Chicken with Lemon Pomegranate Sauce and Pistachio Rice

Last Year's Post:  Spinach, Squash and Apple Salad

Two Years Ago:   Wild Mushroom and Gruyere Quiche

I've had pomegranates before, as well as pomegranate juice, but not pomegranate sauce.  When I encountered this recipe, I thought the sauce would be bright red, relatively thick and sweet-tart, much like pomegranate seeds.  The reality, however, is something quite different - the recipe uses pomegranate molasses (a new ingredient for me) and lemon juice without any sugar at all to create a very bright, puckery sauce that's more like a vinaigrette.  I was a little concerned that it might need a touch of honey when I tasted it on it's own, but it was perfect when paired with the chicken - a very bright and interesting balance of flavors.

Who doesn't need another chicken recipe?  This one is healthy but also somewhat exotic with Middle Eastern flavors of pomegranate, cardamom, pistachios and dried fruits to get you out of your chicken rut.  And it's very fast to make - around 30 minutes all told - so it works for a weekday meal.

You can find pomegranate molasses in some upscale grocers (I found mine at Whole Foods), natural food stores, and of course Middle Eastern markets.

The sauce would also make a be great with pork or shrimp, and I can even see it as a salad dressing (it might need a touch of honey as a dressing but that's up to you).

Chicken with Pomegranate Lemon Sauce and Pistachio Rice

Serves 4

For the Sauce:

3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

½ teaspoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the Chicken:

2 large chicken breasts or 4 chicken cutlets

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Rice:

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2/3 cup long-grain white rice

1 1/3 cups chicken broth

4 tablespoons pistachios nuts, toasted lightly and chopped

4 tablespoons golden raisins, currants, dried cranberries (or a combination)

4 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

Salt and pepper

To make the sauce, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl to combine; set aside.

Next start the rice:  in a small heavy saucepan cook the onion with the turmeric and cardamom in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened.  Add the rice and cook, stirring, until coated with butter.  Add the broth, bring the liquid to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.  Stir in the pistachios, dried fruit, green onions, and salt and pepper to taste.

While the rice is cooking, cook the chicken: cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally to form four cutlets (skip this step if you already have cutlets).  Salt and pepper both sides.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chicken and sauté for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.

To serve, divide the rice between plates and top each with a chicken cutlet.  Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Turkey Farro Salad with Candied Chickpeas

Last Year's Post: Couscous with Turkey or Chicken
Two Years Ago:   Turkey & Pomegranate Salad

I happen to think that turkey is highly under-rated as an every day meat as opposed to a special occasion meat.  It's cheap, healthy, readily available, and kids and adults like it equally.  Maybe one problem is the sheer volume of leftovers when you cook an entire turkey, but these days you can buy a split turkey breast or even turkey tenderloins.  These two turkey tenderloins weighed .60 lb, cost $3.29, and will feed four people as part of this recipe.  Not bad.

Of course, this is also a great recipe if you have leftover turkey and is a total change from a big heavy holiday dinner.  The salad is light but complex with fresh greens, chewy farro, fresh and dried fruits, creamy blue cheese, and candied chickpeas in addition to the turkey.  I really liked the candied chickpeas because they have a hint of sweetness and a hint of spice from the pepper.  But if you don't want to go to the bother of roasting them, substitute sweet/spicy nuts of any type that are coarsely chopped, or even plain roasted pecans or walnuts.  The chickpeas are interesting but nuts will have more crunch.

Speaking of substitutions, if you don't happen to have farro any other chewy grain will work - bulgur, quinoa, wheatberries, or even wild rice.  You can also substitute fresh clementines that are peeled and cut up instead of mandarin oranges, but I just happen to like mandarin oranges.  And you could add some kale to the lettuce, or substitute it entirely.

Cook the turkey in advance and place the tenderloins and pan juices in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for an hour or so.  The juices get reabsorbed and the turkey will cut perfectly.  If you also make the farro and candied chickpeas in advance, this becomes a really fast meal to pull together any day of the week.

