2009.03.17
"Grill It!" winner
Some ribs on my dad's smoker.
I am excited to announce the winner of "Grill It! Recipes. Techniques. Tools" by Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby is Julie! Julie was the winner by random drawing, and only one of her comments counted toward the drawing. So, way to go Julie!
Reading about all of your delicious grill creations was a superb way to spend a few cold, rainy days. I know the serious grillmasters never let the weather stop them, but some of us find it hard to get motivated to cook outside with an umbrella and a winter coat. Spring is about to be sprung, though! So here's a recipe from "Grill It!" that we can all enjoy! It's for grilled "super-fiery West Indian" chicken breasts with a sour orange mojo sauce.
It calls for Scotch bonnet peppers, the small, bright orange ones. And WHOLE ones, at that, seeds and all! If you aren't big on super hot food, I suggest maybe de-seeding those bad boys before you put them in the blender. Or use less than four. And don't touch your eyes while working with them, whatever you do. If you're not careful, you might light your arse on fire!
Julie, e-mail me at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com with your mailing address and I'll put this book in the mail for you. Thanks for playing, everyone!
Grilled Super-Fiery West Indian Chicken Breasts with Sour Orange Mojo
Serves 4
The Chicken
4 boneless, skinless full chicken breasts, 10-12 oz. each
1/3 cup yellow mustard
4 Scotch bonnet chile peppers, stemmed
1 Tbsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. good quality curry powder
1/4 cup roughly chopped scallions (white and green parts)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
The Mojo
Juice of 2 oranges (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
1 Tbsp. minced fresh chili pepper of your choice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Place chicken breasts in a large, shallow bowl. Combine the mustard, chiles, ginger, curry powder, scallions and salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and puree. Pour over the chicken, turning each piece to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning once or twice if you remember.
2. While the chicken marinates, build a fire in your grill. When the coals are all ignited, the flames have died down and the temperature is medium, you're ready to cook.
3. Combine all of the mojo ingredients in a medium bowl; mix well and set aside.
4. Place chicken breasts on the grill directly over the coals and cook, turning once, until they are opaque all the way through (7 to 9 minutes per side). To check for doneness, poke the chicken with your finger to test its firmness. If you are unsure of doneness, make a small cut in the thickest part of the largest breast to be sure that it is opaque all the way through - no pink juices or pink flesh inside.
Serve chickens with mojo sauce spooned over them.
Source: "Grill It! Recipes. Techniques. Tools." by Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby
