Thursday, August 18, 2011

Roasted Thai Chicken

I rarely get the chance to roast meat since Kahuna usually wrestles it away from me for the backyard grill.  But this chicken?
Mine.  All mine.
The recipe for this tasty lime-coconut version came from a recent issue of Counry Living magazine.  It turned out moist and flavorful with a bright hint of lime.  Mmmmm.

You start by layering your roasting pan with lime slices.  Then you pop in the blender (or food processor) some lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, salt, and my new favorite ingredient, cream of coconut (see this post for more about that).

You're also supposed to add hot chiles  . . . but sorry, no stinkin' way. Any food that calls for wearing gloves while handling most definitely does not belong river-rafting its way down my throat. I know, I'm a wuss.  But that's my policy and I'm not wavering.

Take this oozy mixture from the blender and squirt it over your chicken, underneath the skin and into little knife-piercings you've made on the thighs.

Then bake away.
Recipe here.
Anything good cooking at your house?

Labels:

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Today's Quiz

So which of the following was this week's biggest hit at the castle, the recipe I'll definitely be making again?  Was it
these jam-filled muffins?

Was it this shortcake topped with
blueberries and home-grown peaches?

Was it these oven-barbecued spareribs?

Was it . . . wait a minute.
Was it this three-berry freezer jam, made with home-grown strawberries, blackberries, and store-bought raspberries?

I'll give you a minute.

(Idle whistling.  Whistle whistle whistle.)

Ready?

You sure?

If you guessed jam-filled muffins -- nah.  Too much muffin, not enough jam, even though the jam kind of oozed out the sides of the muffins.  Not bad, but not stellar.

Did you guess the fruit-topped shortcake?  This was definitely tasty, but I am still auditioning shortcake recipes.  I believe this is the fifth so far this summer.  No worries, friends, I will bravely soldier on.

The spareribs?  Ding ding ding ding, we have a winner.  I loved these.  They came from a children's cookbook but I am not ashamed.  They were simple, tasty, foolproof.  I love that in a recipe.

The cute little table runner is a demonstration of my current obsession, using up fabric scraps to match flowers from the garden.  Yesterday Kahuna spotted yet another little tabletop trivet and announced, "You are dangerous."  Yes indeedy that's me.  The dangerous little scrap hoarder.

The three-berry freezer jam, just finished, tastes promising but is still runny, even after the recommended 30-minute wait time.  It may debut as ice cream sauce rather than jam.  Nummy either way.

Here, then, is my favorite of the week.  I'd love to hear about yours.

OVEN BARBECUED SPARERIBS
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
1/4 c. chicken broth (I used powdered bouillon mixed with water)
1 t. ground ginger
1 rack pork spareribs (3 - 4 pounds)

In bowl, mix sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chicken broth, and ginger.  Cut rack of ribs into manageable pieces and place in large plastic zipper bag (gallon size).  (The ribs I bought were not quite 3 pounds so they all fit into one large bag; if you buy more ribs, you may need to use a second bag.)  Pour in the marinade and let soak four hours or overnight, turning occasionally if you think about it. 

When ready to cook, heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet (or two, if you need to) with foil and place ribs on foil.  (Throw out marinade at this point.)  Bake for one hour.  Cut to the bone to make sure meat isn't pink on the inside.  If it is, bake 15 more minutes.  (Mine was done after one hour.)  Cut into individual ribs before serving.

Labels: