Chimichurri sauce

Your life will be better with chimichurri in it. It's an typical Argentinian sauce for steak, but goes great with chicken, too. The recipe calls for a lot of herbs, but they break down a lot and - let's be honest - you'll want a lot of this delicious stuff.

1 packed cup washed, stemmed, parsley leaves
1 packed cup washed, stemmed, fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup washed, stemmed fresh mint leaves
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 cup EVOO
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar, or more to taste
1/3 cup cold water

Combine the parsley, cilantro, mint and garlic in a food processor and finely chop. Add the salt, black pepper, and hot pepper flakes and process to blend. Add the oil, vinegar, and water and continue processing to make a thick sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding salt or vinegar as necessary; the chimichurri should be highly seasoned. Serve within a few hours.

Chicken Stir Fry with Sugar Snap Peas and Peppers

Chicken Stir Fry with Sugar Snap Peas and Peppers

(I added onion to this recipe cause I like onion. Also, I did not have stir fry oil so for the marinade I chopped up some garlic and ginger and sauteed it in 4 tbsp olive oil and added some honey and lime juice. Once I felt like it had mixed together well enough I took it off and added some soy. Sorry for no measurements - I just did it Grandma Wilson style.)

Sugar snap peas and red peppers make this chicken stir fry dish fresh, crisp, and delicious. The light sauce made from a simple mix of chicken broth and soy sauce brings out the natural flavors of the vegetables. This is a classic example of a wonderful stir fry.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs) - we only used two breasts
1 medium red bell pepper
½ lb sugar snap peas
2 tsp cornstarch - this amount was still a little runny. Add more for thicker sauce
2 tbsp stir fry oil - I used olive oil.

Marinade:
2 tsp stir fry oil - see above

Sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp soy sauce

1. Remove all of the fat from the chicken and then cut each breast into 1 inch to 1½ inch pieces.


2. Using your hand (nasty - I used a spoon), mix the stir fry oil into the chicken making sure to coat each piece and then set these pieces aside. (I let it sit for maybe 20 minutes)
   


3. Cut the red pepper in half and remove the stem, seeds, and inner white meat. Rinse the halves under cold water and dry them with paper towels. Then cut them into ½ inch squares and set them aside.


4. Remove the stems from the sugar snap peas, rinse them under cold water, and drain them in a colander. Dry them thoroughly with paper towels and set them aside.


5. In a large cup, mix together the sauce ingredients and set this mixture aside.


6. In a small cup mix the cornstarch with just a little water until it dissolves and set it aside.


7. Heat a wok or non stick pot on high. Once hot, add just 1 tablespoon of the stir fry oil and let it get hot.


8. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and stir fry it for 6 to 8 minutes or until it browns. To brown it quickly and evenly, let it sit for 2 minutes and then stir it, flipping the meat onto the other side, and then let it sit another 2 minutes and stir it again. Continue until completely browned. (With the pieces of ginger and garlic, as well as the honey it will blacken pretty quick. Don't let it sit for to long)
   


9. After the chicken is browned, remove it from the wok and set it aside.


10. Without wiping out the wok, add the remaining tablespoon of stir fry oil and let it get hot. (You may want to scrape out some of the blackened-ness)
    


11. Once the oil is hot add both the red peppers and the sugar snap peas and cook them for 4 minutes. (I added all the veggies at once but probably should have waited on the onion until putting the chicken back in)
    


12. After 4 minutes, return the chicken to the wok, add the sauce mixture and bring everything to a boil.


13. Once it boils, add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thick.


14. Serve with white rice, fried rice, or noodles. Makes about 3 servings.

Chicken with Lemon-Leek Linguine

Made this tonight (11-17-10). Pretty sweeeeet (not flavor wise, coolness wise). Very mild and light.

	Photo: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Chicken with Lemon-Leek Linguine

Add fresh flavors to a weeknight staple with this family-friendly menu. Go vegetarian by subbing vegetable broth and topping with goat cheese.

Other Time: 30 minutes minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 1 cup pasta mixture)


6 ounces uncooked linguine
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 leek, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.

2. Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in flour, shaking to remove excess.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, leek, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 4 minutes. Add broth and juice; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add pasta to leek mixture; toss well to combine. Serve chicken over pasta mixture; sprinkle with parsley.

Soy Sauce Steak Marinade

Although this marinade calls for shis-kebabs we used it over whole steaks and it was pretty awesome!

2 lb round steak - or whatever steak you have
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Blend all ingredients in a blender about 1 minute. Put the marinade and steak in a ziploc for 2 hours. Cut the meat into cubes first if you will be making shis-kebabs.

Lemon-Pepper Chicken

Another Mark Bittman recipe, although he makes it with pork chops (and without the lemon pepper - another delicious recipe).

Two chicken breasts
One tablespoon Lemon Pepper seasoning (whatever kind you can find at the store)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 teaspoons minced shallot
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp lemon juice

Marinate the chicken breasts in the lemon pepper seasoning and 2 tbsps of the olive oil. An hour is plenty of time to marinate.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat for two or three minutes. Add the other two tbsps of oil; as soon as the first wisps of smoke rise from the oil, add the chicken and turn the heat to high. Brown the chicken on both sides, moving them around so they develop good color all over. The entire browning process should take no longer than four minutes, and preferably less.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the wine and the garlic and cook, turning the chops once or twice, until the wine is all but evaporated, about three minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the broth, turn the heat to low, and cover. Cook for 10 or 15 minutes, turning the chicken once or twice, until they are done.

Remove the chicken to a platter. If the pan juices are very thin, cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced slightly. If they are scarce (unlikely), add another 1/2 cup of broth; cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the the pan, until the liquid is reduced slightly. Then stir in the butter over medium heat; add the lemon juice, pour over the chicken, and serve.

We like to make this with mashed potatoes and/or good bread 'cause the sauce is so good that it's selfish to let only the chicken swim in the scrumptiousness.

The Best Skirt Steak Ever

This recipe comes from our friends Barb and Colin (previous owners of Strawberry Street Cafe in Richmond, VA) so we can't claim credit for it. But that doesn't detract from the deliciousness of this steak : ) The directions might seem long but it's an easy method after you do it once.

Three or four hours before you want to eat, throw a skirt steak (a .6 or .7 lb steak is enough for both of us) in some Worcestershire sauce to marinate.

When you're ready to eat, coat the bottom of a pan in olive oil - no need to make the steak swim, just use enough to barely cover the pan - and turn the heat to hi. "Screamin' hot" is how Colin told me to get the pan. You'll want to turn on the fan for this one; it will get smoky.

Pat dry the steak with paper towels. Don't skip this step! It ensures a nice crust on the steak.

When the oil is smoking, put the steak in. Don't move it around a lot - just let it be for the next three minutes. Then turn the steak over and let it cook for another three minutes.

Turn the steak over again and turn the heat down to medium or medium-low. Depending on how you like your steak cooked, let it go another four minutes for roughly medium-rare, six minutes for well done. The steak will probably be thicker on one end than another, so it can easily accommodate people with different tastes.

Take it out of the pan and cover it with foil. Let it rest for five minutes or so before you even think about coming close to it with a knife.

I love it, Josh loves it, Alison loves it. Don't you think you should try it?

Balsamic Vinaigrette

This recipe is our favorite balsamic vinaigrette. It's pretty garlicky so if you like less garlic, you might want to only use one clove. Amounts are guesses here - adjust to taste.

1/4 cup balsamic
1/8 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, through the garlic press or minced
A tablespoon or so of Dijon mustard
About a tablespoon of water
Salt and pepper to taste

Stir it up and pour it on!