Grilled Adobo Chicken (Pollo Adobado)

I recently acquired a copy of Rosa’s New Mexican Table (review) and having heard of the restaurant and the book’s James Beard Award nomination in 2008 I was eager to try out some of the dishes from Chef Roberto Santibañez. One of the first dishes that caught my eye was the adobo marinated chicken with spicy guajillo chiles and chiles de arbol. An adobo sauce is bright red from the chiles and the meat is either simmered in the sauce or marinated and grilled. Common chiles for adobo include ancho, guajillo, and chipotle, though in this recipe chiles de arbol are added for extra heat. In the DC area you can find dried chiles at Hispanic grocery stores, some of the larger international grocery stores such as Grand Mart, Shoppers Food Warehouse, and some other grocery chains. Read more

Greek Burgers and Tzatziki

While I don’t want to sound trite, I must say the first of May caught me off guard. I can’t believe it’s May, the school year is almost over and the kids will be out for almost three months, it’s time to register Top Gun for kindergarten, and summer is almost here. But that also means it’s grilling time around our house, actually more grilling time since we like to grill year round, we just happen to do it more often in the warm months. Really, I like grilled food in January but I don’t like freezing my fingers while making it!

Burgers are one of Builder Guy’s favorite foods, so we grill up a batch every once in a while. Some times I just want a slice of sharp cheddar and good barbecue sauce on top, but other times I like to play with the toppings: guacamole with caramelized onions, chimichurri, chipotle salsa, roasted red peppers with some kind of gooey cheese. The sloppier the better. And I happen to like tzatziki on my burgers, especially with arugula or an arugula pesto. Read more

Panini with Prosciutto, Fontina, Spinach and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

One of my quick weeknight meal inspiration sites is Panini Happy, run by my friend Kathy. We met at BlogHer last summer and I have been impressed with her and her site from the beginning. Kathy is in love with her panini grill and it shows in her creative sandwiches. Even if your average weeknight is too busy for a fancy dinner, everyone has time for a healthy sandwich in the evenings, and Kathy’s site provides plenty to choose from.

She inspired me to spiff up our weekly panini night, and I came up with this one after I found a tub of grated fontina in the back of refrigerator and couldn’t remember why I bought it. Obviously I need to keep better track of my groceries. The slow-roasted tomatoes came from our summer garden, and we are looking forward to growing even more tomatoes this summer.

Prosciutto and fontina can be a little pricey, but you can easily substitute another thin-sliced ham and some Swiss cheese. If you don’t have slow-roasted tomatoes, purchased sun-dried tomatoes will work just fine. We really liked the sandwich and will make this again.

This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, a blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we’ve grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. I am hosting this round, so please send your post to me at andreasrecipesgyo AT gmail DOT com by February 28. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page. Read more

Peruvian Grilled Chicken

Why would a Peruvian grilled chicken recipe have soy sauce? Peru has hosted a large Japanese expatriate population since the late 1800s, and over the years Asian flavors mingled with local and European flavors to create one of the most diverse cuisines in the world. I didn’t know this when I lived in South America in the early 1990s. While living in Colombia I did have big plans to visit Peru, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina but simply ran out of time in my two short years there, though I did make it to Ecuador a couple times. I still hold out hope that someday I’ll go back to travel in the region and enjoy the local cuisines.

This grilled chicken is simple to prepare and has big payoffs in flavor. I leave it in the marinade for up to 24 hours then grill and serve with whatever vegetables are on the menu or use it for sandwiches or salad toppers. The marinade helps keep the chicken moist as it cooks, and it always finishes nice and juicy.

I’ve given directions for cooking on a grill pan with boneless chicken breasts, and the Variations includes directions for cooking on gas and charcoal grills and in the oven. I cooked this chicken on the Scanpan I reviewed, and today is the last day for the Scanpan giveaway. Make sure you enter before 9 pm EST, just leave a comment on the Scanpan giveaway post about your favorite grilling food. Only comments at the original giveaway post will be entered.

More Grilled Chicken Recipes

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Miso Marinated Grilled Salmon and a Giveaway

While doing the South Beach Diet, I’m working very hard to make things that we all can enjoy and are healthy. This miso salmon is one of my favorite recipes I’ve tried recently, and it’s easy and fast to boot, so it makes an great weeknight dish. The fish is marinated in miso, mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and scallions, and quickly grilled. You can make this with either skinless or skin-on salmon steaks. Serve the salmon as whole steaks or sliced on top of a bed of greens, either way you’ll have a quick, tasty, and healthy meal.

We enjoy grilling year round, but some days it really is too cold to cook outdoors, and for those times we use a grill pan on the cooktop. I recently tested a Scanpan Professional Grill Pan, and in fact made this salmon dish on the Scanpan. You can read my review of the Scanpan Professional Grill Pan at Andrea’s Reviews.

For this final week of celebrating the third anniversary of Andrea’s Recipes, I have one fabulous grill pan (right) just like the one in my review to give away, courtesy of Scanpan. To enter the contest, just leave a comment telling us about your favorite grilled food. Read more

Grilled Eggplant Lasagna

When I started the South Beach Diet a few weeks ago, I had to rethink some of our meals, and less pasta was high on the list. It’s easy to get good fresh vegetables at this time of year, and we’ve kept the refrigerator stocked. I’ve had eggplant lasagna on many occasions, but always with the noodles, so this time I decided to use the eggplant in place of the noodles, thus keeping the hearty comfort food a little healthier.

Grilling the eggplant lends a nice smoky flavor to the lasagna, and I left the skin on to help hold the slices together on the grill. The sauce is our favorite spaghetti sauce from Michael’s mom, and the rest is just easy layering and baking. I made this on a weeknight after simmering the sauce all morning and afternoon, but you could also make this a weekend family meal or even for company in individual portions.

Equipment

grill
9×13 baking pan
medium mixing bowl

Ingredients

1 recipe spaghetti sauce
1 eggplant, 16 ounces (~454 g) or larger
olive oil
15 ounces (425 g) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan + more for sprinkling on top
2 teaspoons dried basil or 3/4 cup (~30 g) fresh basil leaves, torn
8 ounces (227 g) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Prepare the sauce according to the directions. You can make this ahead and store in the refrigerator or freezer. If frozen, thaw before using.

2. Preheat the grill to medium, about 350° F/175° C.

3. Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) rounds with the skin still on. Brush with olive oil. Grill for about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

4. Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C.

5. In the medium mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, grated Parmesan, and dried basil. If using fresh basil, leave it out for now.

6. Spread a ladle or two of the prepared sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Lay down a row of the grilled eggplant, then spread about 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. It doesn’t have to look pretty, just make sure that it is evenly distributed, even if it’s in clumps. If using fresh basil, add 1/2 of the leaves in a layer.

7. Add about 2 more cups of sauce, then half the remaining grilled eggplant, 1/2 of the remaining cheese mixture, and the rest of the fresh basil (if using).

8. Add another 2 cups of the sauce, the rest of the grilled eggplant, and the rest of the ricotta cheese mixture. Spread the remaining sauce on top then top with the shredded mozzarella and some more Parmesan.

9. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the lasagna is cooked all the way through and the top is bubbly and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

More Italian Recipes

More Lasagna Recipes From Around the Blogs

101 Cookbooks – Thousand Layer Lasagne

Ms. Adventures in Italy – 3 Cheese Pesto Vegetable Lasagna

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Grilled Zucchini Lasagna with Italian, Sausage, Tomato, and Basil Sauce

One Hot Stove – Roasted Squash Onion Lasagna

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