Getting Ready for Grilling

Greetings! I have been so busy with baby but promise to post more frequently. In anticipation for warmer weather (its coming, right??), I have been making double or triple batches of my favorite marinade. I portion out the marinade in zippered freezer storage bags. Then I add the meat of our choice to the bags in serving sizes we like. So in a bag I may have two chicken breasts and 1/2 cup of marinade. The bag then goes into the freezer. When we are ready to grill, we remove a bag. The meat will marinate as it defrosts (remember to use safe defrost techniques).

Right now in the freezer, we have jerk chicken breasts, jerk pork tenderloin and lime chicken with black bean sauce in the freezer. Next will be doing Thai marinated chicken.

This is one of my favorite time savings tips. Especially when I'm already making a marinade. It only takes a few extra minutes to make a larger batch and portion if out.

Jicama Stick-a-mas

Jícama (pronounced HEE-kah-mah) is a large, bulbous root vegetable which you may have overlooked at the market. It has a thin, brown, fibrous skin and its flesh is white and crunchy, very similar to water chestnut. It has a sweet, almost nutty flavor. It is often referred to as a Mexican potato or Mexican turnip.

Jícama can be eaten raw or cooked. I probably use it more frequently raw than cooked. I like to julienne it and serve it in salads for added crunch or on a crudités platter for something different. Or you can shred it (a mandoline works great with the smallest julienne blade) and make a unique slaw.

A very common way to eat jícama is to slice it like fries, sprinkle it with chili powder and salt and squeeze with some fresh lime. Yum!

When cooked, it retains its crispness. Since it has such a mild flavor, it can add crunchiness to a variety of dishes. Try dicing it and adding to chili, stew or stir-fry. Or finely diced and added to a crab or fish cake. Its juicy crispness compliments spicy dishes well. It is a great addition to a spring roll.

It originates from Central America and goes well with many Latin flavors like cumin, cilantro and citrus like orange, lemon and lime.

To peel jícama, simply remove the peel with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. The easiest way is to remove the top and bottom first, then peel top to bottom (not round and round like an apple). Rinse after peeling. A whole jícama can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. It is best eaten shortly after it is peeled. It is high in dietary fiber (5 grams per 100 grams) and is a good source of Vitamin C and potassium.

Chicken and Vegetable Spring Rolls
Serves 4 – 2 rolls per person

1 chicken breast
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon coarse mustard (can substitute yellow mustard)
1 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1/4 red onion, cut into match stick sized pieces
1 small carrot, cut into match stick sized pieces
1 small green bell pepper, cut into match stick sized pieces
1 small jícama, cut into match stick sized pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 lime, juiced
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
8 rice paper wrapper sheets, 8” size
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (or basil or Thai basil)

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Spread half of the mustard on one side of the chicken breast.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place the mustard side down on the pan, then spread the remaining half of the mustard on the top half of the breast. Cook until sides of breast start turning white, about 4 – 5 minutes then flip and cook completely on the other side, an additional 3 – 4 minutes.

Allow the breast to cool to the touch and shred the breast. I like to use two forks to shred chicken, using the tines to shred the meat.

While the chicken is cooking and cooling, sauté the onion, carrot, pepper and jícama in a large skillet until just al dente, about 7 – 10 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring continuously for about 30 seconds.

Remove the vegetables from the heat, stir in the lime juice, paprika and chili powder.

Allow the vegetables to cool.

Place one rice paper sheet in a shallow dish filled with hot water. Allow wrapper to soak for about 15 seconds, or longer so it is pliable.

Place the pliable wrapper in front of you. Add a tablespoon or so of the shredded chicken at about 6 o’clock if the wrapper were a clock dial, about 1” from the edge. Place a tablespoon or so of the vegetable on top of the chicken. Top the mixture with about 1/2 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
Taking the edge nearest you, roll it over top of the chicken vegetable mixture. Continuing rolling towards 12 o’clock until you have one full roll. Fold sides in (3 o’clock and 9 o’clock) towards the center, then continuing rolling towards 12 o’clock until completely rolled. Repeat with each wrapper.
Serve with your favorite store bought dipping sauce or mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic and ginger and a bit of sugar to taste.

EDIT TO ADD: This recipe is very versatileand you can add many different veggies in place of the ones listed. You could easily add vermicelli noodles in place of the chicken for a vegetarian option.

Dying Easter Eggs

Dying eggs is a tradition that has been around for centuries. While you can go out and buy the packages made for dying your hard boiled eggs, you can also find many items already in your kitchen to dye your eggs. Before the invention of the convenient box of PAAS Egg Dye, people used vegetables, fruits, edible flowers, barks and roots to dye eggs. Going back to basics is enjoyable from time-to-time and here is how to do it:

During the dying process, you actually hard boil your eggs at the same time. So you will be dirtying a few more dishes this way, but inventing colors is a lot of the fun.

In the same manner that you normally hard boil eggs, you want to make sure your eggs are in a single layer of a saucepan. Then you cover the eggs with about a 1/2” of water. You may only want to add 3 or 4 eggs into each pan of water so you can create several different colors of eggs.

For blue eggs, add 1 teaspoon white vinegar and shredded red cabbage or 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 1 cup of fresh blueberries.

For green eggs, add 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 1 cup of fresh spinach leaves.

For yellow eggs, add 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 2 Tablespoons turmeric.

For brown eggs, add 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 2 -3 Tablespoons of ground coffee or add several teas bags. Or try adding the outer layers of an onion (no vinegar necessary).

For red eggs, try adding fresh or frozen cranberries or cherries with 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. Or instead add some fresh beets.

Look around the kitchen and see what other items you can use. Once you have your pot ready, turn on the heat and boil for a minimum of 8 minutes. The longer you steep your eggs, the brighter the color. However, the eggs will not be edible if you boil them for much longer than 10 – 15 minutes.

Have fun, enjoy yourself and get your hands dirty!

Chicken Tart

For a dinner party that was held last weekend (a sitted dinner for eight), I served a Chicken Tart with Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach, drizzled with a Riesling Butter. We at the Presto! test kitchen must have ate a dozen versions trying to get the dish just right. After I did not think I could eat another version, we found the right combination. The final dish looked so lovely I wanted to share it.

July is National Blueberry Month

Blueberries are a great source of fiber and vitamin C while being low is sodium and calories. In a recent study of 60 fruits and vegetables, blueberries were ranked with the highest antioxidant properties (ability to destroy free radicals). They are a great brain food, increasing memory and improving learning. They help promote urinary tract health as well as cranberries. And blueberries improve vision.

Blueberries are grown on bushes and native to North America, grown in the wooded and mountainous regions. There are about 30 different species of blueberries. They have only been commercially cultivated within the last hundred years. Now over 200 million pounds are cultivated annually.

When buying blueberries in the market, look for firm, plump berries. They should be dry (to prevent molding) and relatively free of stems and leaves. Old berries will start to look winkled and shriveled. Store them covered in the refrigerator for up to 10 days and only wash them just prior to use.

Michigan hosts at least four blueberries festivals. August 4 - 5, Imlay City hosts the Blueberry Festival. August 10 - 13, South Haven hosts the National Blueberry Festival. August 16 - 20, Montrose hosts the Montrose Blueberry Festival. August 18 - 20, Paradise hosts the Wild Blueberry Festival.

When thinking of blueberries in food, I am sure blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes and blueberry jam come to mind. But how about trying these:

Grilled Chicken with Tangy Blueberry Sauce

Warm Blueberry and Mango Compote served over a nice salmon or tuna filet

Or try substituting dried blueberries for either dried cranberries or dried cherries in your favorite recipe.

Let me know if you try the above recipes, I would be interested to hear what you think.