Cooking Light Gets Out of the Kitchen and onto the Grill

Barbecued Chicken Sliders with Pickled Onions

(photo from Cooking Light)

We are so glad you have decided to join us once again for our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. This is a monthly event where 5 ladies and one gent in two neighbouring countries, Canada and the United States, get together to create a delicious meal with a theme in mind. We are now in our second year and continue to share a love for Cooking Light magazine which has an emphasis on healthy eating and living. This is a team effort where we combine what Cooking Light readers like best...good food with great company!!! Every month millions of readers turn to Cooking Light for recipes, advice on nutrition and fitness. This months theme "Get Out of the Kitchen" was chosen by Sandi of The Whistestop Cafe.

 Lets see what we have cooked up for you with this months theme. If you would care to join in either link your light barbecue recipes or add your link to the Linky tool below.

Summer weather is here, but if your barbecue is still rusting in the garage, there's no better time to fix it up and get grilling than now! Nothing says summer like the smoky, flavour-filled smells of a sizzling barbecue which is one of life's simple pleasures. Forecasts for a sizzling summer are as uncertain as predictions of climate change. But the weather has never stopped us here at More Than Burnt Toast where we will be barbecuing every weekend!!! In addition to showcasing fresh and local seasonal food, barbecues allow us to enjoy the great outdoors while mingling with our friends and family. What could be better?

Nothing says summer like barbecues featuring topping-heavy burgers and mayo-drenched salads,  But from finger foods to dessert, there are ways to lighten up barbecue offerings without changing the essence of these foods and how much we enjoy them.

Let's see what the Virtual Supper Club has come up with this month!

Roz of La Bella Vita  shares with us a tasty appetizer of  Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms. Certainly a delicious way to start our barbecue.

To accompany our meal I brought along an outstanding appetizer of Barbecued Chicken Sliders with Pickled Onions . Shredded, grilled chicken breasts or thighs are dipped in Carolina-style barbecue sauce, a vinegar-based mix with mustard, a little honey, seasonings, and butter.

As our main course Sandi of The Whistlestop Cafe wowed us with Scallops Grilled on Rosemary.

Jerry of  Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants accompanied our main attraction with Grilled Vegetable Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese.

As a delicious accompaniment to our barbecue meal Jamie of Mom's Cooking Club has come up with Grilled Thyme Potatoes. How delicious does that sound!

Mary Ann of Meet Me in the Kitchen ends our Get out of the Kitchen menu with a bang with  Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.


On to the recipe:

**Barbecue Chicken Sliders with Pickled Onions**

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons honey, divided
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
8 (1.5-ounce) pull-apart dinner rolls (such as Sara Lee)

**********
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

 Combine sliced onion, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons honey in a small bowl; toss well. Cover and refrigerate onion mixture at least 30 minutes.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, remaining 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons water, mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer (do not boil). Simmer 5 minutes; stir in butter. Remove from heat; keep warm.

Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper and salt. Place on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from grill; cool slightly. Shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken to saucepan with mustard mixture, and toss gently to coat.

 Cut rolls in half crosswise. Place rolls, cut sides down, on grill; grill 1 minute or until toasted. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture over bottom half of each roll. Top each roll with about 1 teaspoon drained onion slices and top half of roll. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 (2 sliders each)

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

Chicken with Tonnato Mayonnaise and Fresh Spring Greens for an Alfresco Dinner

As seen on Honest Cooking

When I first started learning to cook in my home kitchen, one of the initial things I discovered was that the key to outstanding meals was using good quality ingredients. As time passed I realized that this meant either growing or purchasing the best local ingredients available which with today's trends has become easier and easier with a resurgence of farmers markets, specialty food shops and local producers.

 What has taken me years to understand is that recipes are merely guidelines and are open to any interpretation. I used to follow recipes to the letter and they always turned out well, but as the years progressed, and I have become confident in the kitchen, I am more open to experimentation and substitution. A good example would be this Layered Chef's Salad with Tuna Mayonnaise Dressing reminiscent of an Italian tonnato sauce that I discovered a lifetime ago from the Silver Palate series of cookbooks. Even as a teenager I collected recipes like hockey cards and had a burgeoning cookbook collection.

Back in 1982, two women who changed the way we thought about home cooking, Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, put together a cookbook filled with recipes from their gourmet catering business in New York, City, “The Silver Palate." Back in the day their cookbooks were my culinary bibles with their revolutionary approach and early trendsetting. This was the age of nouvelle cuisine when shallots, button mushrooms and flat-leaf parsley were hard to find. It got people thinking about what they were doing at home with food and how to recreate restaurant quality dishes in our own kitchens.

My original Silver Palate cookbook remains in the kitchen cupboard, splattered with food stains and filled with memories. As I flip through it, I marvel at all the dishes I have prepared and all the recipes that have landed in my prized, best-of-the-best personal collection. When I open it up, it talks to me!!! I can hear laughter and animated conversations from wedding showers, wedding receptions, graduations and L'il Burnt Toast's recitals where many dishes from their pages shone. Recipes like Linguine with Tomatoes and Basil. Chicken Marbella and Butterflied Leg of Lamb are still welcome additions to any get together. The series inspired me to become a better cook and to continue a life long love affair with cookbooks.

Many of you are familiar with tonnato (tuna) sauce which is spooned over thinly sliced chilled veal or chicken breast to make a tasty alfresco meal. Once the warm weather hits this silken, briny, creamy tuna sauce is an addictive addition to our summer repertoire. It is equally adored spooned over thick slices of rare roast beef, or, as in Italy, poached veal. If you have a glut of summer tomatoes, that’s perfect, too. "Tonno" is Italian for tuna, and the name of this dish refers to the primary ingredient in the sauce. The tuna is blended with capers, olive oil, and lemon juice to make this a rich, flavourful sauce. This recipe uses a twist on the classic by creating a homemade mayonnaise based sauce perfect for summer salads.

A chef’s salad is so often the expected. The recipe mentioned above from the Silver Palate Cookbook is packed with flavour and layers of fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes, smoked mozzarella, salami, smoked turkey, and arugula served with a delicate tuna mayonnaise. Their salad must be made 6 to 24 hours before serving and should be arranged in a large glass bowl with straight sides to show off all the layers.

