Chipotle Lime Chicken with Mexican Style Rice

When I cook rice, I usually use basmati rice. I happen to have both white and brown basmati rice in the pantry right now, and because we all prefer the white, the brown is not getting used up as quickly. I decided to work on using it up...I felt that the nuttier, crunchier texture would work well with a Mexican style rice along with corn, beans (in the freezer) and the 3 soft tomatoes that were in the fridge.

The meat part of the meal consisted of a couple of chicken breasts that I marinated in the juice from the last lime in the house, paired with a bit of honey and dried chipotle. The chicken was grilled, thinly sliced and put on top of the rice.

Make the marinade for the chicken by combining:

Juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon dried chipotle
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons olive oil

Pour the marinade over the chicken breasts, cover and refrigerate while the rice is cooking.

To start the rice, heat some olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan.

Add:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Cook over medium heat until the cumin starts to crack and pop.

Add:

3/4 medium onion, diced

Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion starts to soften, without colouring.

Now add the rice:

2 cups brown basmati rice
1 teaspoon chili powder

Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, until the rice is coated with the olive oil.

Add:

2 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 cups of chicken stock

Bring to a boil.

Add the tomatoes:

3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped.

When the liquid is at a full boil, turn the heat down to simmer, and cover the pot.




Leave the rice to cook, covered, until it is tender; it will still have a bit of a crunch, white rice won't.
If you feel that the liquid is absorbing faster than the rice is cooking, add a bit more liquid as needed.
Taste, and adjust seasoning.

Add:

3/4 cup white kidney beans
3/4 cup frozen corn

Put the lid back on, turn off the heat and allow the heat from the rice to steam the beans and corn, heating them up.




While the rice is cooking, you can grill the chicken breasts. Try and time it so that they are done at the same time...

Grill the chicken on a hot grill. There is enough olive oil in the marinade to prevent sticking.

Save the marinade and use it to baste the chicken as it cooks.

When it is fully cooked, remove the chicken from the BBQ and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing it.




Serve the rice in a bowl, topped with the sliced chicken. I added some diced avocado and grated jalapeno jack cheese, and sprinkled it with chopped green onions.

• Any rice can be used, however short or medium grain rice will result in a stickier end product. Use the right amount of liquid for the type of rice you are using. The post Rice has some guidelines.
• I have a small bottle of chipotle infused olive oil, so I used some of that along with extra virgin olive oil when cooking the rice. Other flavour infused olive oils that can be used include garlic, lime, cilantro. Avocado oil could be used as well.
• Cooking the cumin seeds first toasts them and releases some of the oils, giving a more intense cumin flavour to the dish. Ground cumin could be used instead; add it with the chili powder.
• Keep in mind that the tomatoes will release liquid, so it is better to err on the side of caution. As I mentioned above, you can always add a bit more liquid if you feel that it is needed.
• I only had 1 cup of chicken stock, so I used water for the balance. You can use all water if you like, you can also use vegetable stock.
• Canned tomatoes can be substituted for the fresh; squeeze some of the liquid out and dice them before adding to the rice.
• I use a Mexican chili powder blend. It is full of flavour but not blow-your-head-off spicy. More heat can be added by using dried chili flakes, chipotle chilies (dried or in adobo sauce) or dried ancho chilies.
• My initial plan was to use black beans, but I saw the half can of white kidney beans in the freezer when I was grabbing the corn and used those instead. One less thing to use up! That being said, black beans will add a lovely colour contrast against the rice and corn.
• If you have fresh corn on the cob, grill it and then slice the kernels off and add those instead of frozen corn.
• Diced red peppers, minced cilantro, minced jalapeno peppers would all be good additions to the rice.
• When making the marinade for the chicken, use the adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies if you have some on hand. I used dried chipotle chili.
• Lime zest will intensify the lime in the marinade...the skin of my older lime was a bit too hard to zest, but the inside was extra juicy. Lemon or orange could be used instead of lime.
• No fresh limes? The juice of 1 lime is equal to approximately 2 tablespoons.
• Sour cream, salsa and extra cheese can be passed at the table.
• This was enough to feed 4 people, with leftovers for 2 lunches the next day.

Smashed Garlic and Thyme Roasted Chicken Legs

It was time to use the chicken legs that were in the fridge, so I chose to roast them with smashed fresh garlic and thyme. The legs still had the back attached, so that was used to make gravy. What is best with chicken and gravy? Roast potatoes! I roasted  mine with Thai red curry paste to add a zing, and finished them off with crumbled feta cheese.

