Monday, March 26, 2007

Sunday Dinner

Chicken Kabobs with Lemon and Oregano



1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or
thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 Asian eggplant, cut crosswise into slices
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch
squares
1 yellow onion, halved, separated into layers and
cut into 1 1/2-inch squares
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, wine, oil, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken, eggplant, bell pepper and onion. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare an indirect-heat fire in a covered grill. Place 8 wooden skewers in water to cover and let stand for at least 15 minutes.

When the fire is hot, drain the skewers and thread the chicken, eggplant, bell pepper and onion pieces onto them, alternating the pieces and dividing them equally. Place on the perimeter of the grill rack directly over the fire. Grill, turning the skewers once or twice, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes total. Move the skewers to the center of the grill rack so they are not directly over the fire. Cover the grill, open the vents halfway, and cook, turning the skewers occasionally, until the chicken is opaque throughout and the juices run clear and the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Transfer the skewers to a warmed platter or individual plates and serve with the lemon wedges. Serves 4.

From Williams-Sonoma



Asparagus Soup
1 pound asparagus
6 cups chicken stock or canned broth
1/2 cup minced shallot
1 potato, grated
Salt and freshly grated pepper to taste
Plain low-fat yogurt or low-fat sour cream for garnish
Grated lemon peel for garnish
Snipped fresh dill for garnish


Peel and trim the asparagus, reserving the trimmings. In a large saucepan bring stock or broth to a simmer, add trimmings and let stand 15 minutes.

Rinse spears, pat dry and cut into 1 1/2 pieces, reserving tips. Strain stock or broth into a large saucepan and add the asparagus stalks, shallot, potato and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan of boiling salted water blanch the asparagus tips until just tender, drain and refresh.

In a food processor or blender puree the soup in batches until smooth, correct seasoning and return to saucepan. Heat until hot.

To serve: ladle soup into bowls and garnish with reserved asparagus tips, yogurt, lemon peel and dill.

From The Food Network

Rio's D'Sudamerica

2010 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 276-0170
Website

I was excited about going to this restaurant because a friend of mine lives about a block away and I've watched them build it. The space is pretty large with amazing murals of Brazil, Peru, and Argentina. We had a reservation for 9 pm, but we ended up waiting about 15 minutes for a table. That was OK, we opened a bottle of wine and had some nice conversation.

This is not your typical South American restaurant. The menu was a fusion of all the tastes of South America. I ordered the pollo al carbón (grilled chicken breast)

and my fellow diners ordered the currasco (steak)

the beef brochette

and the arroz con mariscos.

The fun started when our server was so kind to offer one small roll per person. I would have expected to at least get a basket of rolls and we had to ask for more. After what seemed like forever for our meal to arrive, I was surprised to see that the Argentinian chorizo that came with my chicken was actually Polish sausage! I'm talking Hillshire Farms Polish sausage! I don't know if they ran out, or were hoping that the diners would not know sausage from Argentina was. I also asked for some chimichurri salsa for my chicken and our server returned with a bowl the size of a thimble with it.

Overall the meal was OK. Maybe they are trying to cater to the upscale diners of Bucktown, but I believe that if they stuck to the basics of South American cooking (beans and rice, platano, pollo al ajo), they would do just as well, if not better. The one plus of the restaurant is it's BYOB, so you save a bit on alcohol costs. If I had my choice though, I would go to El Nandu or Las Tablas. They are much more authentic and a much better value.

Saffron Bistro

6164 E Riverside Blvd.
Rockford, IL
815-877-0300

We happened to stumble upon the Saffron Bistro accidentally last Friday. At a wine tasting, the shop owner mentioned having the Moroccan restaurant in town cater his next tasting. Anyone that knows anything about Rockford, Illinois knows that the choices in restaurants are limited at best. You're pretty much stuck with the typical chain restaurants. After hearing about it, I had to go.

Arriving around 9 PM, we managed to avoid most of the rush. The restaurant was average size, about 15-20 tables. The wine list was average with around 15 bottles on the menu. I ordered the beef brochette, and my fellow diners ordered the baked salmon and the lamb chops. The meal started with a bowl of cream of asparagus soup which was light and extremely tasty and satisfying and inspired me to make my own asparagus soup later on over the weekend. The beef was served with asparagus spears and a bed of saffron rice. the beef was moist and tasty, but a little tough - it probably could have used to be marinated a bit more. The rice and asparagus was a fantastic compliment to the beef.

I did not have an opportunity to taste my fellow diner's meals, but I was told that they were fabulous.

Pricing was a little pricey for Rockford (the beef was $18 and the chops were $28 - they were the special that evening). Overall, the value was worth the price of the meal. On certain Fridays they even have belly dancing and tango dancers and tapas (Argentina and Spain, whatever). I plan on going back, and I recommend you try it as well.

First Post

First off, that you for reading my blog. I know you don't have to, but I am glad you did. I'm going to review the restaurants that I visit (and I visit a lot!) and let you know what is good and what is crap. Since I like to cook as well, I'm going to talk about some of the recipes that I have attempted. I hope you stick around!