Now don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed the Silver Palate version on many occasions but for today's salad, loosely based on the one above, it is all about simplicity and using what I have on hand. Mine is a much quicker version but the original is highly rated! My interpretation uses Spring greens plucked from the garden, farm fresh eggs, fresh mozzarella and local asparagus. My recommendation for any tonnato is to poach the chicken in the cooling breezes of a summer morning. This would also be a good time to whip up the tuna mayonnaise using tuna packed in oil for the best flavour and allowing time for the flavours to marry well.

The mayonnaise recipe is an exact duplicate from the Silver Palate series. It makes 3 cups which is overkill for this particular recipe. You can cut the recipe in half or do as I do and make a delicious pasta salad!!!

 **Chicken with Tonnato Mayonnaise and Fresh Spring Greens**

For Poached Chicken

• 2 cups fresh chicken broth


• 1 cup dry white wine


• 1 small onion, sliced


• 1 celery rib, cut into 3 pieces


• 1 bay leaf


• 2 slices lemons


• 8 -10 black peppercorns


• 4 chicken breasts (about 1 pound 5 ounces)

 For Salad

• 3 cups mixed torn greens (romaine, red leaf lettuce, radicchio, and arugula)


• 4 scallions, sliced


• 3 cups cherry tomatoes


• 1 cup fresh basil leaves


• 12 ounces smoked or fresh mozzarella cheese, julienned


• Freshly ground black pepper to taste


• 1 medium-size red onion, sliced thinly


• 1/2 cup Niçoise olives, pitted and sliced


• 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled


• Salt and pepper to taste


• 5 ounces prosciutto, cut into julienne


• 1 pound asparagus or broccoli florets, blanched


• Capers and chopped parsley for garnish


• Tuna Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

1. Prepare the chicken in the morning. Pour the broth and wine in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, add the onion, celery, bay leaf, lemon and peppercorns and simmer 5 minutes. Carefully lower the chicken breasts into the broth in a single layer, adding some boiling water, if needed, to cover them. Bring back to a boil, then turn the heat right down and simmer very slowly for another 5 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover the pan, and allow the chicken to cool in the broth. (This will take about 4-5 hours.).

2. Make the Tuna Mayonnaise (recipe below) 

3. After many hours, remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and cut into thin slices.

4. Toss the greens with 2 of the sliced scallions in a large glass bowl. Add fresh tomatoes, basil, red onion, prosciutto and asparagus and toss. Season with salt and pepper. 

5. Place salad on large platter. Scatter juliened cheese slices, prosciutto and olives. In the centre of the platter lay a layer of the thinly sliced poached chicken. On top of chicken place a thick layer of tuna mayonnaise wgich is the tonnato portion of this salad. Over the tonnato sprinkle capers and chopped parsley. Over the entire salad grate the hard boiled eggs.

6. Use 2 large salad spoons to serve the salad and enjoy!!!!.

Serves 6

**Tuna Mayonnaise**
from the Silver Palate Cookbook

4 egg yolks
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 can (6 1/2 ounces) tuna packed in oil
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Process the yolks, anchovies, capers, lemon juice, mustard, and parsley in a food processor fitted with the steel blade for 15seconds. With the machine running, pour the oils in a steady stream through the feed tube to make a thick mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Flake the tuna and add it with its oil to the mayonnaise. Process until thoroughly blended.

3. Scrape into a small bowl, fold in the sour cream, and taste and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate covered until ready to use.

 Makes about 3 cups.

 You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

Chicken Rolls with Oka, and Wild Rice and Spring Mushroom Risotto

Rolls of Chicken with Oka

I should have known when this recipe inspiration came from a cookbook called Autumn in Ontario's Wine Country that this recipe would not have that "taste of Spring" that I was looking for, even if I did use fresh green chives and served it with asparagus. The wild rice, red wine, earthy mushrooms and the fragrant thyme had this recipe one foot firmly in another season.
The filling for these chicken rolls is another recipe using Oka cheese. If any cheese is native to Canada, it’s Oka. Oka is a type of Port Salut cheese, first made in Brittany, France by the Trappist monks. To supplement their income and make the monastary self sustaining they started producing cheese in Canada. History finds that monks created some of the best cheese and wines. They are backed up by years of experience to perfect their technique! A semi-soft cow's milk cheese that's creamy, nutty and fruity was made by the monks in Oka, Quebec a small village situated on the north shore of the Lake of the Two Mountains, just southwest of Montréal. Oka is traditionally covered with an orange rind that’s washed in brine and aged on cypress wood planks. In 1974, Agropur, Canada’s largest cheese cooperative bought the rights to produce Oka from the monks. Their cheese is made just down the street from the original Trappist Monk's monastery.

Although it was certainly delicious you can use this recipe as a guideline to celebrate Spring and perhaps enjoy the pop of a fresh garden pea, lemon and lightly sauteed fiddleheads added to the mix. Serve with Wild Rice and Mushroom Risotto below.

One Year Ago ...Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar
Two Years Ago ...Kick it in the Butt Lasagna
Three Years Ago...Chopped Chicken Mediterranean Salad with Feta Vinaigrette

**Chicken Rolls with Oka and Thyme**

 CHICKEN:

• 4 oz Oka cheese, cut into 4 rectangles
• 4 sprigs thyme, chopped
• 4 (7 oz) boned chicken breasts
• 3 tablepoons Vegetable oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup (1bout 100 grams) flour
  
  SAUCE:

• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Baco Noir wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons fine herbs or a mixture of parsley, thyme and chive

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/175 C.

2. Butterfly each chicken breast, using a sharp knife to carefully cut into one side until it opens like a book. Season the interior with salt and pepper. Top with a slice of cheese and chopped thyme. Close and secure with string or toothpicks, or wrap them in caul fat. (My trick to hold them together is to use dried spaghetti in place of toothpicks; it basically disappears during cooking). Dredge your "rolls" in flour. 

3. Heat oil in ovenproof skillet on medium-high. Sear breast  until golden, about 2 minutes.

4.  Place skillet on bottom shelf of oven and roast for 12 - 20 minutes, depending on the size of your breasts, or until juices are clear. Remove breasts and keep warm. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet.

 5. Place pan on high heat; add shallot and garlic. Sauté 1 minute then add wine and reduce by half, about 3 minutes. Add stock and reduce until half a cup remains, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and swirl in butter and herbs. Adjust seasonings.

To serve: Place risotto in center of plates. Lay asparagus on top. Place breast on top of asparagus. Drizzle sauce around.