Roasting the chicken with the smashed garlic allowed me to use up all the little cloves that are in a bulb of garlic. I find them tedious to deal with and always leave them until I have to use them. This was a perfect chance to use them...

Start off by cutting the backbones off the chicken legs.

Put them into a pan, along with any excess skin and fat. Cook them over a medium heat, stirring often, and removing the fat as it renders.

The skin and meat will start to crisp and brown; this will add a lot of flavour and depth to your gravy.

 I used 3 cloves of garlic per chicken leg; I would use more next time!

Using the flat side of your knife blade, press down on the clove to crush it. This will split the skin as well, and it can then be easily removed.

Strip the leaves from a few sprigs of thyme, lightly crushing them between your fingers as you do so.

Carefully lift the skin over the thigh section of the chicken leg, making a pocket.

Insert 3 cloves of smashed garlic and a few crushed thyme leaves.

Replace the skin.

Place the chicken legs onto a rack inside a roasting pan. That way the chicken won't stew in any fat that is rendered during roasting.

Season lightly with salt and pepper.






Roast the chicken at 375F until cooked through; it took about 75 minutes in my oven. The time will depend on the size of your chicken legs as well. The juices will run clear when the thickest part of the leg is pierced, and an oven thermometer should read at least 165F; I usually aim for 170F. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

You should have crispy skin, and tender juicy meat, with sweet roasted garlic just under the skin. The garlic flavour will permeate the meat as it cooks.

While the chicken is roasting, the potatoes can go in beside them. I used baby red potatoes, cut in half.

Mix together:

2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Toss the potatoes in the curry oil and place into a roasting pan, in a single layer.

Roast until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and tender and fluffy on the inside, about 1 hour.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and crumble the feta cheese over the top. It will soften right away, and you will have a lovely contrast of creamy, salty cheese with spicy, crispy potatoes.

To finish off the gravy, add some sliced onions to the pan and cook them until they soften.

Remove the biggest chunks of bone from the pan as well as any excess fat. Add enough flour to absorb the remaining fat, and allow it to cook for a few minutes.

Add chicken stock, stirring until it starts to boil. Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding more chicken stock. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Strain the gravy to remove any remaining bits of bone, skin and onions, and serve with the chicken and potatoes.

• The amount of garlic you use for each piece of chicken depends on how strong you want the garlic taste to be. It does mellow out as it roasts, and becomes soft, creamy, sweet and nutty. The raw garlic flavour does penetrate the meat as it cooks.
• Crushing the thyme leaves helps to release some of the oils and increases the amount of flavour.
• Any herbs can be used, but try sticking with woody herbs as they can withstand the heat better...rosemary, sage, thyme.
• Herb butter can be used instead of garlic and thyme...insert a small amount under the skin. It will melt as it roasts, releasing the flavours into the meat, and increasing the crispiness of the skin due to the extra fat from the butter.
• The chicken can be roasted on a bed of vegetables, such as diced carrots, celery and onions. This will add flavour to the meat, and the vegetables can be added to the chicken bones in the gravy, before thickening it with flour. 
• I find that the fat in the chicken skin is sufficient to achieve a crispy outside. You can drizzle the chicken with a bit of olive oil before putting it into the oven if you like to achieve an even crispier skin.
• The Thai red curry paste is full of spices and flavour, so I did not add any extra salt or pepper. The feta cheese is also salty from the brine, so keep that in mind as well. I usually rinse the brine from the feta cheese by running it under cold water, but the saltiness can still be quite intense.
• I used red Thai curry, if you have yellow or green they can be substituted. Curry powder, garam masala or tandoori masala could also be used. 
• If you have chili oil, consider using that instead of olive oil.
• For the gravy, the more colour you have on the bones before adding the onions, the better. The colour is caused by caramelization and this is what adds the depth of flavour. I had 5 chicken backbones and I used half an onion. Herbs and other vegetables such as celery and carrots can also be added to the bones.
• Leftover chicken is perfect for lunch or picnics; pulled off the bone and used to make soups, pasta sauces, added to quesadillas, wraps or sandwhiches.

