RECIPE: Tequila Lime Chicken

Let me introduce you to a specialty from Sammy's California Woodfired Pizza... from the first bite I knew this was quickly going to become a regular in our household. The sauce is TO DIE FOR! From the pasta and chicken soaking up all that flavor to the fresh, crunchy vegetables... oh boy! This really is a treat..


Around our house we also call it "Chicken Tequila Fettuccine" or "the best rockin' pasta dish this side of the Atlantic"... and lastly, our "summer go-to dish"... it's an easy recipe to cut in half for a small dinner or GO BIG and serve at a dinner party with salad and bread and whatever else you simply can't resist!!!


But when I realized I hadn't posted about this yet I almost fell over... so I quickly made a "date" of it. I called My Friend Debbie over to enjoy the process with me. She's a great sous chef!!! Plus, she and I have history over this dish... LOTS of history over this dish. So we made a "date" of it... and planned it out for a beautiful evening on the patio, lots of laughter and had the perfect chance to catch up on life. It's unseasonably warm this time of year... I know, I know... we have perfect weather year round here in Southern California. So, we have to enjoy it, right?!


Before we start I'd like to show you a scan of the original recipe we found years ago... you can tell it was used, and reused and um... dripped on...

So, here's where we started... tequila, soy sauce, red/green bell peppers, red onion, garlic, limes, chicken and fettuccine.



Might as well start it off with the good stuff, right?! Measure out equal parts of tequila and soy sauce...

Then prep the rest of the ingredients... you know, the "mise en place". The coking starts by sauteing the veggies (2-4 minutes), then add the garlic (1 minute or so), then add the chicken...













Cook the chicken until no pink remains... tossing every minute or so to make sure it all cooks evenly.



Next add the mixture of tequila/soy sauce, stir in and bring to a simmer... allow it to simmer and reduce for about 5-8 minutes...





Oh, and add the lime juice too...



Bring it to a simmer... and while you're doing that...



... start the boiling process on the fettuccine... it all comes together pretty quickly from here on out...



The sauce will simmer and reduce... then add the heavy cream.

Here I used 1 cup of cream... but only use as much cream as you'd like. So, add a few ounces, stir it up and check out the sauce. You'll know when you find the combination you like the best.

Reduce heat to low and allow to sit until the pasta is done, the bread is ready (aka "torn into smaller pieces", aka "perfect size for dipping") and enjoy your evening!



And yes, if some of the bread accidentally "falls" into the sauce you'll certainly have to retrieve it... won't you?!

Lastly, toss the drained pasta into the sauce/veggie/chicken mixture until all of the pasta is coated with sauce and serve immediately! But don't forget to garnish... I used fresh cilantro here.

The My Friend Debbie and I headed to the patio... 'cuz we just couldn't help ourselves!

Enjoy... with spring and summer just around the corner you'll want to plan for this dish!

Tequila Lime Chicken
Recipe courtesy Chef Jeff Novak, Sammy’s California Woodfired Pizza

Ingredients
2 ounces butter
2 ounces olive oil
10-12 chicken tenders, boneless and skinless (or 4 chicken breasts)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces gold tequila
8 ounces soy sauce
1 cup heavy cream
Juice of 3 limes
Optional: 1 teaspoon diced jalapenos
kosher salt/pepper to taste
1 package fettuccine, cooked to directions on box
garnish with 1 tablespoon cilantro, diced

Instructions
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté peppers and red onion in butter and oil until softened, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle pinch of salt on vegetables to help pull moisture out and so they cook faster. (If you are using jalapeno add to sauted vegetables.) In the last minute stir in the diced garlic. Add chicken to vegetables and cook until no more pink remains, approximately 5-7 minutes.

Cook fettuccine according to directions on package. Drain and set aside.

Pour in the tequila/soy sauce mixture and lime juice. Allow the sauce to simmer and reduce for 5-7 minutes. Add heavy cream; stir in well. Toss pasta with sauce and serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 4-6.




enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: reduced balsamic glaze

You are looking at a baked salmon fillet glazed with a balsamic reduction, served over a simple Israeli couscous. YUM!

It's almost sweet, it's rich and savory... it's the perfect topping for salmon (grilled or baked or broiled or poached), for chicken (baked or grilled or bbq'd), or to use as a dip for grilled bread... and next I'm going to enjoy it drizzled over a plate of tomato and mozzarella slices.


Here's what I started with... balsamic vinegar, spicy brown mustard, sherry, honey, garlic and salt/pepper. Tonight I used this on baked salmon fillets... a perfect combination!

Over medium-low heat I sauteed the garlic (here I added a small bead of canola oil to the pan).

After two or three minutes I added the rest of the sauce ingredients: sherry, honey, mustard, balsamic vinegar and salt/pepper. I gave it a good whisk... and watched for it to start it's gentle bubbling.

Within about 5 minutes it had reduced slightly and thickened up a bit (unfortunately I neglected to get a picture of the bubbling action)... so I drizzled it over the salmon that had been waiting so patiently.

And since it goes well with these flavors I diced up some fresh stems of oregano (from my own herb garden) and sprinkled it on top of the salmon before baking the fillets.

Before serving up the salmon I drizzled just a tad more sauce over the top (and over the couscous as well, OF COURSE)... and then asked the world to be quiet for at least 3 minutes while I enjoyed the best part of the day...

Confession: I have been a bit intimidated to try this sauce at home. But after going out on a limb and trying it for myself now I'm slightly upset at myself for not being more adventurous in my kitchen... so, so, so good!

Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sherry (or white wine)
1 tablespoon honey (or agave nectar sweetener)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
In a small saucepan over medium heat, lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray, sauté garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add sherry, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard and salt/pepper to taste. Whisk together and allow to simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes. Whisk every minute or so and allow to reduce slightly. Sauce will thicken slightly.

