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Hi Everybody,
It rains every late afternoon now, making it feel like a rainforest. I'm not complaining, as long as the plants are happy and thriving, I'm happy.
Tonight I figured we would enjoy Chicken Romantico, Carrot Souffle, Papas Brava and a light salad. And later with a nice cuppa a slice of Northwest Pear Bread with Maple Walnut Butter.
Enjoy!
CHICKEN ROMANTICO
Make 6 servings
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
FOR THE MARINADE:
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. chopped basil
1 tsp. chopped oregano
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
FOR THE FILLING:
2 cups shredded Fontina cheese
1 bag fresh spinach leaves
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper (to taste)
Cut a slit horizontally on each breast. Cover with a mixture of honey, oil, lemon juice and all the seasonings. Coat well and cover with plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
WHEN READY TO COOK:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a casserole.
In a bowl, mix together the cheese, spinach, bell pepper and garlic. Stuff the pockets of the breasts with the cheese mixture and place in the casserole.
Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle water with your hands over chicken and bake another 10 minutes or until done.
CARROT SOUFFLE
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
salt (to taste)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. flour
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. Spice Blend*
Cook carrots in small saucepot in salted water covered until tender. Drain.
Combine with butter in a blender or food processor and process till smooth.
Combine the sugar, baking powder, flour, eggs and vanilla in a bowl. Mix well and add to the pureed carrots and mix well. Spoon mixture into a greased baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
*Spice Blend is a jar of spice I bought at Pier One a couple of years ago. When I went back to get more, they were out. Luckily I kept the jar with the ingredients and now I make my own. It is simply equal portions of: ground coriander, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, sugar, aniseed, fennel seeds, and ground ginger. (I grind it in the coffee grinder.) It is fabulous.
PAPAS BRAVA
This is an old Spanish recipe for potatoes, these are good in the morning with breakfast eggs. They are also good as an accompaniment to a meat dish.
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 to 4 potatoes, washed, peeled and sliced
salt and ground black pepper (to taste)
ground cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 Tbsp. parsley
paprika
Saute onions, bell pepper and garlic in oil for 5 minutes.
Add potatoes and seasonings and toss to coat well. Adjust the cayenne pepper to your taste. Cover as the steam will tenderize the potatoes, at first cook over medium heat and as they cook, turn to low.
NORTHWEST PEAR BREAD WITH MAPLE WALNUT BUTTER
Source: Pear Bureau Northwest
2 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Bosc Pear, cored and grated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (plus 1/4 cup chopped walnuts for garnish)
1 Bosc Pear, cored and sliced (for top garnish)
1/4 cup honey (for glaze)
Maple Walnut Butter (for serving, recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a metal loaf pan.
Beat together until light and fluffy, the eggs, oil, and sugar. Add vanilla and grated pear.
In a second bowl combine all dry ingredients and walnuts. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients stirring just to moisten. Spoon into the prepared pan. Arrange pear sliced on top and sprinkle with 1/4 cup nuts.
Bake 50-60 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool 15 minutes before removing from pan.
Brush with honey. Serve with Maple Walnut Butter.
MAPLE WALNUT BUTTER
Makes approx. 1 1/2 cups
1 cup maple syrup
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
In a small saucepot boil syrup with whole cinnamon 8-10 minutes, until the syrup has reached soft-ball stage. Remove from heat and remove cinnamon. Whisk in butter until opaque and thickened. Stir in walnuts. Chill to firm.
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