Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Tuscan Grilled Chicken & Pepper Salad (Pollo Forte)

The title of this recipe ignored me to the point that I almost refused to make it. Now it is possible that there are some Tuscan dishes I have yet to experience but I have never eaten anything like this while I was in Tuscany. To me this seemed more like something Olive Garden might place on their menu, calling it Tuscan, deceiving all of those who have never been to Italy.

SIGH

However (you knew that was coming right?), I liked the sounds of the ingredients and decided to whip it up last week.

We LOVE big summer salads - generally eating 2 or 3 of them a week. It must be the combination of fresh produce, speed, and relaxed eating on the terrace and this one was a perfect addition to our repertoire (once I got past that stupid name).

Note to fine cooking - Pollo Forte means strong chicken . . . did your chicken work out prior to being made into a salad?

I shall just call this one Grilled Chicken and Pepper salad and we shall call it a delicious day!

Grilled Chicken & Pepper Salad

5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 oz. each)
Olive oil for brushing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and very thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and very thinly sliced
1 poblano chile or other hot green chile, cored, seeded, and very thinly sliced
1/2 to 1 jalapeño, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
20 red cherry tomatoes, halved
20 yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup Niçoise, Kalamata, or other good-quality black olives, pitted
30 basil leaves, washed, dried, and torn into small pieces

Heat the grill. Lightly brush the chicken with olive oil.Grill the chicken breasts on one side until almost firm to the touch, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and then turn them over and continue to grill until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the grill and let cool. Cut the chicken on the diagonal into thin slices. Put the chicken in a large bowl along with the bell peppers, poblano and jalapeño chiles, and onion. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the two vinegars, garlic, red pepper flakes, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Toss the vinaigrette with the chicken and peppers and let stand at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. Add the cherry tomatoes, olives, and basil. Gently toss the salad and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the salad stand another 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

Spicy Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Orange and Honey

This recipe originally called for roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven. I thought that grilling might work better - the heat of the grill bringing out the sweetness in the glaze and the potatoes themselves. I'm happy to say that it was a success!

It is always nice when kitchen experiments work that way. :-)

I must say that the title in this is a bit much - we didn't find these spicy in the least. The fine print on the recipe spoke of a gentle kick. I'm still awaiting that . . .

If you truly want a kick you had better up the amount of cayenne!

Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Orange & Honey

3 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 tsp. cayenne
4 medium sweet potatoes (2 lb. total), preferably the same size and shape, peeled, cut into slices of uniform thickness
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the grill to high.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the honey, orange juice, and cayenne. Put the sweet potatoes in the bowl, add the honey mixture, and toss the pieces well to coat them thoroughly.

Turn the grill down to medium.

Place the sweet potatoes directly on the grill grate.

Turn them over when browned (about 10 minutes). Baste several times with the sauce.

Remove from grill when browned and tender. Serve at once.

Travel Tuesday - 10th Anniversary Trip to Italy

When we celebrated our 15th anniversary on the weekend we chatted about our 10th anniversary which we celebrated in Italy. We started in Piemonte, moved south to Lucca, and then met up with friends for a week in Montisi. It was a wonderful time of adventure, laughter, and happy memories.

Be sure to pop on over to Sandi's blog to see what else is happening on Travel Tuesdays. Since she is currently ahnging out on the Amalfi coast she is sure to have some great adventures there!

Mother's Day in Niagara

For the past three years we have taken mom to Niagara to celebrate Mother's Day with the best that wine country has to offer. Rather than join the crowds on Sunday itself we took advantage of Paul being off work during the week and me taking vacation days to make a stress-less day of it. This makes for a happy mom, who has a great adventure, and a happy Jerry and Paul since we don't have to fight through crowds.

This year we started off at the Niagara butterfly conservatory.

There we discovered that photographing butterflies was bloody difficult!

On the way to our next stop we passed the famous floral clock. Because it was overcast and rainy the usual tour buses weren't there yet so we did a quick u-turn and pulled in.

It is hard to believe that this clock, one of the largest floral clocks in the world, has been ticking away the seconds for more than 60 years.

Other than the rain and grey skies it was a beautiful day. The blossoms were out in full force.

