Grilled Spice-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Mixed Potatoes and Grilled Veggies

During summer, the Evanston Farmer’s Market is a fantastic weekend treat. What makes it interesting are the various varieties you can see of your regular veggies. Potatoes for example. By color - blue, purple, pink, white. By shape - fingerling, baby, long, round. By purpose – bakers, mashed, boiler. By country – Peruvian, Australian, Finnish. By State. By Harvest Time. By Popularity. The categorization is endless and so are the potatoes!

I love potatoes and apparently, I am in good company! The US consumes more than 41 billion pounds of potatoes each year! Though usually known for the carbs they have, potatoes can actually be good for you - one medium potato (5.3 ounces) with the skin is packed with essential vitamins and minerals including potassium, and provides 45 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. It is also fat, sodium- and cholesterol-free. Just don’t fry it!


Ingredients
To marinate:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp cayenne pepper (or chilli powder)
1 sp black pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp salt
½ tbsp olive oil

To grill:
1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp whole black pepper
1 dry red chilli
½ tsp paprika
½ - 1 tsp celery salt

6 mixed, small potatoes (I used 2 blue, 2 fingerling & 2 purple)
2 heirloom tomatoes ( I used 1 green, 1 red. You can substitute with regular tomatoes)
6-8 baby red & yellow peppers (treasures from the farmer's market)
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
1 tbsp butter
½ tsp dry thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
In a large bowl, mix all the spices, salt and garlic well. Put in the chicken and ½ tbsp oil, mix to coat chicken well with spice mix. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Wash potatoes – leave skin on. Boil until just tender. Drain and set aside. In a bowl, mix olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Add whole tomatoes, peppers and cut onions. Let sit for about 10 minutes.

Grind into a coarse mix the coriander seeds, cumin, pepper and dry red chili. You want to be able to still see the coriander seeds. Mix in the paprika and celery salt. Spread the spice mix on a flat surface. Coat each chicken breast thoroughly with the mix, patting down so it sticks.
Meanwhile, heat a grill pan until very hot. This is going to almost an indoor barbeque, so there will be plenty of smoke! Make sure the exhaust is on and windows open. Brush pan with the olive oil mix and put chicken breasts on. Maintain the heat at medium high to high. Grill for 4-5 minutes. Flip over and brush with a little olive oil. Grill for another 4-5 minutes or until cooked (internal temp of 170 F.

Put on the tomatoes, peppers and onion, brushing over the tops with the olive oil. These should get grill marks on all surfaces and usually should be done along with the chicken.

(I usually put on a lid to cover the chicken through the last 2 minutes – I find it helps keep the chicken moist.
The chicken surface will turn dark brown to black because of the spice mix. It’s OK – in fact, this is where the goodness lies! )

Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, melt butter. Toss the potatoes adding thyme, salt and pepper. I also put in some cayenne pepper for a little more spice. These will only take a couple of minutes.

To serve, divide the chicken and veggies between two plates.

Notes:
- Just use a regular large sauté pan if don’t have a grill pan.
- For the crust, you can adjust quantities of pepper and chilli to suit your palate. In the proportion given above, you can definitely feel a little heat!
- Mix up the veggies depending on what is in season or what you in the mood for. Mushrooms and beans work well too.

Harissa

This Tunisian original is a hot sauce made with chillies, garlic and other spices, and is the traditional accompaniment to couscous. It is also used to add extra flavor to stews and soups. In my version, I add roasted red or green capsicum for a little more punch.

Ingredients

1 red capsicum (bell pepper)
1 big clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno (this will be hot! To tone down the heat, use 3-4 regular green or red chillies)
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt to taste

Method

Rub the capsicum and jalapeno with a little oil and roast over an open flame until the outer skin is blistered and blackened. Alternatively, place the vegetables on aluminum foil and grill in the oven under the broiler/grill. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. When cool, peel away the blackened skin and roughly chop.

Place capsicum, jalapeno or chillies, garlic and salt in a blender and whiz to a smooth paste. Add spices and olive oil and blend. The harissa will stay up in the fridge up to 4 weeks – just remember to cover the top with a little olive oil and store in an airtight container.

Israeli Couscous

This small, round semolina pasta is very different from the more familiar yellow, North African couscous. Also known as pearl couscous or maftoul, it is very similar in appearance to pearl barley and sago pearls which we use in India. It is made from crushed and steamed semolina, then shaped and rolled into small balls, which are then toasted in an open-flame oven. This process gives this couscous its distinctive nutty flavor, and its ability to absorb liquids without disintegrating. Which is exactly what makes it perfect with stews and saucy dishes.

This is the first time I tried Israeli couscous. While I love regular couscous, I have to say that the Israeli couscous definitely added more flavor and texture to the dish.

Ingredients
½ cup Israeli couscous
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
Salt to taste

Method
In a saucepan, heat oil. Add couscous and toast on medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes until slightly browned and aromatic. Add stock, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Add salt if needed. Serve immediately.

Chorizo Stew

I have said many times before, our favorite thing in this world is a nice stew. And since my friend and neighbor has been crying doom at the dawn of autumn soon (the leaves have started to change color), I figured stew was weather-appropriate. Of course, by a really long shot, but so yummy, who cares?!

Chorizo is a type of highly seasoned pork sausage, usually from Spain or Mexico. The Spanish version gets its distinctive flavor from the smoked paprika used to spice the meat which is also usually smoked. I used Mexican chorizo for this recipe which is made from fresh ground pork, and is more widely available in North America. I have also used Goan sausage which gives it a spicier, more vinegar flavor. Remove the casing before cooking.

Ingredients
½ cup uncooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 1 can cooked
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chorizo sausage – remove casing and roughly crumbled
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 stick celery, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
2 fresh or dry bay leaves (I like the fresh ones better for this recipe)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 lemon, cut into quarters (leave the rind on)
1 tsp paprika
Salt to taste
2 tomatoes, diced
½ cup red wine (I used a Spanish wine – any robust red, light on the woody notes will do)
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Powder fine 1 inch stick of cinnamon, 4 cloves and ½ tsp fennel seeds.

Method
If using uncooked chickpeas, soak in water overnight or for at least 4 hours. Drain, rinse, and pressure cook with 1 cup water for 10 to 15 minutes. Keep aside. If using a can of cooked chickpeas, drain and skip ahead.

In a deep pot, heat the olive oil. Saute onions on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, taking care not to brown them. Covering the pot with a lid helps. Next, add the garlic and stir for a minutes. Now add chorizo. Stir around to break up the pieces and sauté for 3-4 minutes. The oil should start turning red from the chorizo spices. Now throw in all the vegetables and bay leaves. Saute for a couple of minutes more. Next, add the tomatoes, paprika and salt. Stir for 3-4 minutes. Add wine and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add chicken stock, lemon zest and cut lemon, and simmer covered for 10 minutes more. Now mix in the cooked chickpeas. Taste and adjust seasoning. For added heat, you could add ½ tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder. Continue simmering uncovered for 12 minutes more (or until potatoes are cooked). Serve with couscous and harissa.

The Resurrection!

It has been shamefully long since my last post. Have I been starving and become emaciated in the past 10 months? Hell, no! The past few months have been action-filled. The food adventures have continued. We've changed location - continents, in fact.
Being in Evanston, IL, means we have access to a whole bunch of new ingredients. The local farmer's market is a weekend treat - fantastic produce, and familiar vegetables in strange and new forms. We also have a Whole Foods practically in our backyard. Yes, they are expensive, but the seafood and meats are absolutely fantastically fresh. So the culinary adventures not just continue, but have been given new excitement - something I hope to share with you. Cheers!