, From The Earth To The Table.

Chicken Tikka Masala...Eight Years Later

 I came to realize last night that I have been wanting to make Chicken Tikka Masala for eight years. Eight years. Eight years of thinking about this. Wow. Okay, maybe not every day for eight years. Or every week, for that matter. But still. WHY had I not done something (especially something like make Chicken Tikka Masala) that I have wanted to do for eight years until last night? (Sigh.) It's a rhetorical question, people.

In 2002, I was living in Sausalito around the corner from a fabulous little (and i mean little) Indian place called Sartaj. I believe it's still there - for the sake of my Bay Area friends, I really hope it is. It was a tiny, family-owned operation. No more than 4 tables, and maybe 2 out on the sidewalk. I loved going there. The family was always in good spirits and the food was nothing fancy but seemingly authentic and definitely fresh. It had that home-cooked quality...my patience was often put to the test while waiting for the plate, which in that kind of environment usually means the food is being cooked to order and well looked after. (Sidenote: Isn't it unnerving when you're at an Asian restaurant with 227 entrees that have corresponding numbers and 6 minutes after you order your food it appears?)

Now I am certainly not presumptuous enough to pretend that mine was as good as Sartaj. But it was very good. I made the Masala marinade around noon so it and the chicken would have enough time to get to know one another in the fridge. The bamboo skewers were soaked for thirty minutes before skewering and broiling. By the way, I learned that tikka means meat cooked on skewers.

I more or less followed a recipe from Gourmet and threw together a simple salad with heirloom cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and a light vinaigrette. We opted for basmati rice. (I know, I know, I just wrote recently that we use whole grains as often as possible. Well, last night we didn't.) For my veggie friends, I can't wait to make this with tofu or tempeh.

                    1/4 teaspoon cumin

                    1/4 teaspoon coriander

                    1 cup plain yogurt

                    2 garlic cloves

                    1 (1 1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger

                    1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

                    1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

                    1/2 teaspoon salt

                    1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

                    1/2 teaspoon garam masala

                    1/4 teaspoon black pepper

                    1/4 teaspoon cayenne

                    1 lb cubed skinless boneless chicken breasts

                    bamboo skewers

Puree all of the ingredients except the chicken in a blender.

Combine the chicken and yogurt mixture in a large bowl, stirring or turning to coat. Marinate covered and chilled for at least 4 hours.

Soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes. While they are soaking, bring the chicken to room temperature. Preheat the broiler and brush a baking sheet or broiler pan lightly with oil.

Divide the chicken among the skewers, leaving an 1/8-inch space between cubes, and arrange around 5 skewers across the pan. Broil the chicken 4 inches from the heat, turning once, until it is browned in spots and just cooked through, 9 to 12 minutes total.

Remove the chicken from the skewers and serve warm or at room temperature over rice.

Makes 2 servings.

Adapted from Gourmet, April 2004.