Monday, November 2, 2009

Chicken or Beef?


Happy Halloween! I guess I can still get away with saying that, since today is El Dia de los Muertos.

Anyway, what I really wanted to show you is a picture of our Halloween pumpkin. It's supposed to be cat. I like the cartoonish quality of the cat (and the twinkle in its mouth).


Right now, I've got a few recipes in the works, so please bear with me during this slow period, so to speak. For this week, I am going to share with you two of my favorite marinades, which could be used for chicken or beef. Both marinades can be made the day before and poured over your choice of meat (or maybe even vegetables or tofu), and placed in the refrigerator over night (overnight might make the vegetables limp). You'll have a delicious and simple meal to come home to the next day. And with early evenings approaching, I think that will be a huge help.


Teriyaki

Reprinted with notations from the New York Times Cookbook

1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated fresh ginger, or 1/2 tablespoon powdered ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sugar (raw/demerara/turbinado sugar recommended
1 cup of low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup sherry or white wine, even good quality Marsala can work in a pinch

Combine the ginger, garlic, onion, sugar, soy sauce and sherry. Pour the mixture over 2 pounds of chicken or sirloin beef that has been thinly sliced or cut into bite sized pieces. Let stand one to two hours or overnight. Grill or broil, on skewers and serve hot. This marinade is especially good for beef.


Indonesian Ginger Marinade

Adapted with notations from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook and the Food Network

1 cup of honey (orange blossom preferred, rather than lavender, etc)
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
8-12 cloves of garlic, minced (1/4 cup)
1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root (go with fresh ginger, as it really makes the dish in this case)

Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Arrange four or five bone-in chicken breasts or 2 1/2 pounds of sirloin or flank steak in a baking pan. Chicken should be placed skin-side down. Pour the sauce over the meat, cover with foil and marinate overnight.

The following day, beef can be grilled or broiled. For chicken, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for thirty minutes, then uncover the pan. Turn the breasts over, then continue to bake for 30 minutes longer.

This recipe is especially good with chicken, and I imagine that it would be delicious with salmon or a delicate white fish, too.

2 comments:

  1. I love ginger white fish, so that second marinade sounds perfect!

    ReplyDelete