 Serves 4

**Wild Rice and Spring Mushroom Risotto**

• 3 cups (750 ml) chicken broth
• 1/3 cup (75 ml) wild rice
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter
• 2 - 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 cups (500 ml) finely chopped mushrooms (oyster, shiitakes, white or brown mushrooms, etc.)
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) dry white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup (250 ml) Arborio rice (a short-grain Italian rice)
• 2 oz (60 g) Parmesan cheese, grated
• handful of chives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1.In a saucepan, stir together chicken broth and wild rice; bring to a boil, cover and simmer 45 minutes over low heat. Most of the stock will be absorbed but if there is any remaining drain wild rice and set aside. To add more chicken stock to equal 3 cups, bring to a boil and then allow to simmer.
2.In a large saucepan, heat oil and butter over low heat and cook garlic and shallots for approximately 3 minutes until onion is translucent.

3. Add mushrooms and cook turning the heat up to high.

4.Deglaze the pan with wine and reduce liquid until saucepan is almost dry. Stir in Arborio rice to coat each grain.

5. Over medium heat, add wild rice and 3 cups broth to Arborio rice, a ladleful at a time, stirring well after each addition until the rice has absorbed all the liquid before adding the next one. Repeat, stirring constantly, for about 25 minutes, until all the wild rice has been stirred in.

6.Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese, and chives. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 4 - 8

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

Chicken South Indian Style from Bal Arneson for Our Canadian Chef Series

Chicken South Indian Style

If you have been following More Than Burnt Toast you will know that a while ago I started a feature to highlight Canadian Chefs. Through your TV networks, or perhaps on other blogs, or even just right here on More Than Burnt Toast you may have heard of some of our Canadian chefs. For those of you who haven't, I hope you will find it interesting to see what our chefs are up to, a little about their history and how they came to love what they do.

There will be some chefs you have heard of and adore and some lesser known who are "up and coming". Some are not even chefs at all, but just Canadians who are passionate about what they do!!For the past year I have been featuring one of our Canadian chefs or personalities periodically and will continue to do so. As the seventeenth installment in my Canadian Chef Series I introduce you to:

Bal Arneson

Forget the mystery of the Taj Mahal, the residence of the Dali Lama or the sacred waters of the Ganges River the true mystery for me is producing outstanding East Indian cooking and the intricate layering of spices. Most Indian dishes are easily constructed but complexly layered. The assortment of mouthwatering recipes of Indian food is simply awe inspiring and for a "newbie" like me rather daunting. It is often said that `variety is the spice of life, and never has a  proverb held so true than it does to describe Indian cuisine.

Nowadays I can at least spell asafetida and make paneer but finding most of the exotic ingredients used in Indian cooking is a fruitless safari here in K-town. Come to the rescue Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen who lives and blogs in Southern Ontario with a focus on East Indian cuisine. Lisa sent me a care package of some of her favourite spices and combinations to get me started. This gives me the confidence to skim, saute and sneeze my way through layers of spices, vegetables and meats and demystify East Indian cooking for life. I am looking forward to the day I no longer need to stop for East Indian takeout at one of our local hangouts and can move the cooking and recipe developing into my own kitchen. Thank you Lisa for getting me started and developing a life long passion for another cuisine.

To start me on my journey beyond Butter Chicken and Mughlai Chicken I chose a recipe from Bal Arneson the subject of our Canadian Chef Series today. According to her website, "she is an author, educator and passionate advocate for simple and healthy, Indian inspired cooking. Since September of 2009 Bal has been hosting a weekly cooking segment broadcast on Global Television here in British Columbia. In July of 2010 her series Spice Goddess was launched on the Cooking Channel in the United States and now on the Food Network in Canada.

Spice Goddess with Bal Arneson affirms the power of using fresh, wholesome ingredients to make delicious, simple, everyday Indian meals. In each episode, Bal delves into the world of herbs and spices and shows how just a pinch of this and little bit of that can add pizazz to any dish." For a budding East Indian cook like me she demystifies Indian cooking and interprets it into terms we can understand.

At the heart of her cooking are fresh ingredients and the vibrant flavours of herbs and spices. Having grown up in a traditional village in Punjab, India, Bal learned to cook over the coals of a small clay pit with the instruction of her elders. When she immigrated to Canada more than 15 years ago she earned a master’s in education, worked for the Vancouver Police Department, taught cooking classes and published a best-selling cookbook as well as teach autistic teenagers part time. Bal sells a line of organic spices, donating a portion of the proceeds to her village to fund educational programs for women and children.

Her first cookbook Everyday Indian:100 Fast, Fresh and Healthy Recipes is a best seller which highlights classic and contemporary Indian cuisine with a healthy focus.  The healthy recipes in Everyday Indian prove that Indian cooking doesn't have to be complicated. Bal Arneson provides recipes that use everyday spices and common techniques to create simple, mouthwatering dishes that even the novice cook can whip up at home.

Bal lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children and is a food and wine correspondent for a national newspaper in Canada (The National Post). She has launched an organic spice line with proceeds supporting educational programs for women and children in India.

This recipe is the perfect way to ease yourself in to East Indian cooking and open up the gateway, or in my case the flood gates. With a good cookbook and some guidance you can demystify East Indian cooking as well. Bal Arneson's cookbook is a great beginning or check out Lisa's Kitchen and ask her what she would recommend.

**Chicken South Indian Style**
from Bal Arneson

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
• 1/4 cup dried curry leaves*
• 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon sambar powder*
• 1 teaspoon asafoetida*
• 1 teaspoon red chile powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cubed
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup water  
• *Can be found at specialty Asian and Indian markets.  

Serving suggestion: Serve with fragrant Jasmine rice.

1. Place the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook for 4 minutes, until onions are soft and golden. Add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, sambar powder, asafoetida, red chile powder, and turmeric to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

2. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, and water and cook until chicken is done, about 8 minutes.

3. Serve the chicken with Jasmine rice.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

Chicken Saltimbocca with Shaved Lemon Fennel Salad to Celebrate Spring

Chicken Saltimbocca with Shaved Lemon Fennel Salad

My recipes as seen in Honest Cooking....
In the fall when we attended Jennifer Cockrall-King's Food and Wine Writers Workshop in Penticton, British Columbia one of the many highlights of  the weekend was attending a dinner at Bogners . The sous vide lamb and smoked beet tart are one of my top 5 "best food memories" of all time!! Heading the culinary team at this world class community institution for the last five years is Chef Darin Paterson, armed with techniques acquired in European kitchens. He has reinvented the heritage manor’s menu to boast refined French-inspired fare to match the changing seasons and local produce available in the stunning Okanagan Valley. Right outside their kitchen door the Bogner’s team nourishes herbs and greens and even operate a two-acre farm just outside of town to bring the best the valley has to offer to their customers.

