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Sunday, August 8, 2010

Dinner went well

Our dinner turned out very good last night.
I apologize beforehand for not getting pictures.  I was in the zone and forgot all about them plus we were hungry.  Kaitlin snapped a couple of one of the appetizers.  So again sorry but you'll have to trust me when I say this recipe is really good, fairly easy to make, (lots of prep), and pretty cheap.
It gave me a chance to try my new saute pan.  Not a cheap one but well made.


One of two appetizers was a scallop and shrimp avocado ring with a coconut rum reduction and sprinkled with chorizo, scallions and cilantro.
Here goes: First off fry up a little bit of chorizo sausage and set aside.  The oil left in the pan will be used to make the reduction.  Add a squeeze of orange juice (I used half an orange) a minced clove of garlic and scrape all the goodies off of the pan from the sausage mixing them with juices.  Then add a splash of coconut rum and reduce to desired consistency.  Pancake syrup is what mine was like.  Next saute your shrimp with a bit of olive oil until just pink/red and set aside.  Then saute 1 large scallop until done.  Take an avocado and cut a ring from it sort of like a pineapple ring.  Season to taste.  Place scallp in center of ring adorned by shrimp on 2 sides.  Drizzle reduction sauce over shrimp and scallop then sprinkle with chorizo, scallions and cilantro.

The other appetizer was simply a latin inspired Bruschetta.
Toast some thick slices of bread( I used fresh French bread)
Put some cherry tomatos on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place under broiler until tomatos burst.  Spread a layer of Monterey jack cheese on your bread, place halved tomatos on the cheese and sprinkle with a mixture of garlic powder, cumin and chili powder.  Cover with another layer of cheese and place under broiler until cheese melts to a golden brown.

For the entree I took the following ingredients and blended into a puree and placed in a bag to marinate for 8 hours in the fridge.
jalapeno, red onion, scallions, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, soy sauce, bell pepper, lime juice, salt and pepper, cumin, grated fresh ginger and chicken breasts.  Then I simply grilled them over charcoal.

I placed the grilled chicken on a bed of pineapple salsa which is made from the following:
Pineapple, scallions, red onion, red bell pepper, lime juice, chop finely and put in a bowl for a couple hours to let the flavors merry.

For side dish # 1 we had a Corn Chutney
 I peeled 12 ears of sweet corn and placed on grill to somewhat char them.  More cooked than charred I use that word loosley.  Some of the kernels were darkened.  We'll put it that way.
Then I cut the corn off the cob and placed in a bowl.  I added sauted onions, bell peppers and garlic and mixed in with corn.  Placed in a pot on the stove, add a big dollop of butter and heat stirring frequently to mix all flavors.  Salt and pepper to taste.
Side # 2 Fresh Green beans
Fresh green beans out of the garden sauted lightly with onions, garlic and chorizo sausage in a pot then steamed to finish.

The flavors on the chicken were fresh and warm (just a wee bit spicy) and were balanced with the salsa when eaten in tandem.  The corn chutney was so simple yet the layors of flavor were awesome.
The beans as usual were great.  Fresh Beans always are.
If you would like amounts for the recipe or further instructions just post a comment and I will follow up.
Thanks for reading and I hope your hungry.
Today I am making Salsa from my garden.  Pay off time!!!!

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