Grilled Maple Teriyaki Chicken

We had friends over this weekend to barbecue and one friend requested that we incorporate my Maple Teriyaki Sauce into the meal somehow. I decided to marinate chicken breast in the sauce and grill it on skewers.

The meat tenderizes and brines as it marinates in the teriyaki sauce. Maple flavor absorbs hints of smoke from the barbecue and fresh ginger adds just a enough spice to make things interesting. A final application of teriyaki sauce caramelizes and thickens, resulting in savory-sweet goodness – a nice change of pace from the usual barbecue players.

Maple Teriyaki Barbecued Chicken – serves  4

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
Yankee Cook’s Maple Teriyaki Sauce (below)

Prepare the sauce as directed and reserve 1/4 cup. Cut the chicken into 2″ pieces and place in a shallow, non-reactive dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the meat so that all of the pieces are well coated. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Skewer the chicken, 3 to 4 pieces per stick. Place on a 400 degree grill and allow to cook 3 to 5 minutes. Flip the skewers and allow them to cook for another 3 minutes. Brush with the reserved sauce. Flip again and brush the other side.

Serve with a salad or grilled vegetables.

Yankee Cook’s Maple Teriyaki Sauce – makes about 1 1/2 cups

1/2 C tamari soy sauce
1/2 C mirin
4 T maple syrup
2 T toasted sesame oil
2 T grated ginger

For marinade: Whisk all ingredients together until well blended. Pour over meat or fish in a shallow non-reactive dish. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.

For thick teriyaki sauce: If making just the sauce, continue by simmering over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, thickening to desired consistency.

Veal Scallopine

Sure, this recipe is a tiny bit similar to last week’s stuffed chicken. To be honest, I’m feeling a little uninspired these days. It’s been a long winter and I’m just biding my time until our farmers market opens. I’m really looking forward to the availability of fresh local produce again.

Veal Scallopine is a quick dish. Cutlets are thin and take only a few minutes to cook, so while this is not necessarily a summer recipe, it’s not one to heat up the whole kitchen.

The key to this dish is the sauce. White wine and lemon juice are used to deglaze the pan and add punch. Capers lend their caperyness for salty little bursts.

Veal Scallopine – serves 2

1/4 C flour
1/2 t salt
3/4 – 1 lb thinly sliced veal (4 -  6 cutlets)
2 T lemon juice
1/3 C white wine
3 T capers
2 – 4 T olive oil

Combine the flour and salt in a shallow bowl. Dredge each veal cutlet, shake off the excess and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the veal for 2 minutes on each side. Place cooked cutlets on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.

Pour wine and lemon juice into the frying pan, using a spatula, scrape up any bits and mix it into the wine mixture as the alcohol cooks off. Add the capers and simmer for another minute.

Plate the veal, partially cover with the sauce and serve.

Ingredient origins: Flour – Vermont; Sea salt – Italy; Veal – unknown; Lemon – Mexico; Wine – California; Capers – Italy; Olive oil – Italy (See? This is why it’s frustrating to be a locavore in a temperate zone!)

Vegetable Beef Lo Mein

There’s something about eating noodles with chopsticks that, to me, has always seemed supremely exotic and fun. I know that sounds provincial, as quite literally half of the world eats noodles with chopsticks as an everyday occurrence and thinks nothing of it.

Growing up in the 80’s though, in suburban New England, films in which New Yorkers ate Chinese take-out straight from the box with chopsticks, always made me want Chinese food. Now, when I find myself in a standard American Chinese restaurant, I can’t pass up the lo mein. But, as with any food, I like to know what’s in it and where it came from, so I like to make my own Lo Mein at home.

This is a colorful dish, great to serve as a main course. The beef tenderizes as it marinates in ginger and soy sauce, resulting in satisfyingly tender chunks of beef. Bell peppers and snow peas add color and the udon noodles offer the perfect tooth.

Vegetable Beef Lo Mein – serves 4-6

1 1/2 lb well-marbled beef sirloin tips, cut against the grain into 1 inch cubes
1/4 C soy sauce
1 T grated ginger
1 8 oz package udon noodles
2 T olive oil
1 red bell pepper
1 orange or yellow bell pepper
1 C snap peas, de-strung
1 onion, chopped

Combine the ginger and soy sauce, and toss with the beef. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles as directed. Drain, rinse and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the colander. Set aside.

Over medium-low heat, caramelize the onions for 10 minutes. Add the peppers and snow peas. Cook for an additional 10 minutes until the colors become vibrant, watching the heat to be sure not to burn the vegetables. Remove from heat.

In a deep sauté pan or shallow stock pot, bring the olive oil to a shimmer over medium-high heat. Add the beef, lower the heat to medium/medium-low and saute for 10 – 12 minutes, until the juices begin to thicken.

Add the noodles to the beef and toss. Turn off the heat, add the vegetables and toss.

Serve hot.

Beef Empanadas

I made a lovely locally raised, grass-fed top round roast the other day. I should say, it was lovely, until I tragically overcooked it. Horrors, I know.

What do you do when life gives you overcooked grass-fed top round roast? Make empanadas. That’s what I always say.

This is a good recipe for any leftover beef, overcooked or not. But, if the meat is a little on the dry or tough side, the acidity in the vinegar and tomato paste will help to break down it as it rests in the fridge.

It seems a little odd to add raisins to a meat dish, doesn’t it? Go with me on this one though. Raisins lend little bursts of sweetness, while cured black olives – I like oily, wrinkly Gaetas – bring a briny punch. Together as a team, they give empanadas a nice balance.

Beef Empanadas - makes 8

2 C diced roast beef
2 T olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 T vinegar
2 T tomato paste
1 t ground cumin
1 t smoked paprika
1/2 t granulated garlic
2 C all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 C shortening, chilled
1/2 C cold water
1/4 C raisins
10 cured black olives, pitted and minced (the brinier the better)
1 egg, beaten

Sweat the onions and diced jalapeno in olive oil on low to medium-low heat, being careful not to let them brown.

Combine the vinegar, tomato paste and spices in a small bowl.

In a larger bowl toss the meat with the spice mixture and sauteed vegetables. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the pastry: Pulse the flour, salt and shortening in a food processor until it has the texture of cornmeal. Gradually pour the water into the feed tube while the dough spins. Turn the dough out and form it into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and slice into eight discs. Roll each one out to about 7 or 8 inches in diameter, they should be about a 1/4 of an inch thick.

Remove the beef mixture from the refrigerator and toss with the raising and olive (we’re doing this after the big chill to avoid the raisins from macerating).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Working one by one, scoop a slightly heaping 1/4 cup of the beef mixture onto one side of a round of dough. Fold the dough over and press the edges together. Starting from one end, fold the dough over itself along the edge and pinch it slightly to form a seal. Place each empanada onto a greased baking sheet.

Brush each one with the beaten egg.

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until lightly golden in color.

Serve with a nice big dollop of sour cream and a nice big glass of sangria.

Ingredient origins: beef – Maine; egg – New Hampshire; vinegar and flour – Vermont; yellow onion – California; green onion and jalapeno pepper – Mexico; smoked paprika – Spain; olive oil, olives, tomato paste and sea salt – Italy; shortening, raisins, granulated garlic and cumin – unknown

Sautéed Lamb Rib Chops

We’ve always been ham people for Easter, and I’d always been just fine with that until the year my parents started serving a spiral cut thing that came with a little packet of high fructose corn syrup glaze. How can you not visualize it spinning on a lathe in a factory? Now that we celebrate on our own, I’ve become slightly more adventurous, if you can call lamb adventurous.

These are great to serve to guests, Easter or not, because lamb rib chops couldn’t look unappetizing if they tried. Propped up on a cloud of mashed tubers or root vegetables, lamb rib chops always look impressive and inviting. We served them with a combination of mashed potatoes and parsnips, which offered a lovely sweetness to complement the lamb’s aromatic flavor. The dish is finished with a piquant wine sauce which is made by deglazing the pan.

Sautéed Lamb Rib Chops – serves 2

1 – 1 lb frenched rack of lamb ribs (8 ribs)
3 T + 1 T olive oil
3 T herbs de Provence
1 t sea salt
1/2 C dry white wine
1 t butter

Dry the rack with a paper towel. Divide into individual ribs by separating them between each bone. Place on a large plate and douse with olive oil, salt and herbs and massage until well coated. Refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat the additional tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the chops. Lower heat to medium, being careful not to burn. Sear for 2 – 4 minutes per side depending on preference for doneness.

Transfer the chops from the pan to a warmed platter. Allow to rest in a warm place at least 10 minutes while the sauce is made.

Drain the pan of excess fat. Increase heat to high. Add wine to the skillet and, using a wooden (or metal, just as long as it’s not plastic) spatula, scrape any bits from the pan. Reduce for 1 minute. Lower heat to medium heat and continue to reduce for 4 minutes. Swirl the butter into the wine mixture, and stir into the sauce until well incorporated.

Drizzle sauce over chops and serve with a nice grassy Sauvignon Blanc.

Ingredient origins: Lamb – New Zealand (I know. Not local at all. It’s terrible. I’m sorry, okay?); Olive oil – Italy; Herbs de Provence -Maryland; Sea salt – Maine; Wine – California; Butter – Maine