I was excited to find that on Sunday evenings Chef Darin is now offering cooking classes with different cuisines in mind. A few weeks ago I attended an Italian cooking class where we perfected a few classic dishes. On the menu for us to prepare was Parmesan Potato Gnocchi with Braised Baby Squid, Saltimbocca of Chicken with Sage, Lemon Fennel Salad and Sicilian Cannoli with Black Pepper Strawberry Salad.

 It was an exceptional experience to be cooking in a professional kitchen!What goes into making the meals that show up on your plate in the restaurant is a labour of love from the homemade proscuitto that Chef Darin ages for over 3 years to the smoker he has on site. His smoker is frequently stuffed with garlic bulbs, butternut squash, cauliflower and eggplant for his "farm-to-table" wine country menus. Smoked vegetables, notes Chef Darin, have an affinity for well-made Okanagan wines.

I would highly recommend taking a class with a professional chef. Chef Darin is a wealth of knowledge and even though I have made gnocchi and saltimbocca before I learned techniques and tricks to recreate these recipes at home to wow my guests as well as tips on wine, kitchen gadgets and local sustainable ingredients. We learned that when preparing gnocchi you only use the egg yolk; slice your chicken breasts thinly instead of pounding to create a more succulent dish that is cooked in a few short minutes; squid can be cooked very quickly at high heat or braised slowly for a long period; whip up a succulent strawberry sauce with only sugar and pureed strawberries.

 There were no recipes given since Chef Darin states "they use science instead of recipes" but the methods are now ingrained in my mind to recreate these dishes to the best of ability in my home kitchen. Although I couldn't match the homemade proscuitto or the handmade chocolate cannoli at home without cannoli molds and a fryer I think I came up with a pretty reasonable facsimile of the main course to share with you!

 Get ready for the warmer weather with this refreshing, light and easy salad. Anise-flavoured crisp fennel, simply dressed, makes a fresh tasting opening dish or accompaniment to grilled or roasted foods.  Be sure to buy firm, round bulbs which tend to be less stringy than slimmer varieties.  This salad keeps for a couple of days in the fridge, and tastes even more eye-popping the next day. Make this brightly flavoured fennel salad with Meyer lemons to add a burst of sunshine to any meal. The slightly orange flavour of Meyer lemons makes them sweet enough to eat plain in this salad although the combination of ordinary Eureka lemons, fennel and citrus is pretty close to perfection too. You'll want to "shave" the fennel as thinly as possible. My mandolin did not shave my fennel or the lemon as thinly as I would have liked but I found that if I used a very light touch the lemon was sliced very thinly (skin, pith and all) and compliments the salad and does not overpower it just as Chef Darin suggested.  Perhaps it's the saltiness of the proscuitto or the piquant citrus notes of the shaved fennel salad but Chef Darin came up with a winning combination here to bring a touch of spring flavours to your table.

In Italian, saltimbocca means "to jump in the mouth." The saltimbocca and the citrusy fennel salad do just that and have your taste buds dancing across the table. The beauty of cooking with ingredients that are freshest in the Spring months are their pure simplicity. The standout flavours are the fresh, natural ingredients themselves... the sweet taste of a carrot or the pop of a freshly shelled pea.  As with the meals served to diners at his restaurant and at events in the Okanagan, this meal was one for the memory books and I simply needed to share. I have done my best to create actual recipes because we are not all capable of cooking by "feel" as Chef Darin is. I will definitely be taking more classes at Bogners. There is always room for improvement and I love to learn new techniques.

Chef Darin Paterson, Chef and Owner
Bogners Restaurant
http://www.bogners.ca/
http://www.bcwineries.net/events
302 Eckhardt Avenue West
Penticton, BC, V2A 2A9
Phone: 250 493 2711

I am sending this fennel salad over to Rachel from The Crispy Cook who is our host for this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging.Thanks to Haalo of Cook Almost Anything at Least Once, torchbearer for WHB's creator, Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen.

**Chicken Saltimbocca with Shaved Lemon Fennel Salad**

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon (8 g) all purpose white flour
 6 leaves fresh sage 
3 slices Parma ham/Prosciutto, thinly sliced 6 toothpicks
1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
salt to taste
ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup (65 mL) chicken broth
2 teaspoon (9 g) butter, unsalted

***********
Slice the breasts horizontally into very thin cutlets. Place a leaf of sage on each piece and cover with a slice of prosciutto. Use a toothpick to keep the small package together if you wish. Coat each cutlet with the flour; then shake off the excess.

Heat the oil in a pan. Working in batches, add a few cutlets at a time. Start with the proscuitto side down, and cook over high heat. After 3 min, turn to brown the other side. Lower the heat, cover, and cook 2 min. Season with a little salt (prosciutto is already fairly salty) and pepper to taste. Remove the cutlets from the pan and keep them warm. Repeat the operation with the remaining cutlets.

Pour the wine into the pan to deglaze. Add broth into the pan, then cook over high-heat until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the butter until it has melted, about 30 seconds.

Place the cutlets onto warmed plates, remove the toothpicks (if using). Spoon the sauce over the cutlets then serve.

Serves 6

**Shaved Lemon Fennel Salad**

2 medium fennel bulbs, greens attached (fronds to be used in salad)
1 lemon plus 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
8 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

**************
Trim the stalks and root ends from the fennel bulbs. Pull off any tough and bruised outer layers. Cut the bulbs in half and cut out most of the core, leaving just enough to hold the layers together. Shave the fennel using the smallest thickness on a mandolin or other slicer. The slices should be almost paper thin. You can core each fennel bulb before hand or simply remove the core from the thin slices. The core has a flavour that would not be suitable for this salad.

Cut the stem end from one lemon. Using the same thickness shave your lemon. With a very light touch your lemon slices will be paper thin.  Stir the lemon slices and fennel together in a large bowl.

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in small bowl until blended.

Add sliced fennel and lemon and toss until coated. Handpick fennel fronds and toss into salad. Your hands are the best tools for the job. Don’t worry you can always wash them.  Let stand at room temperature, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour before serving.