One of the things that mom declared she wanted to do while we were in Niagara-on-the-Lake was to go to the Lavender farm. We had just enough time for a visit and shopping spree prior to our lunch reservations.

We had to backtrack a bit in order to get to the restaurant but when you're driving along quiet country roads past orchards in full bloom, lambs frolicking in the fields,  and vineyards in leaf bud who could complain?

Lunch was at the restaurant in Ravine winery. I had heard many good things about this spot but never eaten there myself. The menu is inspired by traditional French bistro dishes, highlighting the seasonal bounty and offerings of the local farmers in Niagara. Each dish is paired with one of the wineries own vintages.

The restaurant has floor to ceiling windows overlooking the vineyard. We were shown to our table and proceeded to have one of the best meals we've eaten in years!

The food was brilliant - so good that it is worthy of a post all its own in the near future.

After lunch we wandered around the winery a bit taking photos, tasting wine, and doing some shopping in their wee food boutique.

We made a beeline for the Niagara College Greenhouses to buy plants grown by the horticulture students (note: cheapest place anywhere to buy perennials, hanging baskets, bedding plants, and herbs). By the time we pulled out of the parking lot the car was FULL and we hadn't even visited the three wineries we had selected for visits yet.

It had been some time since we had visited the wineries on the Beamsville Bench so that was out wine tasting destination. The 'bench' occupies a narrow strip of land with vineyards clinging to its slopes. Warm days, cool nights and deep soils help to shape the character of the wines made at the wineries.

First up was Organized Crime - no, not THAT organized crime. Instead the name refers to two warring Mennonite congregations who were known to plan stealth action against one another from time to time. The most infamous example being the night that some of the men from one church's congregation broke into the other church, loaded the organ up on their buggy, and proceeded to drive it to a nearby gully where they tipped it over the edge.

We could have walked to Fielding Estates, our next stop. Actually, you can walk to all of the wineries on the Bench!

Fielding Estate Winery is a small family-run winery producing limited batch wines through traditional methods. Located on an 18-acre vineyard at the high end of the bench, the siting and building design maximize arable vineyard and optimize the visitors’ views across the landscape.

I love the way they have Muskoka chairs lined up on the terrace so you can sit there, sipping wine, looking out across the vineyards of the Bench. On clear days you can see right through to Toronto!

We had a short drive to the final winery of the day: Hidden Bench. I had been hearing great things about the wines that they produce since they have been winning plenty of awards, however we had never visited. This small, yet modern and sophisticated, estate winery showcases the terroir of the Beamsville Bench through their award-winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling.

We were surprised to see that they had fresh eggs for sale in addition to amazing wines! Apparently they have chickens who have large runs in the vineyards. We bought a dozen (on top of a case of wine) and headed out to the vineyard to thank the hens for their gift.

By now the car was bursting at the seams. We managed to find room for mom amongst the lavender, plants, wine, bread, preserves, eggs, and other purchases, and made our way back home. It had been a happy, full day!

Anniversary Dinner

It is hard to believe that yesterday was our 15th anniversary. Where does the time go?

For our 10th anniversary we had a lovely trip to Italy. For our 15th Paul worked and we did chores.

It could not be all work so we planned a special dinner and relaxed in the evening.

To start I got some giant scallops out of the freezer, wrapped then with pepper bacon, tossed them on the grill and served them with basil aioli.

We sipped a Dark and Story with this course - the perfect summer drink.

Paul decided that he wanted grilled pizza for dinner. I asked him what types and he only could think of a couple - fig and prosciutto and fennel sausage. To that I added an old favourite - BBQ chicken, and two from the Bobby Flay book Boy Meets Grill: mushroom, caramelized onion, and ricotta, and tomato, basil, and ricotta.

Paul whipped up a fennel salad and we had a feast!

Our 10th was celebrated while staying at the gorgeous Baur B and B in Piemonte. While we were there Diana took us to visit a friend of hers who owned a winery (nice to have friends like THAT!) While I was digging through the cellar looking for a nice bottle of wine for dinner I discovered a Barbera that we had brought back from that visit. WOW had it ever aged well!

We ate dessert and opened gifts outside on the terrace.

Photo Hunt - Glass

This week's Photo Hunt theme is glass.

It was quite hot when our cruise ship docked in Rhodes. After a day of wandering about we were happy to sit in a cafe and sip these glasses of beer . . .

It took awhile but we did it!

A Blast from the Past

Recently my mother decided to go through the 1000s of slides she has hoarded since the 1960s and 70s. A friend of hers offered to digitize the pictures and send the electronic versions to her. Every now and then I receive an e-mail with an attachment that causes laughter and wonder (as in, was I ever that skinny or did I ever have that much hair . . .)

This week Paul posted a picture on facebook, I thought it was someone from his family. I was about to send a snappy comment re the child's bowl cut when I realized that child was . . . me.

Here is my sister and I circa 1972 on the day our first family pet was brought home.

My goodness, what was the fascination with brown and earth tones back then?

Bad Tourists!!!!

This story proves that some folks would be better off staying at home than heading to Italy.

Piazza Navona fountain damaged

Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona has been on the receiving end of two separate acts of anti-social behaviour over the weekend, leading to an appeal by residents for greater protection of the baroque square.

During the early hours of 11 May a group of around 20 foreign students jumped off the ancient monument into the water. Their actions, which were detected by closed circuit television, showed one girl climbing along the fragile tail of the dragon. As the police arrived the group escaped on foot in the direction of Corso Vittorio.

At dawn the next day the same CCTV cameras showed two Spanish men, aged 32 and 33, naked in the fountain, which dates to 1651. This time the police apprehended the tourists who were detained for vandalism and obscene acts in public.

Guido Campopiano, the president of the Navona 2003 association, claims that the square is neglected and should have improved lighting and greater police protection to combat anti-social behaviour.

However the city's cultural superintendent Umberto Broccoli highlighted the importance of surveillance cameras which are monitored around the clock. He said it would be impossible to station police at every monument in Rome, and that anyway nothing can be done about "morons who lack common sense and intelligence."      

Fusilli with Green Beans, Pancetta, and Parmigiano

Over the years I've eaten many pasta dishes in Italy but I can not for the life of me remember one that contained green beans. I was skeptical when Paul pulled this recipe out of the pile and declared that he was making it for dinner the other week. I've got nothing against green beans, in fact I LOVE them, I just didn't see them as the star of a pasta dish.

Well, the green beans, cooked until crisp-tender, are the star of this show. The pasta’s cooking water melts the cheese and turns it into a rich sauce that coats the beans and pulls everything together.

So how did it turn out?

I am sure that you know the answer already- it was great. Once again Paul proved that trying something new or slightly different than what is expected is not a bad thing.

SIGH It is tiresome when he is right.

Fusilli with Green Beans, Pancetta, and Parmigiano

Kosher salt
1/2 lb. fusilli or other twisted pasta
4 oz. pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut into 1/2 -inch squares (3/4 cup)
1 large clove garlic, smashed and peeled 
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths (2 cups)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 oz. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)

Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until just barely al dente, about 1 minute less than package timing. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, and drain the pasta.

While the pasta cooks, put the pancetta in a cold 10-inch skillet and set over medium-high heat. When the pancetta starts sizzling, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until starting to brown, 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the pancetta until golden but still chewy at the center (taste a piece if you’re not sure), an additional  2 to 3 minutes. If the pancetta has rendered a lot of its fat, spoon off all but 1 Tbs. of the fat from the pan.

Add the beans to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until they’re crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the garlic and season the beans with salt and pepper. With the pan still over medium heat, add the pasta, 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and the butter. Toss to combine. Add another 1/4 cup pasta water and 3/4 cup of the Parmigiano. Stir well and season to taste with salt and pepper. If necessary, add a little more pasta water to loosen the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl. Grind black pepper over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Travel Tuesdays - Port Elgin

For the past 6 years I have wrapped up one of my largest projects at a wonderful training facility in Port Elgin. The planning team is racing around getting everything ready for our session in a week so my mind has gone up to lovely Port Elgin for this week's edition of Travel Tuesdays. If you don't know where Port Elgin is -it is a resort community known for it's amazing beaches and beautiful sun sets on the shores of Lake Huron - one of the larger of the Great Lakes.

Be sure to pop on over to Sandi's blog to see what else is happening on Travel Tuesdays.