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I was so pleased with the green tomato salsa I made a few days ago that I decided to use it in another dish. This decision marked the first time I'd used one of my creations to make another dish. On several occasions at different restaurants I've had the pleasure of enjoying chicken, rice and black bean sauce in a few different combinations, but there's always one of the elements getting masked by the other two. It was for this reason (and the fact that I was craving black beans) that I chose to work up my own version of the dish where all of the elements have equally important roles.
Lime-Blackened Chicken
(with Lime-Cilantro Rice, Zesty Black Beans and Green Tomato Salsa)
The ingredients are divided for easier explanation as there's a lot of ingredient overlap.
Lime-Blackened Chicken Ingredients:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4" tenders or pounded 1/2" thick
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Lime-Blackened Chicken Instructions:
Preheat a dry cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Also, set your oven to broil to preheat. Toss the chicken breast pieces in the lime juice and olive oil in a large bowl. Combine all of the dry ingredients until evenly mixed. Lay the chicken pieces out on a plate and cover the top face with the dry spices until mostly or fully coated. Carefully place the chicken into the hot skillet with the spiced faces down. (Since this process is meant to burn some of the spices some smoke might be produced, so use your vent fan or open a window.) While the chicken is cooking, cover the uncoated surfaces with the remaining spice mixture. Use additional spice rub as needed. When the bottom faces of the chicken pieces have blackened (2-3 minutes), flip them and blacken the other side for about the same amount of time. Move the skillet to the oven on a middle rack. Broil the chicken pieces for another 4-5 minutes or until cooked through, flipping halfway through. When cooked move the chicken to a plate, cover and allow to rest.
Lime-Cilantro Rice Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Basmati (or long grain) rice
2 cups chicken broth/stock
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Lime-Cilantro Rice Instructions:
Bring the chicken broth to a low boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, salt, black pepper, coriander, lime juice and zest and stir to combine. Stir in the rice, cover and reduce to low heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the rice is just tender. Remove from the heat, add the cilantro, fluff with a fork and leave covered until ready to serve.
Black Beans Ingredients:
1 can unseasoned black beans
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Black Bean Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium head. Add the onions and lightly saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes. Reduce to low heat, drain about half of the liquid from the beans and add the remaining liquid and the beans to the pan. Stir in the salt and spices, cover and simmer until the beans are warmed through and the flavors have combined.
Bringing It All Together:
Though you'll need to work on all three steps simultaneously, it's not really that difficult a recipe to pull off. While the instructions might seem a bit daunting with the divisions, each step really requires very little time and preparation. To finish up, just plate with a layer of black beans, topped with the rice, followed by the chicken and finished with a couple tablespoons of your favorite salsa, sour cream, guacamole or pico de gallo. I was amazed at how well the flavors married and none of the elements eclipsed the others. The flavors of lime, coriander and cumin, in particular, flow through every part of the meal. The green tomato salsa added a great fresh, citrusy note to the other flavors. I'm already imagining having this again paired with a plethora of possible garnishes!
All in all, I was really pleased with the meal. I did forget to add the cilantro to the rice when I fluffed it, which is why it's not evident in the picture, but I added it before eating! The flavors and textures interacted flawlessly without anything getting lost. The flavors are quite variable and forgiving. Two options might be to replace the Latin elements with Mediteranean or Middle Eastern ones. Plus, this meal is easily multiplied for a crowd!
As I promised in the recent post "It's August already?" here are the June and August covers of Homes & Lifestyles magazine along with photos of the food featured in each. If you're interested in the stories or any of the recipes, you can pick up a copy of H&L at lots of locations around Bloomington and throughout south-central Indiana. If you're interested in the recipes, but nowhere near Indiana, just make a post here or drop me an e-mail and I'll send the recipe text as soon as possible.
In the first image above is the June issue, which included the heretofore mentioned recipes for:
- Curry Roasted Shrimp with Coconut Mango Rice
- Orange-Cranberry Bread Pudding
- Tarragon Smashed Potatoes
- Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Quiche
The second image features the most recent (August) cover of Homes & Lifestyles. To its right you'll see:
- Warm Sesame Goat Cheese Salad
- Cherry and Lemon Scones
- Individual Chicken Pot Pies
- Italian Zucchini Fritters
To better coincide with the winter season, the maple syrup recipes I mentioned in that previous post have been moved to the December issue, so I don't know what the heck I'll be planning for October, but given the availability of autumn fruits and vegetables, I'd say dishes with butternut squash, potatoes, apples and pears can be expected. I'm always looking for a challenge to test my creativity, so if you have any ideas for autumn-themed recipes, please toss them my way.
It's been about two weeks since I stumbled upon green tomatoes at the Farmers' Market, and I didn't expect to find any more yesterday, but one booth still had a few of the timely delicacies. Not one to buy food without purpose, I quickly ran through several ideas for how to use the tomatoes and settled on salsa. In recent years, salsa has come to mean so much more than the traditional red concoction. Many jarred salsas now contain fruits and even corn or black beans. Restaurants are taking even more creative liberty by adding different combinations of chopped fruit and vegetables to their dishes, some not containing any tomatoes at all, and calling it salsa. Salsa's becoming a culinary chameleon, wedging its way into many different food environments.
In my last green tomato post, I waxed poetic the virtues of the unripe vegetable's gentle, almost citrus flavor, and I went back to those characteristics when settling on salsa. Green tomato and lime seemed like a perfect combination. With that in mind, I brought in the more standard salsa elements, like onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno pepper. I wondered if the more gentle, less acidic salsa might need an occasional flavor boost to keep it interesting, so I took a chance on the soft, not-too-punchy flavor of fresh peaches.
With all the ingredients collected, I was determined to meticulously chop each element in consistently perfect sizes, and not content to stand in the kitchen for hours. My resulting workspace was a fold-out table in front of the TV playing some recorded Food Network favorites. It was a surprisingly manageable setup, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Green Tomato Salsa
Ingredients:
3 medium green tomatoes
1 medium sweet onion, peeled
1 medium bell pepper (red or yellow are best)
2-3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper
1 medium peach
2 medium limes
1 tsp fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt, plus extra
1/4 tsp black pepper, plus extra
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp honey
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice the onion and bell pepper (I used a sweet light yellow one) into slices of approximately the same thickness, removing the pepper seeds and pithy tissue. Toss with 1 tbsp of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and black pepper. Spread the onion and pepper slices on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, until they start to brown and smell sweet. Rearrange them with tongs after about 10 minutes. Remove and cool. When cool, chop them into 1/4 or 1/3 inch pieces. Set aside.
Be sure to pre-wash all the vegetables before preparation. Cut the tomatoes into eighths and remove the cores. Using your thumb, force the pulp and seeds out of the tomato flesh and into a clean bowl. Once all the tomato eights are cleaned, chop them into small pieces between 1/4 and 1/3 inch in size and add them to a large mixing bowl. Three tomatoes should yield about two cups chopped. Using a strainer and a spoon, separate the juice from the tomato pulp into another clean bowl. Dispose of the seeds. This should leave about 1/3 cup of juice. Set aside.
Zest the limes and add (about 3/4 tsp) to the chopped tomatoes. Juice the zested limes and add about 1/4 cup of the juice to the tomato juice. Set aside. Peel the peach and remove the core. Chop into approximately 1/3-inch pieces and fold into the tomatoes.
Finely chop the jalapeno into less than 1/4 inch pieces. Remove the seeds and pithy tissue if you don't like hotter salsa. Fold the chopped jalapeno, garlic, cilantro and the chopped onion and bell pepper into the tomatoes. Whisk the salt, honey and spices into the lime and tomato juice mixture and pour over the vegetables. Stir together thoroughly.
Test the salsa with the chips you plan to serve it with and adjust seasoning accordingly. Be aware the salsa may get hotter, and the cilantro more potent, as it rests longer. It will also continue to juice out as it ages, so removing a bit of liquid might be desirable. Also, the peaches may dissolve over time, so it's always best to serve it fresh for the best flavor. Refrigerate it until serving.
I simply love this salsa. The green tomatoes, lime and cilantro perfectly compliment one another against the more savory flavors of the onions and garlic. I was worried the onions might overpower the weaker flavors, which was why I chose to roast them. It was a wise choice as they added a great light sweet/smoky flavor. The bell pepper was also sweeter as a result. When tasting the salsa, the first thing I notice is the light citrusy bite mingling with the salty tortilla chip; which is followed by a savory warmth of onion, garlic and spices; and it finishes with a nice not-too-hot heat. The occasional small bite of peach adds a great sweetness without being cloyingly so. I think it helps take the flavor combinations to a more sophisticated level.
