Arroz Con Pollo

Last Year's Post: Spicy Homemade Peanut Butter
Two Years Ago:  Gingered Turkey and Spinach Salad

Arroz Con Pollo (air-oz cohn poy-oh) is a traditional dish from Latin America and the Caribbean.  The translation from Spanish is "chicken with rice" but that's not nearly as fun to say.  Although there are many variations, chicken, rice, saffron, tomatoes and olives are standard.  This particular recipe also has peas and I switched out bone-in skin-on chicken pieces in favor of boneless skinless chicken thighs, which are healthier and easier to eat.

The taste reminds me somewhat of paella because both dishes have rice and saffron, but paella traditionally is seafood-based.  Another difference is the addition of the citrus juices used to marinate the chicken, a technique common in Latin America.  Although I don't consider this dish to be particularly fancy, it's very flavorful and a departure from your everyday chicken recipes, plus the fragrance from the saffron is wonderful.

It's not at all difficult but including the marinating time, this dish takes a little over two hours to prepare so if you need to have dinner on the table fast after work you might want to either make this in advance or plan to serve it on a weekend.  It reheats perfectly by the way, and leftovers make great work lunches. I love having leftovers for lunch - they're usually much healthier and more interesting than whatever you'll find in your cafeteria or the nearest fast food place, plus it's a lot cheaper.

click here for a printable recipe

Arroz Con Pollo

Serves 6-8

For chicken
3 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For rice
1 lb onions, chopped (2 1/2 cups)
2 green bell peppers, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 (14- to 15-oz) can diced tomatoes, including juice
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (12 fl oz)
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups long-grain white rice (3/4 lb)
1 cup frozen baby peas (not thawed; 5 oz)
1/2 cup small or medium pimiento-stuffed green olives (2 oz), halved crosswise
1/4 cup drained chopped bottled pimientos (2 oz), rinsed

Prepare chicken:

Purée garlic, orange juice, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. Put chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour purée over them, turning to coat. Marinate chicken, covered and chilled, turning occasionally, 1 hour.  Transfer chicken, letting excess marinade drip back into bowl, to paper towels, then pat dry. Reserve marinade.  Heat oil and butter in 6- to 7-quart pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown chicken in 2 or 3 batches, without crowding, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken as browned to a plate, reserving fat in pot.

Prepare rice and bake arroz con pollo:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F.

Sauté onions, bell peppers, and garlic in fat in pot over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits from chicken, until vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

While vegetables cook, heat saffron in a dry small skillet over low heat, shaking skillet, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.

Add cumin and salt to vegetables and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in saffron mixture, bay leaf, tomatoes (including juice), broth, water, and reserved marinade and bring to a boil. Add all chicken pieces and gently simmer, covered, over low heat 10 minutes. Stir in rice, then return to a simmer. Cover pot tightly, then transfer to oven and bake until rice is tender and most of liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Scatter peas, olives, and pimientos over rice and chicken (do not stir) and let stand, pot covered with a kitchen towel, until peas are heated through and any remaining liquid is absorbed by rice, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Shrimp, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

Last year's post:chicken and asparagus stir-fry with cashews

Post-Holiday Detox

I really think that if I see another tray of cookies in the near future I will curl up and die.  It's time to get back on track with a delicious, light and healthy meal that's a complete change of pace from what you were eating in December.  Plus, it's citrus season and this pretty salad features red grapefruit, one of my favorite fruits.  I think Texas red grapefruit are the best but if you can't find them, any other red grapefruit will do.

The grapefruit is segmented into what are called "supremes" by first cutting off the outer skin with a sharp knife, then cutting between the membranes to release the segments without any of the membrane or pith (aka "white stuff") attached.  The white stuff is why I never eat citrus just by peeling by hand and pulling apart the segments.  Nasty white stuff.

As I've said before, it's not all that easy to photograph your own hand.

OK, so I didn't do the greatest job cutting really close to the membrane to get as much of the grapefruit as possible.  Chalk it up to post-holiday recovery.  I think "supreme" is actually both a noun (the segment you end up with) and a verb ("how to supreme a grapefruit") but I'm not positive.  Oh well, if it wasn't before, it is now.