Cook's Note: This salad can be made up to 1 day in advance.  Bring to room temperature toss once or twice and check seasonings before serving.

Serves 6 small portions

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

Capture Spring with Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca

Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca

Spring is on it's way isn't it? Here in the Northern Hemisphere we are waiting with baited breath for a wiff of fresh Spring air. My local greenhouse opens today and I will be one of the first ones in line ready to put pansies and primroses out on my patio. I long to curl my toes in the sand on my favourite local beach or sit on the patio with a cooling drink. Spring is when everything seems to come alive!!!!! The days are longer and the markets begin to burst with the colours of the bountiful fruits and vegetables of the season. This is the time to enjoy fresh rhubarb, sweet garden peas and furled fiddleheads . It is the season for asparagus and escarole and a wide variety of lettuce handplucked from the garden for green salads. The delightful fragrance of chives, mint, chervil and tarragon fill the air to season your dishes. All of these tastes of Spring are bursting from our gardens, forests, markets and window boxes...soon....sigh.....

Teanna of Spork and Foon says, "The advantages to cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients are endless. The produce tastes richer, fresher, and is more nutritious. The beauty of cooking with ingredients that are freshest in the Spring months are their pure simplicity. The standout flavours are the fresh, natural ingredients themselves... the sweet taste of a carrot or the pop of a freshly shelled pea. Toss arugula with cherries, red wine vinegar, a touch of extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and thyme with some creamy goat cheese and you will have a dynamic spring starter. Top poached halibut with an orange vinaigrette and serve with asparagus sautéed in a bit of olive oil and topped with a dash of sea salt and shaved parmesan cheese or sauté fresh peas with spring onions in butter and delicate chervil for a side that is surprising ripe with flavor."

With visions of warmer days thoughts of fresh herbs and sage bring to mind Saltimbocca, one of the most classic of Roman dishes. The name literally translates as "hop in the mouth". You can never have too many of these veal or chicken cutlets topped with prosciutto and sage for my liking. Since this Cooking Light recipe was served for lunch I served it simply on a bed of spinach for lighter faire, but, it would be equally delicious served over a bed of angel hair pasta or polenta to catch all the sauce. The only thing I would change would be to pound the chicken breast fairly thinly. Not only does this speed the cooking process but seems to concentrate the flavours.

**Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca**
adapted from Cooking Light
4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 fresh sage leaves
2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 8 thin strips
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Lemon wedges (optional)

***********************
 Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Place 3 sage leaves on each cutlet; wrap 2 prosciutto slices around each cutlet, securing sage leaves in place.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Serves 4

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Content must be credited to this author.

Head to Nigeria with FOODalogue and Sample Some Chicken Suya with Cracked Wheat Salad

Suya with Cracked Wheat Salad

Nigeria is a large country located in West Africa whose name is taken from its namesake the Niger River, which plays an important part in the daily lives of those who live there. Not only is the river an important transportation highway, it is also an excellent source of fish, including carp, Nile perch, and catfish. It also provides much needed irrigation for cultivating crops. A large part of Nigeria lies in the tropics, where fruits are abundant. Some of the popular fruits we are familiar with are oranges, melons, grapefruits, limes, mangoes, bananas, and pineapples.  It seems that food would be be abundant but to put it into context, my Lonely Planet travel guide states that food in West Africa “is more a question of survival rather than enjoyment”. The "hungry season" is before the rains arrive in March, and the "season of surplus" follows the harvest in October and November. It would be a difficult place for a self-professed “foodie”.

Nigeria is the continent's most populous country as well as one of its most diverse. There are such a variety of people and cultures with each area having its own regional favourites that can depend on customs, tradition, and religion. With over 250 ethnic groups, the traditional dishes may vary from region to region, and some elements, like pork meat may not even be served in a Muslim family, while in others may be much appreciated. The different foods available also depend on the season.

Popular dishes of the area are jollof rice, dodo (fried plantains), fufu, or iyan (mashed yams), and moin moin (a bean pudding). Yams, cassava, rice and sorghum are common starches, while tomatoes, peppers, onions, peanuts and beans are important vegetables. Rich red palm oil flavours many dishes all washed down with a thirst-quenching  Zobo, a drink from hibiscus blooms.

I have read that people of northern Nigeria favour meat kebabs, and enjoy grain meals as side dishes. This is where the inspiration comes from for my foray into Nigerian cuisine with Joan of FOODalogue and her Culinary Tour 2011.

 Joan has been travelling virtually wherever her imagination takes us. Who wouldn't enjoy taking a journey around the world even if it is from the comfort of your favourite armchair?? We have already met up in Panama where we feasted on traditional dishes  and visited the markets, caught our own salmon and King Crab in Alaska, traversed the spice markets of Turkey, discovered over 2,000 years of "harmony" in Japan, explored hot,sour,salty sweet flavours in Thailand and explored ancient traditions in Egypt. As her final destination Joan has taken us virtually to Nigeria. I have explored each and every one of her destinations this year with my own special twists on each of the culinary destinations. I wanted to thank Joan for taking us on this journey crossing 7 countries in 7 weeks in the middle of a Canadian winter. It has been fun to explore new cultures and cuisines from the comfort of our own armchairs. Thanks Joan for making the winter more bearable!

My chosen dish for Joan's last challenge is Suya which originates in the northern regions of Nigeria where it was the specialty of the Hausas tribes. Today Suya is found on every street corner in Nigeria, a common late night delicacy, but is also sold during the day by countless street vendors. The meat is marinated with a unique blend of spices before being slow-roasted over open flames without ever directly touching the fire. The result is mouth-watering morsels of spice-induced tender chicken, beef, or pork on a stick.

I do have to stay it was very tasty and I will definitely repeat my foray into Nigerian cooking many more times. Nothing like firing up the barbecue in the middle of a Canadian winter to get the creative juices flowing!!! I served my Suya with some cracked wheat salad and grilled red onions in true Nigerian fashion. I read recently from someone who was spending a year in Nigeria on a missions trip that, "Many Nigerians could not fathom the excess of food in the West – it would simply boggle their minds. “So much food!” they would say, “Could I please have some rice and beans?”