There's always room for improvement or experimentation, which is how my thought process works. I still have the salsa's flavor in my mouth and I'm already considering future adjustments. Perhaps I'll use a yellower (or red) bell pepper to add some color. I do love the different layers of green, cream and light yellow, though. I may consider experimenting with the sweetness of fresh corn or the starchiness of black beans. Taking off my innovations with the fried green tomatoes, I think a subtle hint of coconut might add yet another great element to the salsa. I, of course, don't want to make it too complex to enjoy, which is where experimentation always plays a key role. I'm also stewing on the idea that this salsa would make a great accent to a chicken/rice/bean dish I've been meaning to work on. It might add the perfect fresh note and tie it all together. So many possibilities!
Where the heck did July go? It's true I was very busy for the whole month, and I meant to post several recipes and lessons learned in July, but here it is August 2nd. My lack of July posts here might imply I've lost interest in the food world, but it's quite the opposite. Here are just the most important culinary things that have been keeping me busy:
H&L Recipes
I'm still working hard to produce new and original recipes for the bi-monthly magazine. For the June issue I made curry roasted shrimp with coconut-mango rice, tarragon smashed potatoes, orange-cranberry bread pudding and sausage and roasted red pepper quiche. I apologize for not posting a cover image here like I did for April. I'll try to put it up when I post the August issue cover. Speaking of August, the next issue boasts recipes for zucchini fritters, cherry and lemon scones, individual chicken pot pies and an Asian salad with warm goat cheese and sesame-peanut butter dressing. For the October issue we're tentatively planning recipes using locally-collected maple syrup.
Learning Lessons
I've been cooking a lot of different experimental foods, but none of the projects have produced extraordinary results or failures about which I can write. I've not been playing it safe, so to speak, but the fried green tomatoes recipe I just posted provided me with some useful tips worth posting. Tomorrow I'm delving into the strange and potentially dangerous world of the artichoke. More on that later.
I've also been doing a lot of research to improve my cooking skills. I've been working online to discover new techniques and to inspire more creativity within myself. Much of my evening time has been spent watching cooking TV shows I find particularly helpful or informational. This is about to turn into a plug for Food Network, but oh well.
I won't go into which Food Network personalities I don't enjoy, but there are some I'd trust to advise me on anything culinary. They are (in no particular order): Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Ted Allen and Ina Garten. If you like (or can just ignore) Alton's goofiness, Bobby's mildly arrogant tone and Ina's Hamptons pretentiousness, they are valuable sources of food information. Ted's show, Chopped, is one of my favorites as it requires a level of inventiveness even beyond that of Iron Chef (also a favorite). When chefs are required to combine several (often clashing) ingredients, the results can be educational, amazing and sometimes humorous. If you watch their shows, I can almost guarantee you'll go away with at least one nugget of valubale cooking knowledge.
Cookies
More than anything else, cookies have been dominating my time in the kitchen, and I'm not talking about traditional chocolate chip or granny's snickerdoodles. Ever since the cayenne-infused chocolate cookies I posted here several months back, I've been going crazy with new, unusual cookie recipes. It's quite funny to me: after all my whining about my troubles with desserts, here I am cranking out batch after batch of great-tasting cookies.
My friends and co-workers have been my most frequent guinea pigs, and their feedback has been invaluable to the development of these recipes. The reason these recipes aren't landing on this blog is that I'm working through the processes of locally marketing my cookies. The Farmers' Market, which has been such an excellent source of inspiration for my food, will likely be my first foray into cookie-selling.
Here are the finalized cookies I've developed so far:
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso
Pumpkin with Chai Glaze
Strawberry and Toasted Almond
Cayenne-Infused Dark Chocolate Chip
Orange-Spiced Ginger
Sweet Potato with Maple Glaze
Cookies still in development, include:
Key Lime
Pineapple Upside Down
Middle Eastern Peanut Butter
Barbecue-Pineapple
Apple Crisp
Having grown up with a big garden, there were never any shortages of fresh vegetables around during the summer. Aside from the usual cooking treatments and the process of preserving these vegetables for winter, I remember getting a few rare treats, including fried squash and zucchini, the sweetest corn straight off the cob and potatoes dug so recently they tasted of a freshness I can't describe. Aside from those incredible can't-wait-for-summertime delights, there's a very limited window in which one can find a Southern and Midwestern delicacy: green tomatoes.
