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Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios

made by Loren
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s!! recipe in Food & Wine.
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 cup quinoa
1 cup Bhutanese red rice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup dried apricots (diced), cherries or cranberries
1-2 Navel Oranges, supremed and cut into small pieces
1 large or 2 small red beets
Bring 2 medium saucepans of salted water to a boil. I added 1 ½” chunks of beet to the red rice water, for color, removing them after it was sufficiently red, before adding the rice.Add the quinoa to 1 saucepan and the red rice to the other.
Cover and simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 12 minutes for the quinoa and 35 minutes for the rice. Drain the grains and spread them out on baking sheets to cool.
While grains are cooking, grate the rest of the beets and put aside.
Step 2   
In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
Step 3 
In a large bowl, combine the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, garlic and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the quinoa, rice, onion, and shaved beets. This can sit for 1-2 hours before serving. Add apricots, pistachios and scallions and lettuce just before serving.
Make Ahead
The cooked quinoa and rice and the dressing can be refrigerated separately overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.
Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Homemade Thin Mint-Inspired Cookies

Makes 2 dozen

For the cookies:

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract

For dipping:

  • 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I used 1/2 Hershey’s special dark and half Ghirardelli 60% or 72%, I can’t remember now)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons peppermint extract (or more/less depending on your taste) (I used 1.5 ts)
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about five minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the peppermint extract, then mix to combine.
  4. In two additions, add the flour/cocoa mixture to the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Beat until just combined and still slightly crumbly. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten slightly, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.
  5. After the dough has chilled, roll out on a well-floured surface to 1/4-inch thick. Cut dough using a small round cutter (if you want to go true Thin Mint, go for one with fluted edges). Gather scraps and reroll, adding more flour if necessary. You should get about two dozen small cookies. (Not only did I multiply the recipe by 6x or 8X but I rolled it closer to 1/8, which was too thin and made way too many cookies)
  6. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets and bake 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on pans. They will seem very crumbly when you pull them out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool.
  7. After cookies have cooled, melt chocolate in a double boiler until smooth. Stir in peppermint extract, to taste.
  8. Using a fork, dip cookies in chocolate, coating both sides and allowing excess to drip off. Place on a wire baking rack to dry. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Posted on » by Dino » Theme:

Tandoori-Style Chicken

Recipe from J. Kenji Lopéz-Alt at Serious Eats – The Food Lab

Notes

The moment that Red theme was drawn my gut instinct was to make Tandoori Chicken. When it was determined that Red theme night would be held at our place, I went straight to the Serious Eats site figuring that they may have a recommendation as to how to make the dish without owning a Tandoor oven.

Serious Eats noted that the special feature of the oven is that it can get to 900°F which you can achieve at home using a conventional charcoal grill. I used these Weber Char Baskets to bundle the coals just an inch or so under my grill to get it the hottest possible temperature. I was very happy with the results, and the marinate seemed to be spot-on to replicate this dish.

The spice blend calls for toasted ground cumin, toasted paprika, and toasted ground coriander seed. We toasted these ourselves in a shallow frying pan until the oils were released and then allowed them to cool.

Ingredients

    • 4 Cornish game hens, about 1½-pounds each
    • 2 tablespoons toasted ground cumin
    • 2 tablespoons toasted paprika
    • 1 tablespoon toasted ground coriander seed
    • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1 tablespoon achiote or a few drops red food coloring (optional)
    • 8 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane grater
    • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated on a microplane grater
    • 2 cups yogurt
    • ½ cup lemon juice
    • ¼ cup kosher salt
    • Thinly sliced raw onion
    • ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
    • 2 lemons or limes, cut into wedges

Directions

  1. Toast the ground cumin, paprika, and ground coriander seeds in a shallow frying pan until the oils are released. Move to a bowl and allow to cool.
  2. Using sharp kitchen shears, remove the backs from the Cornish hens. Press down firmly on center of breasts until wishbone cracks and they lie flat.
  3. Peel skin off of hens, then using a sharp knife– Tandoori chicken is traditionally cooked with the skin off. While for most methods of cooking chicken this would be a bad idea (skin is an insulator that prevents dry breast meat from becoming tough or stringy), with tandoori chicken, the thick yogurt-based marinade helps to prevent the meat from drying out.
  4. Make deep incisions at 1-inch intervals all over the flesh. By slashing it with a sharp knife at regular intervals along its surface (make sure to slash against the grain), you greatly increase the area in which the marinade can flavor it.
  5. Arrange legs so that they are pointing up towards the top of the breast. Use two long metal or wooden skewers (don’t expect them not to burn in the high heat needed for this type of cooking) to secure legs and breasts in place. Place in a large rimmed baking dish.
  6. Combine cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, achiote or red food coloring, garlic, ginger, yogurt, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour marinade all over Cornish hens, using hands to coat every surface. cover loosely and refrigerate. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 8, turning occasionally.
  7. Ignite a large chimney starter full of charcoal and allow to burn until all coals are ignited. Spread coals evenly under one side of grill (or use char baskets) and set grill grate in place. Cover and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Brush grill grates clean.
  8. Wipe excess marinade off of hens then place meaty-side down directly over the coals. Cover partially and allow to cook until deeply charred on first side, 7 to 10 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until hens register 145°F in the thickest part of the breast and 165 to 170°F in the legs, about 5 minutes longer (for larger chickens, transfer to cooler side of grill, cover, and continue cooking until desired temperature is reached). I use a wireless dual-probe thermometer for cooking on the grill– I put one probe in the largest breast, one in the largest thigh, and set my receiver to the appropriate temperatures.
  9. Remove hens to a large cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest for five minutes. Remove skewers and using a heavy knife or cleaver, chop each hen into 8 serving-sized pieces. Serve immediately with onions, cilantro, and lemon wedges.