**Nigerian Suya with Cracked Wheat Salad**

4 chicken breasts
3 tablespoons grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 cup peanuts
grilled red onions

************
Grind the peanuts in a food processor or blender, being careful not to grind them too much. Give the peanuts 4 or 5 good quick pulses, else you will end up with more of a peanut butter from all the natural oil in the peanuts. Mix in the ginger, garlic, onion powder, chili powder, and paprika and mix well.

Cube the chickens into small chunks and mix the chicken in with the peanut mixture, making sure the chicken is evenly coated. Place the cubed chicken onto skewers and place back in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.

Prepare the grill for medium direct grilling and placed skewered chicken onto the grill. Grill until the chicken is done,make sure to flip the skewers occasionally and make sure that the peanut mixture does not burn too much.

Serve with a side of North African Cracked Wheat Salad  topped off with some grilled red onions.

**North African Cracked Wheat Salad**

This salad is a cook's dream because it must be made the day before serving to allow the cracked wheat to "cook" in the lemon juice. Cracked wheat is very similar in nutrition and texture to bulgur. It is the whole kernel broken in small pieces, but it is not precooked. I allow the salad to marry in the refrigerator and only mixing all of the ingredients at the last minute to retain the fresh taste. If you would rather eat it on the same day it is made, cook the cracked wheat in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain through a fine sieve. Proceed with the recipe, but serve immediately without refrigerating.

4 ounces cracked wheat
Juice of 4 lemons
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tomatoes, peeled cored, seeded, and diced
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 green bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

***************
In a large bowl, combine the cracked wheat, lemon juice, and oil. Mix well. Add the tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, cucumbers, celery, scallions, parsley, and mint in layers. Season with the salt and black pepper.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or until the wheat has softened. Toss well to combine ingredients.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Content must be credited to this author.

FOODalogue Travels to Egypt.... Dukkah-Crusted Chicken Scaloppine with Warm Carrot-Raisin Salad

Dukkah-Crusted Chicken Scaloppine

with Warm Carrot-Raisin Salad

 and Shallot Cream

Egypt has been in the headlines every moment of every day for these past few weeks. It would be tragic if we didn't have the opportunity to explore even the tiniest glimpse into the cuisine of Egypt as planned with Joan of FOODalogue and her Culinary Tour 2011. Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians left evidence of their love for food. Well-preserved wall paintings and carvings have been discovered on tombs and temples, depicting large feasts and an everchanging variety of foods. Egyptian cuisine echoes many flavours of the East. Their food has roots in Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria and has been adapted over centuries to become the cuisine we know and love today.

I so enjoyed exploring the cuisine of Egypt... unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time. Joan has been travelling virtually wherever her imagination takes us. Who wouldn't enjoy taking a journey around the world even if it is from the comfort of your favourite armchair?? We have already met up in Panama where we feasted on traditional dishes  and visited the markets, caught our own salmon and King Crab in Alaska, traversed the spice markets of Turkey, discovered over 2,000 years of "harmony" in Japan and explored hot,sour,salty sweet flavours in Thailand. Next stop in Joan's itinerary, if you haven't guessed it already, is Egypt. Thank you for taking us there!!!!

In the bustling streets of Cairo, where the pavement is a marketplace and everything is for sale, food vendors serve up an overwhelming myriad of dishes to hungry customers. In days gone by locals would bring their own containers, pots or plates to fill up with a steaming serving of boiled and seasoned fava beans called ful medames for breakfast, or line up behind the kushari cart for a delicious mix of rice, lentils and noodles served with fragrant tomato sauce and fried onions. Other favourites are Egypt’s fava bean falafels, called tameya, often dished up with salad and bread, or a juicy skewer of marinated meat that has been cooking over hot charcoal.

It is almost impossible to find a culinary tour in Egypt at this point so you'll just enjoy the food while you're there...or better yet make friends and be invited for dinner. I did come across a local cooking school in Cairo, The House of Cooking, where you can learn to cook local dishes. Take their Eat Like an Egyptian class and you will be a pro in no time. I hope that life will return to normal for this ancient country and that we will be able to enjoy all that Egypt has to offer again soon.

For my dish I chose to recreate a chicken dish with Dukkah as the key ingredient. Dukkah is a common Egyptian spice but can be described best as more of a blend of roasted nuts seasoned with spices. The best way to eat dukkah in my opinion is to take some crusty bread, tear off a piece and dip it in olive oil and then in the dukkah. It is also good sprinkled over fresh salads, especially when combined with a little sumac. Dukkah makes everything better!!!!

With the nuts in the Dukkah as the star I agreed with Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks that Dukkah would make an outstanding, crunchy coating for chicken or fish as in this dish below. In Egypt chicken is often imported because native (firaakh) are often thin and tough, but you will find grilled chicken (firaakh mashwi) in restaurants and already cooked street-side everywhere you go.  I saved myself some time and money and found a jar of this wonderful spice/nut mixture at my local artisan bakery. It is even homemade!!! It is difficult to find so I have included Lazaro's recipe for this Egyptian specialty.

The dukkah created a crunchy, flavourful crust on the chicken but to me my new "food find" that stands out is the warm carrot raisin salad. You could add any spices you wish and experiment as I did. This time around I added cumin in place of the cardamon.

Bil-hanā' wa ash-shifā' بالهناء والشفاء / بالهنا والشفا (May you have your meal with gladness and health).

**Dukkah-Crusted Chicken Scaloppine with Warm Carrot-Raisin Salad and Shallot Cream**
based on a recipe from Lazaro Cooks

dukkah

1/4 cup coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
1/2 cup almonds, thinly sliced
1/2 cup hazelnuts or pistachios, chopped
1 teaspoon dried mint flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

chicken

1 whole boneless chicken breast
Extra-virgin olive oil
Butter

carrot-raisin salad

4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
2 cups carrots, shredded
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground cardamom ( or cumin)
Pinch of salt, pepper to taste

scallion cream

1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 scallions, chopped
Pinch of salt, pepper to taste

************
To make Dukkah: In a dry skillet without oil, toast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and sesame seeds. Place in a food processor. Then, toast the almonds and hazelnuts, mixing gently until golden brown. Add to the seed mixture. Also, in the food processor place mint flakes, sea salt, and crushed red pepper flakes. Pulse to mix well. The mixture needs to be still coarse, dry, and crumbly but fine enough that all of the seeds are crushed. (can be made in advance and stored in an air-tight container; use leftover dukkah as a dip for flat bread, first dipped in oil).

