blue moon dinner: grilled chicken, polenta with poblano fresco molewith zucchini mole , a savory sweet salad & xmas in july focaccia

POBLANO FRESCO MOLE:

3 fresh poblanos (roasted and peeled)

1tsp - 1tbs olive oil for sautéing

1 medium onion chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1 medium zucchini largely grated

1/4 cup sherry

1 cube chicken or veggie bouillon

2 cups boiling hot water

1 small bunch basil whole

salt & pepper

1 tsp adobo seasoning by goya

1/4 cup half & half or smaller amount heavy cream

1/2 1 lemon juiced

start by roasting the chilies on the gas stove.

my stove is gas and has a grate over the burners so i laid the chilies over the open flame and roasted the chilies till the skin on them darkened and blistered. I then put them in a zip lock and let them steam to help remove the skins.

once the skins are ready to peel remove the chard skins and place the meat in a high powder blender (vitamix & blendtech are awesome for this) and add a small amount of water to help blend them chilies smooth.

while the chilies are doing their steaming move onto sautéing of the onions and garlic in a little olive oil and salt to help them sweat. I use a deep sauté pan with a lid

once the onions and garlic has had a few minutes to sweat add the shredded zucchini.

I have a large holed grater that i love to use, if you don't have one i would suggest using a peeler to make wider ribbons.

let the veggies saute for several minutes and then deglaze the pan with the sherry (you can use your preferred alcohol ie. wine or tequila)

after the liquid has dissipated add the bouillon, water, basil and the blended chilies to the pan and let simmer and reduce by 1/2 which will take several minutes.

once the sauce has reduced by 1/2 it is now time to season and add the lemon juice.

turn the heat to low and add the adobo first (adobo contains salt) before you add any extra salt, pepper to taste and add the lemon juice.

once the sauce has cooled sufficiently add the cream of choice.

-------side note:
i am always concerned about adding lemon juice and cream because of breaking. here are a few tips to help:

- use higher fat contented dairy: not enough fat content. Skim milk will curdle more than heavy cream

- too high heat. Cream sauces must be cooked at low temps. Use a thermometer to ensure temperatures stay lower than 175 degrees F.

- Cream should be added last (with exceptions like lemon juice). any ingredients should be of medium temperature before cream is introduced, as it will separate at boiling.

-----------

the sauce is ready after the cream has been combined.

you can hold this sauce over and heat up slowly when ready to use.

POLENTA

serves 2-4 people 1/2 cup on cooked polenta (this recipe is easily made larger by doubling)

1 cup fine cornmeal
4 cups water
1 bouillon cube
1 1/2 tbs butter

optional items:
1/2 cup cheese ( parmigiano-reggiano, pecorino, asiago or another dry sharp non oily cheese)
1/2 cup cream
4 oz cream cheese

*tool: hand wire whip

this is my brazilian husbands delicious recipe. my mother in law makes her polenta in a pressure cooker which is unbelievably delicious! either way the italo brasileiros know what they are doing!

place all ingredients into an appropriate sized pot.

soaking and standing is the key to the recipe.

let the mixture stand for 15 - 30 minutes (more if you are using medium or large "big boy" ground cornmeal)

after the soaking time and you are almost ready to serve dinner it is now time to make the polenta.

turn on the stove to a medium high heat and bring the mixture to a slow boil stirring constantly with a wire whip - this will take about 10 minutes.

after the polenta is cooked you can add

GRILLED CHICKEN

2 lbs chicken thighs - boned and skinned and pounded to make an even thickness
olive oil to coat
seasoning of your choice:

my husband has a new secret mix he has in a grinder and has yet to share with me.

my favorite one is a quick cheater bbq: adobo seasoning, molasses and sriracha

another tasty one is olive oil and fresh herbs: oregano, basil, rosemary, fennel, cilantro what every you have on hand or in the garden.

the grill master takes over and grills on a medium heat on the grill for 5-7 minutes per side or till 160F-165F.

