Luke's Birthday

We had a lovely surprise this weekend when we heard that Luke was going to be able to join us for dinner on Saturday night. Our quiet evening with friends was to become a birthday celebration,  which grew to include Georgina, Andy and Leslie, and her friend Andrew. Plus, Andrea and Ted were returning from a business trip and were also able to join us. Our idea of a perfect night!(except that we were missing Ben and Elaine). 
We had some chicken breasts marinating in the refrigerator already and Bev had already offered to prepare some vegetables, so to round out the meal, we developed a recipe for a couscous pilaf, featuring slow-roasted cherry tomatoes. Couscous is super quick, and you can add just about anything that you have in your pantry to it! Finally, we put together a salad of all the super foods that were in the refrigerator- spinach, blueberries, pomegranate seeds, avocado, toasted almonds, and more...... We topped the dinner off with the birthday cake (Carrot!!) that we bought at Pan Chancho, as we were leaving Kingston on Saturday morning. THank goodness for our favorite bakery.

Israeli Couscous Pilaf with Shallots and Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

2 cups cherry tomatoes, slow roasted

3 tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups Israeli couscous

4 cups chicken stock

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 green onions, chopped

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

To slow roast the cherry tomatoes: Set the barbecue on HIGH, then reduce to LOW. Spread the cherry tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Place over an unlit burner, close the lid, and let them roast slowly for 1 ½  hours. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté gently until they become translucent. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the couscous and stir to separate the grains. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Add the slow-roasted tomatoes, parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped green onions and parsley.

Roasted Beets, with Yogurt and Preserved Lemon Relish  
- adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty for the barbecue.

2 pounds large beets

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons chopped dill

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

2/3 cup Greek yogurt

for the relish:

2 yellow bell peppers

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons coriander seeds

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juices

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon

2 tablespoons each chopped parsley and cilantro

Scrub the beets and chop them into wedges.  Lay them on a sheet of heavy aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap them tightly and place on the top rack of a preheated barbecue on LOW for 1 hour, turning halfway through.  Carefully open and check for doneness with a sharp knife.  Set aside.

To make the relish, increase the barbecue temperature to MEDIUM HIGH and place the whole peppers on the grill.  Char the peppers on all sides, turning as necessary.  Let cool, then peel, seed and cut into strips.

Pour the remaining olive oil into a medium saucepan and heat to MEDIUM HIGH.  Fry the coriander seeds for 30 seconds before adding the tomatoes, garlic, sugar salt and pepper.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the preserved lemon and continue simmering for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs and pepper strips.  Cool completely.

Just before serving, transfer the cooled beet wedges to a mixing bowl and add the relish, dill, red onion and some salt and pepper.  Stir well, then taste for seasoning.    Add the yogurt and swirl it through gently to give a white and red marbled effect.

Grilled Chicken Supremes Marinated in Moroccan Flavours

10 plump chicken breasts, wing attached, skin-on
For the marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1tsp coriander
1 tsp saffron
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a large, heavy resealable zip-bag. Add chicken breasts and massage the bag to coat the chicken thouroughly with the marinade.  Place the bag in a large mixing bowl and marinate chicken in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat the barbecue on HIGH for 10 minutes.  Lightly brush the grids with vegetable oil, to prevent sticking. Place the chicken breast, bone side down, over indirect heat, then reduce heat to MEDIUM. Grill the chicken for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken over and continue grilling over direct heat until skin is golden and crispy, approximately 6-8 more minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check that it is done(165°F).

Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside!

A happy birthday gathering!