Cut the breast into halves and then slice each half into thin scaloppine. Pound the scaloppine lightly on both sides to create an even thickness to allow even cooking. Brush with a little oil and sprinkle generously with the dukkah spice mix on both sides. Let the chicken sit for a few minutes.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When the butter melts, add the chicken scaloppine and saute for about 2 minutes per side (in batches if necessary, then add additional oil and butter for each new batch).

To make the warm carrot-raisin salad: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add onions and cook for a minute until the onions start to soften. Add the rest of the butter and cardamom and mix well. When the butter melts, add carrots and raisins. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make scallion cream: In a food processor, combine sour cream, lemon juice, scallions and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until the sauce is smooth and foamy.

Place a chicken scaloppine on top of carrot-raisin salad and spoon scallion cream sauce all over. Serve this with some Biram Ruz or steamed rice.

Serves 4

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Content must be credited to this author.

Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet Thai Herb Sliders for FOODalogue

Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet Thai Herb Sliders

We have been travelling on a virtual culinary journey with Joan of FOODalogue for her Culinary Tour 2011. Joan has been travelling virtually wherever her imagination takes us. How about meeting her in any one of her itinerary stops and presenting your interpretation of the cuisine from that destination? Who wouldn't enjoy taking a journey around the world even if it is from the comfort of your favourite armchair?? We have already met up in Panama where we feasted on traditional dishes  and visited the markets, caught our own salmon and King Crab in Alaska, traversed the spice markets of Turkey, and discovered over 2,000 years of "harmony" in Japan. Our next stop on Joan's culinary tour is...

 Thailand

There is so much to discover in Thailand - a country that offers a huge range of new experiences in sights, sounds, tastes, and outlook. But different as it may be from our own home, Thailand is probably the easiest exotic country for visitors. The people are friendly, leisure activities are well organized and the food is great.

Thai food is renowned around the world for its fine blend of spices and ingredients. Standing at the crossroads of India, China and Asian Oceania, Thailand has adapted cooking techniques and ingredients from each of these major influences.  The beauty of Thai cooking is that when you understand it it can easily be adapted to North American dishes like the one below.

As always I feel the best way to discover a country is through its people and to immerse yourself in its culture. What better way to create friendships than to share a table together. This time around I am taking a virtual tour with Tell Tale Travel for their Tamarind and Spice Culinary Tour. We chopped and ate our way around four regions of Thailand. Local experts introduced us to an amazing variety of flavours and shared their personal recipes and cooking techniques.

We took a boat trip along the Chao Phraya Rivera and visited the magnificent Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha with an expert guide; stayed at the village headman's elegant but simple teak house where life has remained unchanged for years. The village headman's wife herself showed us how to pick the best vegetables at the bustling local market and shared her family's recipes for regional specialities. We biked along the rice paddy fields on a quiet afternoon as well as experienced an island hopping adventure around the Hong archipelago, a series of uninhabited islands with pristine white beaches and hidden lagoons. These are considered to be the most beautiful in the region. Here we snorkelled amid tropical fish on the coral reef and had a picnic lunch.

Thai food has been a huge hit all over the world with Thai restaurants in many suburbs and parts of our cities serving a range of curry puffs, soups, curries and stir fries. At its best, the flavours of sweet, sour, salty and tangy are balanced and when used cleverly, you feel your taste buds dance!!

The dish I have chosen is reminiscent of Thai flavours adapted for ingredients I have on hand. Larb is a traditional Thai appetizer served as cooked, crumbled ground meat seasoned with the cooling flavors of lime, mint, and cilantro. Here, the dish morphs into mini-chicken burgers, made with the same refreshing ingredients and topped with bountiful fresh herbs. To help achieve the perfect balance of hot-sour-salty-sweet, choose breadcrumbs on the sweetish side.

Ground chicken can be quite dry when cooked but these patties stay moist and tender. The added bonus is they have a flavour you cannot quite put your finger on.  One thing for sure they are delicious!!!

ขอให้เจริญอาหาร! (kŏr hâi jà-rern aa-hăan!)

**Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet Thai Herb Sliders**
adapted from Kate Heyhoe of Kate's Global Kitchen

Thai Seasoning Sauce

1 large lime (or 2 small)
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuac mam)*
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Larb Patties

1 green onion
1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves (1/2 ounce)
1/4 cup packed cilantro or parsley(1/4 ounce)
2 large cloves garlic
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or use 1 lb ground chicken)
1 egg white
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil

For serving

8 small burger buns, buttered and toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise (the mayo I use is olive oil based)
1 carrot
Small, tender lettuce or spinach leaves; fresh mint and cilantro

*Note: Nam pla, or fish sauce, is found in Asian markets.

***************
For the Thai Seasoning Sauce: Strip the zest from the lime and set aside for the larb patties.

 Squeeze 2 tablespoons lime juice. Mix the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and red pepper together until the sugar is dissolved. (Makes 4 tablespoons.)

 For the Larb Patties: Set up a medium to standard size food processor with steel chopping blade. Cut the green onion into 1-2 inch pieces for processing. Drop lime zest, green onion, mint, cilantro, and garlic into the chopping bowl. Pulse to coarsely chop. Add 2 tablespoons Seasoning Sauce and pulse until finely chopped. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl.

Cut the chicken into large (1-inch or so) chunks. Without rinsing the processor's chopping bowl, pulse the chicken chunks into small but coarse bits (about the size of large corn kernels; you want some texture- If using ground chicken, omit this step). Scrape into the mixing bowl, and stir into the herb mixture. Stir in the egg whites, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper until evenly mixed. Chill until ready to use (up to 4 hours).

For toppings: Stir together the mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon Seasoning Sauce. With a vegetable peeler, shred the carrot into thin strips; just before serving, toss the carrot strips with the remaining 1 tablespoon Seasoning Sauce in a small cup or bowl.

 Heat the sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. The larb mixture may be too soft to shape into patties. With a standard size ice cream scoop (or 2 spoons), drop mounds of larb into the skillet, to create 8 patties. Brown on one side, then gently flip the patties over, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the chicken is no longer raw, but still moist. Total cooking time is 7-9 minutes.

To serve: For each slider, arrange lettuce or spinach on the lower bun, top with a larb patty, followed by mint and cilantro leaves, the seasoned carrot, and a spoonful of seasoned mayonnaise. Top with the upper bun and serve.

Makes 8 sliders

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Content must be credited to this author.