Almond Cornmeal Cake with Raspberries

Back to the ground almonds and buttermilk...and after this cake I have succeeded in using both of them up. I wanted to make some kind of cake, but had no butter...I used olive oil, which may sound strange to some people, but it gives a light texture and taste to the cake, and is used in baking more often than you might think. The taste of olive oil can hardly be distinguished once the cake has finished baking.

I chose to add in some of the frozen raspberries from our berry picking adventure last year; it's time to pick more and these are just about all gone. Why not speed things up a bit?

The cornmeal and almonds give a slight crunchy texture to the moist, tender cake and the raspberries add a bit of tartness. The cake is not overly sweet, and the hint of lemon accents the raspberries and almonds.

Start by turning the oven on to 350F to pre-heat. Line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup ground almonds
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients:

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
zest of half a lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup olive oil

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and using a rubber spatula, gently fold them together.

When the wet and dry ingredients are almost completely combined, gently fold in:

3/4 cup frozen raspberries

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Put the cake into the oven and bake until golden, starting to crack on the top, and a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out dry.

This takes between 25 - 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, and carefully run a knife around the outside. Remove the outside ring and allow the cake to cool.








Allow the cake to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Dust the top with icing sugar if you want a slightly sweeter effect. We enjoyed it as it was, warm out of the oven.

• The almonds can be omitted if you like; the cornmeal will still give the crunchy texture that is such a lovely contrast to the tender, moist cake.
• Other nuts could be used...pinenuts, lightly toasted or hazelnuts are two good choices.
• If you have access to nut oils, use them instead of olive oil. For stronger tasting oils such as hazelnut you might want to consider using half hazelnut and half olive oil. Paired with ground hazelnuts this will really bring out the hazelnut in your cake.
• If the thought of baking with olive oil still seems strange, use an equal amount of vegetable oil or melted butter. The butter will increase the richness of the cake.
• I used 1/4 cup lemon olive oil and 1/4 extra virgin olive oil. This emphasized the lemon zest, while still maintaining it as a background flavour.
• Almond extract can be used with, or instead of, the vanilla extract.
• Buttermilk can be used for the whole liquid portion of the recipe. Milk and sour cream could also be used.
• With summer in full swing, fresh raspberries are available...use these instead of frozen. Other fruits that could be used are blackberries, blueberries or chopped fresh peaches.
• Dried fruits such as raisins, chopped apricots, figs or prunes can be soaked in juice, sweet wine or liqueur and folded into the batter.
• Chopped fresh rosemary, ground black pepper or orange zest are other flavouring choices if you have no lemons. When adding rosemary, less is more, as the flavour is strong and will overpower everything else. 
• The cake is best served warm or at room temperature, for breakfast, coffee or dessert. Add fresh berries and whipped cream when serving it as a dessert.
• A glaze made by mixing together 3/4 cup icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice can be made and poured over the top of the cooled cake.

Grilled Pizza Crusts

When the weather is at it's hottest and you have a craving for homemade pizza, forget about the oven, and head out to the BBQ. These crusts are so quick (once the rising has taken place, and in this heat even that is quick)...they are on the grill for 2 minutes at the most, and then toppings are added and it's back onto the grill (or into the oven if you must).

This crust is thin, it reminds me of a cross between pita bread and naan bread, and I enjoy the irregular shapes as it shows that they truly are homemade.

Pizza is also a great opportunity to finish off those bits and pieces that are in the fridge...you can set out a selection of toppings, cheese and sauces and allow people to assemble their own pizza. This is what I usually do, but this time I had enough toppings to make 3 specific types and wanted to be sure that everything was used.

We had a choice of:

•  prosciutto, blue cheese and grilled asparagus (using up the blue cheese and asparagus)
• grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic and Asiago cheese (2 artichoke hearts left from the pasta the other night, a small amount of Asiago and some of the excessive amounts of garlic I have bought recently)
• Italian sausage, tomatoes and roasted red pepper (this took care of the cooked sausage in the freezer and the half of a roasted red pepper in the fridge)

I also used up all of the grated mozzarella that was in the freezer, and the 1/2 cup of  Basic Tomato Sauce  that was in the fridge.

Start off by making the dough for the crusts.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine:

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup warm water

Leave until the yeast starts to foam. This only takes a couple of minutes.

Add:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 - 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
pinch of chili flakes

Add:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 - 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Use the dough hook to mix the dough, allowing it to knead while you gradually add the flour. Knead until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough that forms a rough ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for a couple of minutes until it is smooth and elastic, and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed.

Shape the dough into a ball, and place into a lightly oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and leave it to rise.

When the dough has doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours) , lightly punch it down and place it on a lightly floured counter again.

Divide the dough into 6 even pieces, and shape them into balls.

I doubled the recipe, so I made 12 pizza crusts.







Before you begin rolling the dough, have a couple of baking sheets ready, with parchment paper to layer between the crusts as you roll them out. This makes it easy to remove the crusts from the tray when it is time to grill them.

Roll each ball of dough out on the lightly floured counter; use just enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter and rolling pin.

Roll the dough into circles, as thin as possible. You will find that the crust springs back to a smaller size. This is because the dough needs to relax a bit more.

Place the rolled crusts onto the parchment covered baking sheet, layering parchment paper in between.

When all of the dough balls have been rolled, it is time to do a second and final roll.

Starting with the first crust you rolled, roll each one out again, as thin as possible. They will hold their shape better this time. If not, leave them to rest for another 5 minutes.

You will end up with crusts that are between 8" and 9" in diameter, and more than likely, not perfectly round.




I like to turn the BBQ on when I am about to start the second roll, this way it is really hot when you start grilling the crusts.

  
Place the crusts carefully on to the hot grill. I can fit 4 at a time on mine.

Close the lid and leave the crusts for about 45 seconds. There should be a nice set of grill marks on the bottom side. Lift each crust and rotate it 90 degrees. This will give a cross mark grill pattern.

Close the lid again, and leave for about 20 - 30 seconds. When you see the dough puffing up in the middle, it is time to flip it over.

Flip the crusts, close the lid and leave for another 30 - 45 seconds.

The crusts are now done. Remove them and place on a clean tray.

Place onto a wire rack inside and allow to fully cool before topping and reheating.







Once the toppings have been put onto the crust, the pizza can be put back onto the BBQ on a low heat. This allows the toppings and crust to heat through without burning the bottom. This works best if the BBQ is closed, so that it creates a similar environment to an oven. I keep a small block of wood handy to prop the lid open a bit, because unlike an oven the temperature does not regulate and it will get too hot inside.

You can also put the pizza onto a baking sheet and into the oven, at 350F until heated through. Doing it this way the cheese tends to get a bit more golden and/or crispy. On the BBQ it just melts, giving a gooey effect.

Prosciutto, grilled asparagus and blue cheese

Grilled chicken breast, roasted garlic, artichoke hearts and Asiago cheese

Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled with fresh tomatoes and roasted red pepper

• I made 12 pizzas, way too much for 4 people, but as planned, there were leftovers for lunches...2 days in a row!
• The crusts can be made, grilled and frozen for another time. It is worth it to do this, as it saves a ton of time. The crusts can also be pulled out of the freezer, topped and baked at the last minute.
• I used basil and chili flakes in the crust; use any herb you choose. Sometimes I add 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper and a small handful of grated Parmesan. Roasted garlic or crushed fennel seeds would be good options to consider.
• The wholewheat flour is optional, you can use all white flour. If you do want the wholewheat flour, do not use all wholewheat as it does not stretch and rise as well as all purpose flour does, and you will have a very heavy, unappetizing pizza crust.
• Olive oils that are infused with different flavours, such as herbs, chili, lemon, garlic are widely available now. If you are able to purchase some, use it in the dough. Other oils such as vegetable, avocado or nut oils can also be used if you like.
• There is no need to oil the grill or the dough before cooking the crusts. The outside of the dough crisps up and forms a thin crusty layer immediately.
• Make sure that the hot crusts get put onto a wire rack as soon as possible or they will start to steam and become soggy.
• I often use purchased pizza sauce, but used Basic Tomato Sauce this time as I had some in the fridge. Other sauces that can be used are Basil Pesto, tomato paste with tandoori spices mixed in, cream sauce, butter chicken sauce or meat sauce.
• Make your own pizza is a great kids party idea...put the grilled crust onto a plate and give the kids plenty of time and space to assemble their own pizza. After it has been baked, eating the  pizza is almost as much fun as making it was! This is messy, but it's an excellent way to have kids try out new things, or things they don't often eat, such as broccoli, tomato or zucchini.
• Making your own pizza is so much more fun and rewarding than ordering pizza, you know exactly what's in it, and you can give new meaning to the phrase 'personal pizza'.