Morocco is in North Africa, but this recipe reveals its Mediterranean ties: Onion, garlic, olives, lemon, and parsley pack flavor into this easy-to-make chicken dish. Unlike other pressure-cooker recipes, you don't have to brown the chicken! Just heat the olive oil and add the remaining ingredients. The resulting flavor and aroma is amazing. If you want to cut some calories, you can even remove the chicken skin.
Moroccan Chicken
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes under pressure
Pressure level: High
Yield: 4 servings
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 threads saffron (optional)
One 3- to 4-pound chicken, quartered
1 cup chicken broth
1 large lemon, thinly sliced
8 large green Sicilian olives
1 package (10 ounces) couscous
1. Heat the olive oil in a pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, cilantro, salt, pepper, and, if desired, the saffron. Stir well. Add the chicken. Stir to coat with the onion mixture. Pour the broth over the chicken; do not stir. Place the lemon slices on top of the chicken.
2. Cover and bring to high pressure over high heat. Lower the heat to stabilize the pressure. Cook for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat. Let the pressure drop using a quick-release method.
4. Unlock and remove the cover.
5. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a platter. Cover to keep warm.
6. Reduce the cooking liquid over high heat until the sauce is thick. Add the olives and cook until warmed through. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.
7. Serve with cooked couscous, prepared according to package directions.
6/12/2008
Barbecue Ribs the Right Way
Pork ribs need long, slow, indirect grilling to create a rich barbeque flavor. The following is a summary list of important points to consider before heading out to barbecue pork ribs.
1. Build an indirect fire by piling the coals on one side of the grill. (This method gives you plenty of room to place the large rib slabs away from the heat of the fire.) You also can stack the charcoal in a circular ring around the edges of the grill. You can cook the ribs indirectly in a gas grill, but a charcoal fire gives them more flavor.
2. Cook the ribs slowly for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, over medium heat (325° to 350°) and over a drip pan half filled with water. Long, slow cooking makes for moist and tender ribs with a crisp crust. If in the first 30 minutes the ribs are browning too quickly, shut the grill vents.
3. Determining when pork ribs are done is a little tricky, but after 1-1/2 to 2 hours, you can be virtually certain that the ribs are fully cooked. However, the meat's color is not an indication of doneness. Smoke from the coals or from burning wood chips can turn the interior of the meat pink and leave you with the impression that it's not cooked. If you can move the rib bones back and forth without a lot of resistance after 1-1/2 to 2 hours, the meat is cooked.
4. Add any basting sauce that has a component of tomato or other sweet ingredient to the ribs during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Adding the sauce late in the process keeps the sauce from burning.
5. You can toss in a large handful of presoaked wood chips each time you add fresh coals to the fire. Or build the fire by using a combination of charcoal and hardwood oak or hickory chunks to achieve extra smoky flavor.
With these tips in mind, here's a great ribs recipe.
Baby Back Ribs with Sweet-Hickory Barbecue Sauce
In this recipe, baby back ribs are protected from the intense heat of the grill by wrapping them in aluminum foil until nearly cooked. In the final 30 minutes, the ribs are then grilled over indirect heat where they develop a nice brown crust without any charring or overbrowning. This rib barbecue sauce is savory-sweet with a hint of liquid hickory smoke seasoning, which you should be able to find at most grocery stores. It will soon become one of your family's favorite sauces with any kind of poultry, beef ribs, steaks, or even burgers.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Grilling time: 1-1/2 hours
Yield: 3 to 4 main dish servings or 6 to 8 appetizer servings
Ingredients:
2 full racks baby back pork ribs (about 3-1/2 pounds)
4 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons liquid hickory smoke seasoning
1-1/2 cups Sweet-Hickory Barbecue Sauce (see following recipe)
1. In a covered grill, prepare a medium charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium.
2. Cut each rack of ribs in half to make 4 equal-sized pieces, with about 6 to 7 ribs to a piece. Lay 2 pieces of the ribs side-by-side on a long sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Wrap tightly, using a drugstore wrap, but leave one end of the foil packet open. (Figure 1 illustrates how to use a drugstore wrap.) Repeat with the 2 remaining rib pieces and a second long sheet of foil.
Figure 1: Doing the drugstore wrap.
3. Combine the water and liquid smoke seasoning; spoon half of the liquid smoke-water mixture into each foil packet; seal the ends tightly to prevent leakage.
4. Place both packets flat on the preheated grill grid; cover and cook for a total of 60 minutes, turning the packets over about every 20 minutes. Remove the packets from the grill to a large baking pan and let rest.
5. If you're using a gas grill, raise the heat on one burner to create a medium-hot indirect fire. If using a charcoal grill, add more coals to the fire to raise the temperature of the fire to medium-hot, and then bank them to one side.
6. Remove the foil wrapping; place the ribs on a lightly oiled grid, opposite the fire or heat. Cover the grill and cook for about 30 minutes or until the ribs are done, turning and basting both sides with the Sweet-Hickory Barbecue Sauce about every 10 minutes. Heat the remaining sauce just to boiling in a small saucepan and serve with the ribs.
Sweet-Hickory Barbecue Sauce
Preparation time: About 15 minutes
Yield: About 2 cups
Ingredients:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon liquid hickory smoke seasoning
In a small bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients; cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight to meld flavors. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
1. Build an indirect fire by piling the coals on one side of the grill. (This method gives you plenty of room to place the large rib slabs away from the heat of the fire.) You also can stack the charcoal in a circular ring around the edges of the grill. You can cook the ribs indirectly in a gas grill, but a charcoal fire gives them more flavor.
2. Cook the ribs slowly for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, over medium heat (325° to 350°) and over a drip pan half filled with water. Long, slow cooking makes for moist and tender ribs with a crisp crust. If in the first 30 minutes the ribs are browning too quickly, shut the grill vents.
3. Determining when pork ribs are done is a little tricky, but after 1-1/2 to 2 hours, you can be virtually certain that the ribs are fully cooked. However, the meat's color is not an indication of doneness. Smoke from the coals or from burning wood chips can turn the interior of the meat pink and leave you with the impression that it's not cooked. If you can move the rib bones back and forth without a lot of resistance after 1-1/2 to 2 hours, the meat is cooked.
4. Add any basting sauce that has a component of tomato or other sweet ingredient to the ribs during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Adding the sauce late in the process keeps the sauce from burning.
5. You can toss in a large handful of presoaked wood chips each time you add fresh coals to the fire. Or build the fire by using a combination of charcoal and hardwood oak or hickory chunks to achieve extra smoky flavor.
With these tips in mind, here's a great ribs recipe.
Baby Back Ribs with Sweet-Hickory Barbecue Sauce
In this recipe, baby back ribs are protected from the intense heat of the grill by wrapping them in aluminum foil until nearly cooked. In the final 30 minutes, the ribs are then grilled over indirect heat where they develop a nice brown crust without any charring or overbrowning. This rib barbecue sauce is savory-sweet with a hint of liquid hickory smoke seasoning, which you should be able to find at most grocery stores. It will soon become one of your family's favorite sauces with any kind of poultry, beef ribs, steaks, or even burgers.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Grilling time: 1-1/2 hours
Yield: 3 to 4 main dish servings or 6 to 8 appetizer servings
Ingredients:
2 full racks baby back pork ribs (about 3-1/2 pounds)
4 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons liquid hickory smoke seasoning
1-1/2 cups Sweet-Hickory Barbecue Sauce (see following recipe)
1. In a covered grill, prepare a medium charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium.
2. Cut each rack of ribs in half to make 4 equal-sized pieces, with about 6 to 7 ribs to a piece. Lay 2 pieces of the ribs side-by-side on a long sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Wrap tightly, using a drugstore wrap, but leave one end of the foil packet open. (Figure 1 illustrates how to use a drugstore wrap.) Repeat with the 2 remaining rib pieces and a second long sheet of foil.
Figure 1: Doing the drugstore wrap.
3. Combine the water and liquid smoke seasoning; spoon half of the liquid smoke-water mixture into each foil packet; seal the ends tightly to prevent leakage.
4. Place both packets flat on the preheated grill grid; cover and cook for a total of 60 minutes, turning the packets over about every 20 minutes. Remove the packets from the grill to a large baking pan and let rest.
5. If you're using a gas grill, raise the heat on one burner to create a medium-hot indirect fire. If using a charcoal grill, add more coals to the fire to raise the temperature of the fire to medium-hot, and then bank them to one side.