If you live somewhere that's warm at the moment you could grill the shrimp outdoors, otherwise you could grill them indoors on a grill pan or broil them.  If you want to make it really easy you could buy pre-cooked shrimp and just toss them with the marinade prior to putting them on the salad.  Either way, this salad takes only minutes to prepare and the tart grapefruit contrasts wonderfully with the creamy avocado, rich shrimp and slightly bitter arugula.

click here for a printable recipe

Shrimp, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

Serves 2

 

10 medium-large (16-20 count) raw peeled and deveined shrimp

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
¼ cup olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 large red grapefruit
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 medium head butter lettuce
1 cup arugula
1 avocado
 

Heat a grill (or grill pan or broiler) to medium.  Toss shrimp with 2 teaspoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and red pepper.  Marinate for 15 minutes.  Thread shrimp onto skewers (not necessary if using a grill pan or broiler) and grill until pink and cooked through – about 1 minute each side.  Set aside.

Cut the peel from the grapefruit using a sharp knife.  Cut between the membranes to release the segments while holding the grapefruit over a bowl to catch the juice.  Squeeze the juice from the remaining pith and pulp.  Measure 3 tablespoons of juice and set the remaining juice aside for another use.

Whisk the Dijon, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and the reserved grapefruit juice together.  Slowly drizzle in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil while whisking, until emulsified.  Set the dressing aside.

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit.  Score each half crosswise and lengthwise into cubes without cutting through the skin, then use a spoon to scoop between the flesh and skin and pop out the cubes into a small bowl.  Toss with the remaining tablespoon lime juice to prevent discoloring.

Line each plate with butter lettuce and arugula.  Top with the shrimp, avocado and grapefruit.  Drizzle with Dijon dressing and serve.

Salmon with Pumpkin-Seed Cilantro Pesto

Salmon is well-known as a superior source of omega-3 oils, which support heart health, muscle and tissue development, eye care and cell functions among others.  Did you know it's also a excellent source of vitamins D, B12, and B3 as well as protein?  Health experts encourage eating salmon on a weekly basis so I did a little research on the sustainability and contamination levels of wild salmon.  Alaskan salmon leads in both categories.  Eight different varieties of Alaskan salmon have been evaluated for mercury and pollution contamination and have been found to have a low contamination risk for regular consumption.  In addition, The Monterey Bay Aquarium has recently determined Alaskan salmon to be the only low-risk salmon in terms of four sustainability criteria: the inherent vulnerability of the fish, the effects of fishing on the overall habitat, the status of wild stocks, and the nature of the by-catch (the other types of fish that are caught unintentionally during salmon fishing).  While Alaskan salmon is recommended if you prefer wild-caught salmon, any variety of farm-raised salmon is also fine.  For this recipe we used a Scottish farm-raised salmon that I found at my favorite fishmonger (Don't you love that word?  It sounds so Charles Dickens-ish.). The salmon was delicate, buttery and absoloutely delicious.

OK, enough with the science talk.  The unusual part of this recipe is the pesto - essentially a southwestern version of the more traditional Italian pesto that is usually made with basil, garlic and pine nuts.  The bright flavors of cilantro and lime plus the nuttiness of the pumpkin seeds contrast wonderfully with the buttery fish.  And it's a really easy recipe - just whizz up the pesto, cook some salmon fillets, and there you go. We used the leftover pesto from this recipe to spoon over chicken and pasta the next day, which was equally delicious.

Toasted pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, can typically be found in health food co-ops or the bulk foods aisle of some upscale groceries.  They're also excellent in salads, granola, or anywhere you would traditionally use walnuts or almonds.

We decided to serve spinach (another superfood) and mashed potatoes with the salmon, but The Lawyer and I had different ideas regarding how to plate the meal.  My version (above) was vertically stacked with the potatoes acting as the glue holding everything together.  The Lawyer's concept was more side-by-side as you can see below.  I can hear some of you saying to yourself  "Do they actually talk about things like how to plate food?"  Yup, we do.  Foodies are crazy people.

* * click here for a printable recipe version * *

Salmon with Pumpkin-Seed Cilantro Pesto
Serves 4

1 teaspoon plus ¼ cup olive oil
½ cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
½ cup firmly packed cilantro leaves and stems
½ teaspoon cracked coriander seeds
½ garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
4 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Hot mashed potatoes (optional)
Baby spinach (optional)



Place 6 tablespoons of the pumpkin seeds in a food processor together with the cilantro, coriander seeds, and garlic; pulse until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the lime juice, ¼ cup olive oil, and ¼ cup water, blending until a coarse puree forms. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet and cook until just opaque in the center, approximately 3-4 minutes per side depending on thickness.

To serve, place the spinach and hot mashed potatoes on a plate (if using) and top with the salmon. Spoon pesto over, garnish with the remaining pumpkin seeds, and serve with a lime wedge.