Because the heat and humidity of summer usually blazes along before the end of spring in the Midwest, there's a very narrow window in which to harvest green tomatoes. Tomatoes thrive in the hot, intense sunlight of July and are usually laden with orbs in all stages of the transition to deep red by the first of August. The weather in the Midwest this year, however, has been unseasonably cool and wet. While tomatoes are still ripening as their chemistry requires, green tomatoes are hanging on the vines longer than I've ever known them to do.
I took advantage of this fast at this weekend's Farmers' Market. I was shocked to see a table spread with green tomatoes at the August 1st Market. In the spirit of my Midwest upbringing, I bought several firm, bright green tomatoes with the sole intention of frying them. Now, there are many ways to utilize the clean, crisp, citrus-y tastes of green tomatoes: salsas, sauces, salads only being a few, but it's been at least a decade since I've eaten a fried green tomato. As usual, though, I'm adding some twists to the flour-dredged delicacies of my childhood.
Coconut Fried Green Tomatoes with Lemon-Basil Couscous
Ingredients:
3 medium green tomatoes
1 1/2 cups plain couscous
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus extra
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Panko bread crumps
1 egg
1 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and black pepper
Instructions:
Add 1/4 cup of vegetable oil to a medium skillet over medium heat. If the bottom of the skillet isn't completely covered with oil, add enough to cover it. Remove the cores from the tomatoes and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. (You can discard the tops and bottoms or chop them for salads or salsas.) Salt and pepper both sides of the tomato slices.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the egg and coconut milk. (Chilling the coconut milk thickens it significantly and makes the battering process easier. Just stir it well before measuring.) Set up an assembly line for battering the tomatoes with three containers or bowls: flour, egg/coconut milk, Panko bread crumbs, in that order. Dredge the tomato slices in the flour, coat them completely in the egg/coconut mixture, then dip them in the Panko and completely cover with crumbs.
WARNING: The next part of this preparation requires hot oil frying, which can be dangerous. If you have a sp(l)atter screen: a screen stretched across a metal frame, with a handle, use it. If you don't have one of these, use a pan lid of an appropriate size. There's danger in using the pan lid as it will accumulate moisture during frying. If the lid drips water into the oil, it will pop and spatter. Since the tomatoes contain natural water spattering is possible anyway, so keep the lid between you and the pan at all times. Tongs are very helpful here as they keep your hands further from the oil. (This isn't supposed to be a scary exercise, but I feel the warning is necessary.)
Place 4-5 slices (all battered) into the oil at a time. (You reduce your chances of oil spatter if the tomatoes are all on the same cooking stages while uncovered.) Fry the tomatoes 2-4 minutes, until the batter is golden brown, then flip and fry the opposite side for another 2-4 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towel.
Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, basil, lemon juice and zest, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and olive oil and return to a boil for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the dry couscous. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes while the pasta absorbs the liquid. Gently fluff the cooked couscous with a fork to assure a light texture and that the flavors are evenly distributed. Fluff in the grated parmesan, and serve the couscous plated with 2-3 slices of fried green tomatoes.
I've already explained my personal history with fried green tomatoes, but there's more to this story. I've been using a lot of citrus flavors with savory, creamy flavors in my cooking lately. When I saw the green tomatoes at the Farmers' Market, my mind immediately revisited the flavor memories from my childhood and connected them with my current cooking trend. Coconut milk seemed a natural choice as it isn't intensely coconut-flavored, but is perfectly savory and creamy. The breading part was easy, because when it comes to crispy breading, Panko is king. You can find them at most grocery stores near the other bread crumbs.
When considering a side dish with which to serve the tomatoes I considered rice, but thought that might be too heavy with the fried tomatoes, so I chose couscous. It's noticeably lighter and can be flavored in just about any way. To echo the tartness of the tomatoes, I chose to infuse the couscous with lemon. I've made couscous with water before and it's very bland, even with seasoning. I always use chicken stock and that, combined with the basil, made for a nice savory base to pair with the tomatoes.
I had this for dinner tonight and everything came together beautifully: The coconut was evident and not overpowering, and the couscous was flavorful and well-paired with the tomatoes. While the measurements above will make a light lunch for four, I made a smaller meal for myself and had enough left over to have for lunch tomorrow. Sweet!