Baking Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry with Sugar Snap Pea Salad for FOODalogue's Virtual Journey

Baked Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry

with Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Yokoso (Welcome)!!! We have been travelling on a virtual culinary journey with Joan of FOODalogue for her Culinary Tour 2011. Joan has been travelling virtually wherever her imagination takes us. How about meeting her in any one of her itinerary stops and presenting your interpretation of the cuisine from that destination? Who wouldn't enjoy taking a journey around the world even if it is from the comfort of your favourite armchair?? We have already met up in Panama where we feasted on traditional dishes  and visited the markets, caught our own salmon and alien looking King Crab in Alaska, and traversed the spice markets of Turkey. Next on our stop is...

Japan

If you were asked to think of one Japanese food, what would come to mind? Sushi, raw fish, tempura, tofu? That's what I would think of as well. With Japanese restaurants and Sushi bars popping up all over the world these days Japanese food is no longer considered mysterious. In fact, more and more we are recognizing Japanese food as one of the healthier cuisines. L'il Burnt Toast, the future dietitian, insists on eating sushi like it was going out of style!!!! The traditional Japanese diet is impressively low in cholesterol, fat, and calories, and high in fiber. No wonder residents of Japan have the highest longevity rate.

 When it comes to describing Japanese cuisine in a few words, "natural"  and "harmony" best fits the description. Many devotees of Japanese food speak of the importance of clean flavours and simplicity. Whatever dish you make, never disguise the natural flavour of the ingredients.  Food must be in harmony with nature and the surroundings.  Japanese food is refined and elegant, its preparation and presentation honed over the centuries so its flavours are pure and delicate. The cuisine is all about seasonal ingredients, visual presentation, and authentic flavours. Japanese cuisine has developed over the past 2,000 years with strong influences from both China and Korea. But it is only in the last 300-400 years that all the influences have come together to form what nowadays can be described as Japanese cuisine.

What's a trip to Japan without a culinary tour with Intrepid for their Taste of Japan Tour. Spend 2 weeks visiting the famous Tsukiji Fish Market, feasting on mountain views and traditional cuisine in Takayama, touring a 600-year-old market, combining Zen meditation with great food in Koya-san, challenging your taste buds with fugu pufferfish, experiencing Osaka's neon nightlife, and designing and devouring your own okonomiyaki in Hiroshima.

Like all other cuisines, Japanese food is a product of modern culture. For this challenge I bring to the table Chicken Katsu Curry, the traditional Japanese dish served since the late 19th century which was originally inspired by Western cooking. It is not one of the refined dishes I have been mentioning but there is harmony in flavours. It has enjoyed phenomenal success in recent years, with more and more people worldwide flocking to their local eateries to order this wickedly wonderful taste of Japan.  What makes it stand out from other curries is that the meat is breaded and fried before having a luxurious silky curry sauce slathered all over it.  It’s a family-friendly dish that doesn’t have to be unhealthy – just bake it in the oven instead of deep-frying to cut down on the oil and fat. I served my Chicken Katsu with some steamed Jasmine rice and a sugar snap pea salad. What I loved about this recipe is that I had all of the ingredients in my cupboards already! And as for the salad very refreshing, a great foile for this dish.

Before eating, say "Itadakimasu!" (ee-tah-dah-kee-mahss) which literally means "I humbly receive" and when you're done, say 'Gochisousama deshita!" (Goch-sou-sah-mah-desh-tah) which kind of means "thank you for the meal".  I also ate every grain of rice rather than be been considered impolite, but hey this was too good to leave on my plate!!!!

**Baked Chicken Katsu Curry**

For the chicken

100g flour, seasoned with lots of salt and pepper
2 large free-range egg, beaten lightly
300g Japanese panko breadcrumbs
2 skinless/boneless chicken breasts

For the curry sauce

1 tablespoon groundnut or vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
5 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons  flour
1 tablespoon medium curry powder
600ml chicken stock
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 bay leaf
half a teaspoon garam masala

*****
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400 F.

To Make the Chicken: Firstly you will want to check the thickness of the chicken. If it’s too thick at one end you will need to “butterfly” it by cutting the under edge of the fillets from the centre towards the outside, being careful not to cut it off completely, and then flatten it out. (Alternatively use a meat mallet to pound your breast into an even thickness). This is important so that the cutlet cooks evenly throughout! Pat the breasts dry with a paper towel. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Set out two plates (with raised edges if you have them as all this can get a bit messy) and one bowl. Fill one plate with 100g of plain flour which has been well seasoned with salt and pepper, the other with 300g of Japanese panko breadcrumbs (letting a baguette go stale and then grating it works brilliantly too). Finally beat your eggs into a bowl.

One fillet at a time, place the chicken into the flour coating every visible part and crevasse of the meat, next move it to the egg bowl and gently drop it in, again coating it fully. Allow any excess egg to drip off before moving it to the breadcrumbs, covering it as much as possible with the panko. At this point you may be thinking that your cutlet is looking a bit undercoated. That’s because it is… One coating never seems to cut it.

So here is the trick to getting that “Perfect Chicken Katsu” DOUBLE COAT IT! This simply means double dipping and repeating a dip into the egg and then panko crumbs to form a proper layer of breadcrumbs which will not only be more tasty but will also help in the cooking process.

Place the breaded chicken onto a pan and bake for 20 minutes until cooked through (if poked with a sharp knife, juices should run clear). If you want the top to brown more, turn on the broiler for the last minute.

To make the sauce: Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, then throw in the carrots and sweat slowly for 10 minutes with the lid on, giving the odd stir, until softened and starting to caramelise. Stir in the flour and curry powder and cook for a minute. Slowly pour in the stock until combined (do this gradually to avoid getting lumps). Add the honey, soy sauce and bay leaf and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, so the sauce thickens but is still of pouring consistency. Add the garam masala, then pass the sauce through a sieve (unless you prefer a chunky sauce).

When chicken is ready, let rest for 1 minute, then cut into slices. Drizzle with sauce and serve.


Serves 2

**Sugar Snap Pea Salad**

2 cups sugar snap peas, (8 ounces), trimmed
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch-long slivers
*********************
Cook peas in lightly salted boiling water in a medium saucepan until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.

Whisk vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add scallions, bell pepper and the peas; toss to coat. Serve within 1 hour.

Sayonara!!!

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://goodfoodcorner.blogspot.com. Content must be credited to this author.