Immediately top fish or chicken and cook meat according to instructions. Brush additional sauce on meat after being cooked . Also great over tomato/mozzarella salad, as a dip for grilled bread… etc.

enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: Homemade Flour Tortillas

When I was about 6 years old I had a babysitter named Ms. Ramirez. She was my favorite babysitter EVER! She was an adult, she was a cool adult, she was happy and bubbly all the time... and her mama made homemade tortillas!!! One day Ms. Ramirez sent us home with some fresh tortillas tightly bundled in foil... and the rest is history.

A few years later we moved out of town. But when we would go back for a summer camping trip we got to stop by and pick up some more homemade tortillas to rewarm over the campfire! Oh ... those camping memories... full of great food, laughter, good people... more than anything, our family camping trips built into me a sense of adventure (that now scares some people... mainly my Mom and my Husband). But let's get back to the kitchen...

For the tortillas this is all you need... flour, kosher salt, vegetable shortening, vegetable oil and warm water.



But first let's take a step back and see what my workspace looks like today: flat board, ingredients and trusty cell phone. Most of the time I work off of the recipes in my email.... is that funny or just down right weird?



Mix together flour and salt... cut in the shortening (or lard) and mix well until the mix is like a coarse sandy texture.











Then add the vegetable oil... and slowly drizzle in the water, stirring with a fork until it all forms a dough.









Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and begin to knead...





Knead it about 30-40 times. With the palm of your hand press the dough into the board and push it away from you. Fold the dough over on top of itself... and repeat.



Continue to knead until the dough comes together and turns into a smooth ball of dough.






Set the dough aside and cover with plastic wrap, for about an hour.



Next, let's talk about the griddle for a hot minute...

You can use a large flat skillet (no oil or butter or anything) or an electric griddle or a cast iron skillet/griddle. Here? I have a cast iron griddle that my hero-of-a-hubby bought me several years ago (our first Christmas together).

My life wouldn't be the same without it (or him). ::: grin :::



Let's turn our attention back to the dough... when you're ready to cook them cut it into 12 equal size pieces and work the dough a bit more by squeezing it into your palm a few times and rolling it into a ball. Then they need some time to rest again... another 10 minutes or so. (While you're waiting you can set the griddle to just a tad over low heat.)









And for the rolling...

Just barely sprinkle flour on the flat surface and prepare to roll...



I have found that by flattening the dough ball with heel of my hand it helps to keep the circular shape once you start rolling.





And then once the dough starts sticking to the rolling pin then I add just a light layer of flour to the rolling pin itself (not to the dough - because you don't want too much flour ont he outside of these tortillas).





Continue to roll until the dough is very, very thin... thinner than you think it should be. Aim for a 7 inch round... it will be slightly mishapen. If you're ok with imperfect tortillas then great... if not, roll it out a bit more and then cut off the rough edges.

Transfer the dough to the hot griddle... and watch the first one closely. Within about 30 seconds it will start to bubble and rise - this is when it will start to brown. Cook time for the first side will be about 55-75 seconds. When it's done to your likeness flip it over. It will cook for slightly less time on the second side.





Remove from heat and start a pile on a dish towel... and repeat...


And repeat by transferring to the pile... oh wait... what happened to the "pile"? Well, anyway...

(ahem) again, what happened to that "pile"? the previous tortilla keeps disappearing somehow!

repeat the above steps... what can i say?


continue to repeat... the cooking part, that is... afterall, you will eventually want to share these with the ones you love tonight.

But grant me one more minute for another glance back to the campfire memories... my favorite way to enjoy these is with some butter and salt. Thank you Ms. Ramirez... you left quite an impression on my life. While my tortillas don't taste QUITE like your mom's ... they'll have to do...

Homemade Flour Tortillas
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cup vegetable shortening (or lard)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or butter)
½ cup warm water

OPTIONAL: 2 teaspoons baking powder
(Note - if you prefer thicker/plumper tortillas then add baking powder to the dry mixture.)

Instructions
In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening (or lard) with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles meal. Drizzle vegetable oil over flour and slowly stir in warm water with a fork until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto very lightly floured surface. Knead dough 30-40 times until dough becomes smooth. If dough is sticky, lightly dust hands with flour while kneading.

Form dough into a ball, return to bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for at least 1 hour. Heat a dry well-seasoned cast-iron griddle, or skillet, over medium-low heat until hot. Turn dough onto flat surface and cut into 12 equal pieces. Knead each piece a few times and roll into a ball. Allow balls to rest for about 10 minutes.

Very lightly sprinkle flour on a flat surface and roll out the first ball. Use a standard rolling pin or wooden dowel (tip: use a 1 1/4 inch diameter wooden dowel cut to a 14 inch length. Use just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking. (Too much dough will make tortillas taste more dry.) Roll out each ball into a very thin round. (Thinner than you think you want it.) While rolling the tortilla turn it in quarter turns until you have rolled the tortilla flat, near to 6-7 inch rounds. Attempt to keep the thickness the same as you roll. Cook 1 tortilla on the griddle while you roll the next one. Within 25-30 seconds the tortilla will start to bubble and puff. The bottom will start to brown in spots in 45 seconds. Cook time on each side will be between 55 – 75 seconds. Using tongs or a flat spatula, turn tortilla once browned to your liking. Cook second side in same way. Remove to dish towel to cool. Stack and cover tortillas while cooking the rest.

Homemade tortillas are best enjoyed fresh. If you will be using them later that day wrap them in aluminum foil. But they can also be frozen (after cooling thoroughly). Warm thawed tortillas on griddle before using.

enjoy your time in the kitchen...