6. Remove the foil wrapping; place the ribs on a lightly oiled grid, opposite the fire or heat. Cover the grill and cook for about 30 minutes or until the ribs are done, turning and basting both sides with the Sweet-Hickory Barbecue Sauce about every 10 minutes. Heat the remaining sauce just to boiling in a small saucepan and serve with the ribs.
Sweet-Hickory Barbecue Sauce
Preparation time: About 15 minutes
Yield: About 2 cups
Ingredients:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon liquid hickory smoke seasoning
In a small bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients; cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight to meld flavors. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
6/11/2008
Vietnamese Lemongrass Rub for Grilled Lamb, Chicken, and Seafood
This recipe for Vietnamese Lemongrass Rub creates a wet rub — any seasoning mix that incorporates a little oil to form a paste. The lemongrass offers a nice summery flavor that pairs especially well with lamb. You can use this grilling rub with seafood or chicken, too.
Vietnamese Lemongrass Rub
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: None.
Yield: 4 servings
3 fresh lemongrass stalks, root end trimmed and 1 or 2 outer leaves discarded from each stalk
2 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons freshly chopped and peeled ginger
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fish sauce (optional)
5 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
1. Thinly slice bottom 6 inches of the lemongrass, discarding the remainder.
2. Puree lemongrass, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, lime juice, sugar, salt, cayenne, water, and fish sauce in a food processor, scraping down the sides occasionally, until as smooth as possible, about 2 minutes.
3. To finish the rub, slowly drizzle the peanut oil or vegetable oil into the rub mixture while the food processor is on. Continue processing until oil is incorporated. Store in a glass container and refrigerate until ready for use.
Use the wet rub just like you would a marinade: Marinate in a glass or stainless steel bowl (or use a zippered plastic bag). Cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit on the meat in the refrigerator to absorb the flavors. Turn the meat once in a while to distribute flavor evenly. Blot off the wet rub before you cook.
You can find lemongrass in the produce sections of most grocery stores. It's a perennial grass that has an extremely tough texture but a very fresh and light lemon flavor that is used a lot in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Look for firm stalks that are pale yellow or white at the bottom and green elsewhere. Leave browned stalks of lemongrass in the store. If you're having trouble finding lemongrass, try an Asian market.
An important factor is the size of the meat you're marinating:
Small pieces of meat, like shrimp or boneless chicken breasts, grab flavors in about an hour.
Give steaks and chops at least three hours and as many as six hours.
Veggies do well with a couple hours' marinating time.
Whole chickens, pork loins, rack of lamb, or other big pieces of meat need at least 5 hours and as many as 14 hours in the marinade.
If you're marinating something as big as a pork shoulder or brisket, allow about a day.
Vietnamese Lemongrass Rub
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: None.
Yield: 4 servings
3 fresh lemongrass stalks, root end trimmed and 1 or 2 outer leaves discarded from each stalk
2 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons freshly chopped and peeled ginger
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fish sauce (optional)
5 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
1. Thinly slice bottom 6 inches of the lemongrass, discarding the remainder.
2. Puree lemongrass, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, lime juice, sugar, salt, cayenne, water, and fish sauce in a food processor, scraping down the sides occasionally, until as smooth as possible, about 2 minutes.
3. To finish the rub, slowly drizzle the peanut oil or vegetable oil into the rub mixture while the food processor is on. Continue processing until oil is incorporated. Store in a glass container and refrigerate until ready for use.
Use the wet rub just like you would a marinade: Marinate in a glass or stainless steel bowl (or use a zippered plastic bag). Cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit on the meat in the refrigerator to absorb the flavors. Turn the meat once in a while to distribute flavor evenly. Blot off the wet rub before you cook.
You can find lemongrass in the produce sections of most grocery stores. It's a perennial grass that has an extremely tough texture but a very fresh and light lemon flavor that is used a lot in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Look for firm stalks that are pale yellow or white at the bottom and green elsewhere. Leave browned stalks of lemongrass in the store. If you're having trouble finding lemongrass, try an Asian market.
An important factor is the size of the meat you're marinating:
Small pieces of meat, like shrimp or boneless chicken breasts, grab flavors in about an hour.
Give steaks and chops at least three hours and as many as six hours.
Veggies do well with a couple hours' marinating time.
Whole chickens, pork loins, rack of lamb, or other big pieces of meat need at least 5 hours and as many as 14 hours in the marinade.
If you're marinating something as big as a pork shoulder or brisket, allow about a day.
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