Tonight we tag-teamed dinner, with Lisa making a cilantro-tomatillo rice while I took care of the chicken and salsa. The recipes were from two different sources, but went really, really well with each other. We loved the smoky tomato salsa, it was excellent with both the chicken and the rice. The grilled chicken recipe is from Healthy Latin Cooking, and the Green Rice is from Cooking Light. We cut both of the recipes in half to serve 2.

Also, hooray! Our 50th post!

Orange-Marinated Grilled Chicken with Smoky Tomato Salsa
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CHICKEN AND MARINADE
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)

SALSA
2 large tomatoes
1 small onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic
2 canned chipotle peppers
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2-3 tbsp lime juice
salt and ground pepper

4 sprigs cilantro

Chicken and Marinade: Season each chicken breast with salt and pepper, and place in a 13″x9″ baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, and oil (if using). Whisk and pour over chicken. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 60 minutes.

Salsa: While the chicken is marinating, preheat the grill over high heat. Place the tomatoes, onions, and garlic on the grill and roast, turning occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the skins are charred and blistered. (Skewer the garlic to keep them from falling through the grate. Transfer to a plate to cool. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, peel off most, but not all, of the burnt skin. (The few pieces of charred skin left will add a nice flavor.) In a food processor, combine the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers. Puree until smooth. Stir in the chopped cilantro and 2 tbsps of the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, add more lime juice to taste. Let cool to room temperature.

Assemble and cook: Just before serving, preheat the grill to high heat. Grill the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side or until done. Spoon one-quarter of the salsa in a pool on each of 4 plates. Place a grilled chicken breast in the center of each and garnish with a cilantro sprig.

Green Rice
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6 large tomatillos (about 3/4 lb)
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
4 tsp minced seeded jalapeno peppers
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups uncooked long grain rice

Discard husks and stems from the tomatillos. Cook the tomatillos in boiling water in a medium saucepan for 4 minutes or until soft; drain. Combine the tomatillos and 2 teaspoons water in a blender and process until smooth. Pour the tomatillo mixture into a 4 cup glass measure, and add enough water to mixture to measure 2& 1/2 cups. Combine the tomatillo mixture, cilantro, jalapeno, salt and garlic in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add rice; cover mixture, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and fluff with fork.

Our main dish tonight was this grilled beef tenderloin, with chimichurri sauce and grilled sweet onions. Tender, highly flavorful, and surprisingly quick. Both the steak and chimichurri recipes are from Healthy Latin Cuisine.

Nicaraguan Grilled Beef Tenderloin
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1 lb beef tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat
salt and ground black pepper
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp sherry
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar
4 large sweet onions, cut crosswise into 1/2″-thick slices
1/2 cup chimichurri (recipe below)

Lay the beef on a cutting board with the long side facing you. Holding a sharp knife parallel to the board, cut the beef through the side lengthwise into 4 flat, even slices. Place each slice between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with the side of a cleaver to a thickness of 1/4″. Season each slice with salt and pepper and place in a 13″x9″ baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine the thinly sliced onions, parsley, garlic, sherry, bay leaves, and red-wine vinegar. Mix, and pour over the meat. Cover and marinate for 15 minutes, turning once.
Preheat the grill to high.
Coat the sweet onions with nonstick spray. Place on a grill tray and grill for 4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Turn carefully with a metal spatula. Transfer to a platter.
Drain the beef and discard the marinade. Grill the beef for 2 minutes per side for medium-rare, or slightly longer for medium. Arrange the beef on top of the onions, top with chimichurri.

4 servings

Chimichurri
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1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, minced
1 carrot, minced
1 small onion, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
4-8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3-5 tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red-pepper flakes
salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, starting with just 3 tbsp of the vinegar. Whisk to mix. The sauce should be highly seasoned; add more salt and vinegar, if desired. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

2 cups

The second course of tonight’s geez-it’s-hot-inside feast was this gazpacho, a chilled tomato-veggie soup that was incredibly fresh tasting, and Lisa’s favorite dish of the night. We liked this one better than the one featured in Great Bowls of Fire, which seemed closer to salsa than soup. I halved the recipe listed below, which like the others from tonight is from Healthy Latin Cooking.

Gazpacho
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6 large, very ripe tomatoes, cored
2 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1 red bell pepper, quartered
1 green bell pepper, quartered
1 medium red onion, quartered
4 scallions, trimmed
2 cloves garlic
2 cups vegetable stock or vegetable broth
4-6 tbsp red-wine vinegar
2 slices country-style white bread, crusts removed, chopped
salt and pepper
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Seed and finely chop 1 of the tomatoes; set aside in a small serving bowl. Quarter the remaining 5 tomatoes. Finely chop 1 cucumber; set aside in a small serving bowl. Finely chop 1 quarter of each bell pepper; set aside in a small serving bowl. Finely chop 1 onion quarter; sed aside in a small serving bowl. Finely chop the scallions; set the scallion greens aside in a small serving bowl.
In a blender, combine the scallion whites, remaining onions, garlic, stock/broth, 4 tbsp of the vinegar, the bread, and the remaining tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. Puree until smooth. The gazpacho should be thick but pourable. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the gazpacho into a large bowl. Stir in the parsley. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to mingle and intensify.
Just before serving, season with more salt, pepper, and vinegar, if desired. Ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle a little oil on top. Set the bowls of chopped vegetables on the table and let each diner garnish as desired.

8 Servings

Our friend Carrie came over for dinner tonight and we planned a nice, outdoors-because-it’s-too-hot-inside three-course feast! All the recipes come from Healthy Latin Cuisine, and tonight was the first time making them — they were all a hit!

For our appetizer, Lisa made these Plaintain “Spiders”:

Extremely easy to make, and really flavorful — shredded plantains, garlic, and ginger! We served it with some extra chimichurri sauce.

Plantain Spiders
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2 large green plantains, peeled
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced and cut into thin slivers
1 piece (1″) fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced and cut into thin slivers
salt and ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil or nonstick spray

Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a nonstick baking sheet iwth nonstick spray.
Grate each plantain on the coarse side of hand grater. Transfer to a bowl, add the garlic and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, toss to mix.
Using your fingers, shape the mixture into 1″ balls. Flatten slightly (don’t pack tightly). Arrange the flattened balls on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the balls with olive oil or coat generously with nonstick spray.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a platter and season with more salt and peppers, if desired.

Serves 4 (24 pieces)

Yes, yet another pozole recipe… I swear, we should just rename the site to “We [heart] Pozole”. This one, unlike the others we’ve made, is closer to “traditional” pozole in that it doesn’t have a thick, tomato base, but rather a clear, flavorful broth. The red color comes from guajillo peppers that have been pureed and stirred in; they added a nice subtle pepper flavor without a lot of spice. This recipe is from Healthy Latin Cooking.

Pozole (Pork and Hominy Stew)
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2 dried guajillo peppers, stems removed and seeded
1 tbsp canola oil
8 ounces lean pork, cut into 1″ cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
6 cups water
2 14.5-oz cans hominy, drained and rinsed
salt, pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Soak the peppers in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes until soften, then transfer to a blender with 1/4 cup of the soaking water and puree until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onion and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf and cook an additional minute or two, until the pork and vegetables begin to brown. Add the water and hominy and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and remove the bay leaf. Stir in the pureed peppers and simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste and season again with salt and pepper.

Top with chopped green onions and cilantro.

4 servings