BLUE MOON SALAD

i make my salads in the bow with the dressing on the bottom.
i make the dressing first to let the veggies that need a little help breaking down (ie: cabbage, carrots, etc) and the herbs get into the dressing and then i build my salad on top.

dressing on the bottom:

1 tbs olive oil
1/2 lemon juiced
cider vinegar to taste
salt & pepper
1 clove garlic minced

minced herbs:         parsley
                  basil
                        fennel

next into the bowl:

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

torn handfuls of:    spinach
                                arugula
                     baby swiss chard

1 medium tomato cut into medium chunks
3-5 cherry tomatoes cut into 4ths

1-2 tsp sunflower seeds
1/2 ripe nectarine diced

i usually hold the salad at room temperature until ready to serve.

when you are ready just toss the salad and serve.

GRILLED FOCACCIA aka xmas in july pizza dough

(Xmas pizza)

last week we had xmas in july party and i made 3 batches of pizza dough on the day of.

the dough was delicious the day of but the left over 7 day old dough was stunningly brilliant!
the difference was a crunchier texture, more air bubble pockets and a tasty sourness.

i knew if you made the dough 1-3 days before that it improves on the taste and texture but i didn't know HOW much better it would be.

i have not experimented with holding, then freezing and thawing but i am up for that challenge soon. i usually don't eat a lot of wheat but it would be ideal to have a delicious dough waiting in the freezer for one of those pizza desired nights.

4 cups flour
1 packet yeast
1 tbs sugar
1 cup water - 110F
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil

heat water to 110F add sugar and yeast and proof.

sift flour & salt.

using a standing mixer with a dough hook (if you don't have this then the old fashioned hand kneading is in your future) add the olive oil flour and water mixtures together and hand mix them to combinded.

place dough hook into the bowl and let knead for 5 -10 minutes, watch then dough as it is kneading. too wet add a small amount of flour at a time till the dough smooths out/ too dry add a small amount of water till the dough comes together.

the ideal is to have a smooth dough that you can handle.

once the kneading is complete take the beautiful dough and place in a lights greased bowl and cover with teacloth or plastic wrap and put into an proofing temperature over 85F and let rise for 30 minutes.

after the 30 minutes punch the dough down and repeat another 30 minute rise.

at the end of the 30 minutes you can now make a pizza or let the dough rest in the icebox or place into the freezer (i have yet to freeze).

when i made the triple batch i placed them all into a large metal bowl and had them in the refrigerator for another hour or so. when i came to use them it looked like the dough was going to eat the refrigerator! they all rose even in the ice box - i mention this as a note to self an others to place them in their own containers!

7 day crust on the grill

1/4 batch of dough
1 tsp cornmeal

1/4 cup of dry sharp cheese - we had pecorino on hand
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp olive oil

take the dough out at least 30 minutes before making to relax and rise.

form the dough into the desired shape.
add cornmeal to your board and place dough on top of the cornmeal - i use the dimpling with my finger tips and pinching to get an even thickness.

let the dough rest and try to rise (mine didn't rise much until it hit the heat) and then add desired toppings.

carefully place the dough on to a hot bbq grill and cook for 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness. remove from the heat and serve with a little more olive oil on top.

***** i use the sicilian taught "it's done when it's done" technique

taught to my by my sicilian uncles mother who was my height at age 10.

some of my best instinctual cooking comes from these lessons: smell, touch, looking.

the crust should stand on it's own, be a beautiful golden brown hue, and the smell is the best give away - it smells like the best baked dough.

3 fresh poblano chillies 2-3 teaspoons oil 1 large onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 cup milk 4 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon flour 1 cup Mexican Crema Salt to taste Roast the poblanos over an open fire, until the skins are blackened. - See more at: http://peacefulcooking.blogspot.com/2011/01/poblano-cream-sauce.html#sthash.7E6CvRrO.dpuf

Le Grand Lab Cozinha

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