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Turkey Farro Salad with Candied Chickpeas

Serves 4

1/2 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1/8 cup packed brown sugar

¼  cup olive oil plus 1 ½ tablespoons, divided

Salt and ground black pepper

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 turkey tenderloins (1 pound total) or leftover cooked turkey

½ cup uncooked farro

1 ½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 large Gala, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp apple, cored and thinly sliced

2 romaine hearts, chopped (8 cups)

1 can mandarin oranges (drained), or 2 fresh clementines, peeled and cut up

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 ounce high-quality blue cheese, crumbled (1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Drain and rinse beans, then spread on a kitchen towel to dry thoroughly. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper and spread beans in a single layer in pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar, ½ tablespoon of oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; stir to coat beans evenly. Roast for 50 minutes or until amber colored, stirring twice for even browning. Remove and cool in pan.

Sprinkle poultry seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt over turkey. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and add turkey. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until done (165 degrees F), turning occasionally to brown evenly.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan bring farro and broth to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer according to package directions until tender but chewy. Drain off any liquid; cool.

In a small bowl or jar, add the lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, mustard and ¼ teaspoon salt.  Whisk (or shake the jar) until blended.

When ready to serve, thinly slice the turkey.  Add apples and romaine to a large bowl and add enough dressing to coat, then toss gently. Transfer salad to a platter or plates. Arrange turkey, farro, and chickpeas over greens. Top with oranges, cranberries, and blue cheese.

Grilled Salmon with Kale and Maple Mustard Vinaigrette

Last Year's Post:  Fresh Cherry Hand Pies
Two Years Ago:   Chicken Curry

If you're one of the people who are still less than enthused about kale even thought you're perfectly aware that it's very good for you, I think I can help.  There are three secrets to making kale taste good:  buy Tuscan kale (also called Lacinato or dinosaur kale), slice it thinly, and add some sweetness to the dish.  Tuscan kale is more tender and less bitter than curly kale (which I think tends to be tough), and slicing it into thin shreds takes care of any chewiness.

 Adding a slight element of sweetness helps to further counter-act the bitterness.  In this recipe, I added dried fruits and freeze-dried corn for texture, taste and sweetness but the real star was the maple mustard vinaigrette.  I've used maple mustard glazes or sauces in the past, but this particular recipe is by far the best I've ever tried.  I think it has something to do with the proportions of the ingredients but also this is the first time I've tried a recipe that includes soy sauce.  Whatever the reason, this will now be my standard go-to vinaigrette for any salad that includes bitter ingredients such as kale or radicchio, it's that good.

The vinaigrette complemented both the salmon and the kale, but the key is to use it sparingly with the kale because the flavors are bold.  Use just enough to moisten the salad - don't drown it in vinaigrette.  Then serve the remainder on the side to drizzle over the salmon.  I found the vinaigrette recipe in "Eating Well" magazine and it had a review from one woman who tried cutting the amount of oil in half to reduce the fat content.  She reported that the result was fantastic but she felt the key was to use walnut oil because it's more flavorful than canola.  I had some pistachio oil in the refrigerator that I wanted to use up so that's what I tried (in the original proportions) and it was fabulous.  Yes, it's a fair amount of oil but it serves four people with some left over for another day.  By the way, walnut oil is completely delicious so it's worth buying - look for it with the other oils in your store.

Freeze-dried corn can typically be found in small bags in the produce section along with other dried fruits and vegetables.  It's a recent discovery for me and I love how it adds sweetness, color and crunch to a variety of recipes.  If you don't feel like buying it, just leave it out and the dish was still be delicious.

All in all I was very pleased with the flavor, presentation and healthy benefits of this meal.  I knew it was a winner when The Lawyer asked if there was more kale to have as a salad the next day.  And by the way, it did make a great lunch salad with just the kale, vinaigrette, a little leftover flaked salmon and a few leftover sliced almonds.

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Grilled Salmon with Kale and Maple Mustard Vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette:

1/2 c walnut oil or canola oil
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c cider vinegar
2 T mustard
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

For the salmon and kale

4 (6 oz) pieces salmon

Olive oil, for brushing salmon

Salt and pepper

1 bunch Tuscan (Lacinato) kale, leaves stripped off steams and thinly sliced

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup dried currants or raisins

¼ cup toasted sliced almonds

½ cup freeze-dried corn

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Preheat a grill to medium high.  Brush the salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place the salmon skin-side-down on the grill and grill for 4 minutes, then flip and grill for 2 ½ minutes more until nicely grill-marked.    Remove from the grill.

Toss the kale, cranberries, and currants with just enough vinaigrette to moisten, then divide among four plates or shallow bowls. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds and dried corn.  Remove the skin from the salmon and place one piece on top of each plate.  Serve, passing the remaining vinaigrette on the side for drizzling over the salmon.