This recipe is from Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue Bible, and we both really enjoyed this new way of preparing salmon! It’s stuffed with a walnut-cilantro-dill filling, and then wrapped in grape leaves and placed on a hot grill. We served the fish with roasted sunchokes drizzled with truffle oil. Fancy!

Lisa says:

My dad would really like this one…

Chris says:

You can totally taste the flavor of the grape leaves on the salmon.

Lisa says:

So you’re not supposed to eat the grape leaves?

Chris says:

The recipe claims not, but I just took a nibble — crispy, smoky, and salty… I’m sure it’s fine if you want it!

Lisa says:

This is a lot of fish; here, take a lit– hey, hands off my delicious filling!

Chris says:

Sucka!

Salmon Grilled in Grape Leaves
8 to 12 grape leaves packed in brine
2 salmon fillets, skinned and deboned
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup shelled walnuts
1 clove garlic
1/2 tbsp dried dill
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 paper-thin lemon slices

Rinse the grape leaves and soak in cold water for 30 minutes or so. Drain them and pat dry with paper towels.
Rinse the salmon under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Place the fillets on a cutting board, and with a knife parallel to the board, cut a deep pocket in each fillet, starting and ending about 1 inch from each end, cutting almost all the way through. Season the fillets with salt and pepper, inside and out.
Combine the walnuts, garlic, dill, cilantro, and lemon juice in a food processor and mix to a coarse paste. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Spoon the stuffing into the fillets, dividing evenly.
Arrange 2-3 grape leaves on a work surface to form a rectangle 2 inches larger than the piece of salmon. Place a piece of salmon on the top of the grape leaves, place a lemon slice on top, then cover the salmon with the remaining grape leaves. Fold and tuck the ends under the salmon. Secure with — well, we used floss. Repeat for the other fillet.
Set up the grill and preheat to high heat. Brush and oil the grill grate. Place the wrapped fish over direct heat and grill until the grape leaves are browned and the fish is cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish.
Using a spatula, transfer the fish to a serving plate. Unwrap the salmon and discard the grape leaves before eating.

2 Servings

This recipe came together in about 15-20 minutes, so it definitely lived up to the title of the book from which it came — Food & Wine Magazine’s Quick from Scratch Herbs & Spices Cookbook. We’re just diving into this one, but I’m really liking it so far — I love when each recipe is accompanied by a full-page picture. The book is divided into two sections: “Herbs” and “Spices”. Each recipe features a particular herb/spice — cilantro is one of our favorites, so we started there.

Chris says:

So, considering that I decided to make this about 10 minutes before you got home, I’d say this turned out quite well.

Lisa says:

Yeah, I thought we were doing Tortilla soup!

Chris says:

I changed my mind… not in a soup mood. Besides, this way we can tell Jeanette how much we enjoy the cookbook when we see her this weekend.

Lisa says:

It’s true! Yum, I like this dipping sauce.

Chris says:

I like most dipping sauces. Especially when they have cilantro!

Lisa says:

Cilantro *does* rule the planet. We need to start growing it.

Chris says:

Yes, please.

Thai Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Dipping Sauce
2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and stems removed
4 cloves garlic: 2 smashed, 2 minced
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/3 lbs.)
6 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp dried red-pepper flakes
1 1/2 tbsp water

Light the grill and set at medium-high heat. In a blender, puree the jalapeños, smashed garlic cloves, the 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems, the fish sauce, canola oil, sesame oil, and 1/4 tsp salt. Put the chicken in a shallow dish and coat with the cilantro puree.
Grill the chicken for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until just done, about 5 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt to a simmer, stirring. Simmer for 2 minutes. Pour the liquid into a small glass or stainless-steel bowl and let cool. Add the minced garlic, the tablespoon of chopped cilantro, the red-pepper flakes, and water. Serve each chicken breast with a small bowl of dipping sauce alongside.

4 Servings

This recipe comes from Thai Cooking Made Easy — with this recipe, it lived up to its name. Cooked chicken is shredded and tossed with a bunch of veggies and a slightly spicy lime and fish sauce dressing. This would make a good starter to a larger meal.

Chris says:

Yum, guy! I like this salad.

Lisa says:

I thought the dressing was going to taste way too fishy when I mixed it up…

Chris says:

It’s totally fine — once you toss it in and mix everything together it’s not nearly as intense.

Lisa says:

This salad makes me hungry.

Chris says:

Not surprising… ain’t no carbs here!

Lisa says:

Promise me we’ll never do a low-carb diet.

Chris says:

How about we just don’t do any kind of diet?

Yum Gai - Thai Chicken Salad

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)
• 1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, cut into lengths
• minced cilantro
• 4 large lettuce leaves

For the Dressing:

• 1 tbsp sliced red chili
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat and poach the chicken for about 15 minutes or until cooked. Remove and set aside to cool. Shred the chicken into thin strips.
Combine the Dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken strips with the tomato, onion, cucumber, green onions, and cilantro. Pour the dressing over and toss thoroughly.
Line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves and top with the salad. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a starter or part of a larger meal.

I bookmarked this white chili recipe featured on Blue Kitchen (GREAT photos) back in November and finally got to making it this weekend. It’s definitely not the usual “ground beef and kidney beans” fare… this spices in this chili include bay leaf, oregano, and… ginger! Unusual, but subtle. We loved it.

Chris says:

Usually I seed the jalapeños when I make chili, but since there wasn’t anything else really “hot” in the recipe, like chili powder, I left most of the seeds in.

Lisa says:

Really? I was all prepared to say “Spicy!” after my first bite, but it’s not that hot. It has a really good flavor, though.

Chris says:

Doesn’t it? I was wondering how it was going to taste with that ginger, but it’s very subtle. It doesn’t overpower the taste at all.

Lisa says:

The toppings make it a really colorful dish. Yay cilantro!

Chris says:

I think we’re going to have to change the name of this blog to We [Heart] Cilantro and Onions — I think we use them in 75% of the meals we make.

Lisa says:

Speaking of cilantro, what’s with these people?

Chris says:

Hey, that just means there’s more for us…

White Chili
———–
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 inch thick piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
5-6 white mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 15 oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, more for garnish]
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon each, salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small tomato, chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat a large sauce pan over a medium heat. Add olive oil. Add onions and jalapeño pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, another minute or so. Add chicken and mushrooms. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook chicken on all sides.

Sprinkle in flour and stir to coat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add broth, beans, 1/4 cup cilantro, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Discard bay leaf and adjust seasonings. Spoon chili into bowls and garnish with tomato, cilantro and green onion.

4 Servings

This week’s CSA box included plenty of potatoes and spinach, so this dish was an obvious choice. The recipe below is modified from a few different sources online.

Lisa says:

This is *so* good.

Chris says:

It really is — I love that combo of spinach and potatoes.

Lisa says:

Did you mention that we’re currently eating this with delicious garlic naan and some saffron rice?

Chris says:

No, I didn’t… but I guess you just did.

Lisa says:

Can we have this every week?

Chris says:

Yes, please.

Aloo Palak
———–
1 bunch spinach
1/2 bunch cilantro
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 green chilies, chopped with seeds
1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed*
(*We actually used a full pound, since we had them on hand)
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Saute the garlic, ginger, onions and green chili together until the onion starts to brown. Then add the cilantro and spinach and cook until the spinach wilts. Place in a blender and puree to desired consistency. Cook the potatoes (boil, or microwave) until almost done. In a deep pan heat the butter and fry the cumin seeds for about 20 seconds till they start to lightly brown. Add the turmeric and other spices and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the spinach-onion mixture, salt, and potatoes and cook for a few minutes for the flavors to meld and the potatoes to fully cook.