Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Sandwich

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I love the kinds of meals that are made with reinvented leftovers. Such was the case with these chicken sandwiches. I had made Huli-Huli chicken on Monday night, then on Tuesday Jon took the day off due to an unexpected issue with the hot water heater. I like doing something special when we’re all home for lunch on the weekends, so I figured I’d whip up something different with the leftover chicken in the fridge. Whenever I’m grilling chicken, I always like to toss an extra couple of pieces on the grill. Leftovers can always easily be turned into another dinner!

I’d seen a similar sandwich at my favorite local BBQ joint before, so I figured I’d go with it. I just shredded the chicken down, then added a little bit of additional bbq sauce for moisture’s sake. Tossed some fresh pineapple slices on the grill pan while I was making up the cole slaw  – looooove grilled pineapple. Then piled everything high on a toasted whole wheat bun. I ran out to the store to look for King’s Hawaiian hamburger buns, but alas, my plans were thwarted. It would have been a nice touch, but eh – they were great without them! A great sandwich to enjoy during these last few days of summer.

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Sandwich

1 lb cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
4 1/2″-thick slices of pineapple
4 King’s Hawaiian hamburger buns
coleslaw, optional (recipe below)

Combine barbeque sauce and pineapple juice in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the shredded chicken, tossing to coat, and cover. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over high heat. Place the pineapple slices in the pan, and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, to slightly soften the pineapple and obtain grill marks. Remove from pan and set aside.

Split the burger buns in half, and lightly toast them in the grill pan.

Pile the barbequed chicken on the bun, topping with the grilled pineapple, and coleslaw if desired.

Source: adapted from So Tasty, So Yummy

Coleslaw

2 cups thinly shredded green cabbage
1 cup thinly shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup greek yogurt
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, greek yogurt, vinegar, and honey. Add in shredded cabbage, carrots, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Cover and refirgerate for and hour to let flavors meld before serving.

Roasted Cherry Brownies

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Cherries are flooding the supermarkets near me, for under $2 a pound. They’re one of the many things that I look forward to in summertime. Last weekend, we put a homebrewed sweet/sour cherry beer into secondary fermentation – should be ready next week. Made with 3 lbs of sweet roasted Bing cherries, and 3 lbs of sour Morello  cherries. Excited to try it is an understatement. I’ve also been baking up plenty of sweet treats in the kitchen with these little gems – including, but not limited to, this fabulous ice cream and these delectable brownies!

A rich, fudgy brownie studded with juicy roasted cherries? I was sold on these the day last August when Annie posted them – but, cherries were back up to $5/lb at that point, and I resolved to put it off until next summer. Well, here we are my friends. I can safely tell you that these brownies are worth the wait. Hell, they’re so good – it’s worth paying $5 per pound for the cherries! I made them for a girls night last weekend, and they were a hit. I originally planned to serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, but they were so rich and decadent – I didn’t even bother. Make these, now!

Roasted Cherry Brownies

2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
1¼ cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar, divided
5 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Combine the cherries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a small roasting pan and toss well to combine.  Roast the cherries for 10 minutes, or until they begin to release their juices.  Remove the pan from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 F.

Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with foil (I used an 8×8 – yields a thicker brownie).  Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth.  Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth.  Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, remaining sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds.  Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated.  Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined.  Gently fold in the roasted cherries.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula to make an even layer.  Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, about 35 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board.  Cut into squares as desired.  Store in an air-tight container.

Source: adapted from The Pastry Affair and Baking Illustrated, via Annie’s Eats

Pork Tenderloin w/ Madiera Fig Gravy

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Had originally planned another recipe to share with you today, but after enjoying this meal on Friday night – I had to share it with you guys ASAP. I’d had it on my list since I saw it in the Lee Brothers cookbook, and couldn’t wait to make it. We have a couple of fig trees (bushes?) in our yard, which produce two crops of giant, juicy figs a year. Once in the early summer, once again in the fall. They aren’t the traditional dark-skinned Mission fig that you usually find in the store, either. They have a very pithy white skin, that usually proves a bit complicated when going to make something like preserves with them, and I end up having to give them a peeling first. Didn’t matter for this dish, they just cooked right down into a delicious gravy.

And the Madiera. My God. I’m sold on this stuff as a marinating liquid! The pork has a relatively quick 1 hour soak in the Madiera, then is seared off in a cast-iron pan and finished off in the oven. Madiera is a sweet, fortified wine that I always have hanging out in my liquor cabinet. Great for a quick deglaze, and after-dinner drink, or a marinade. The sugars in the wine helped to give the most gorgeous caramelized crusts I’ve ever seen on a hunk of meat. No joke. Then, you add the marinade to the pan, along with the figs – and put it all in the oven for about 20 minutes. What comes out is sheer perfection. I served with some steamed broccoli and garlic rice pilaf. If you have figs available to you – whether in your back yard, or at the grocery store – add this to your menu plan. I can’t wait to make it again!

Pork Tenderloin with Madiera Fig Gravy

1 cup Madiera or Sherry
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 pounds pork tenderloins
2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp butter
2 shallots, finely diced
1 tsp all-purpose flour
1 pounds fresh figs, trimmed and quartered

Pour the Madiera and vinegar into a gallon-size Ziploc, and add the garlic, thyme, and 1 tsp of salt. Seal the bag and agitate to combine. Add the pork tenderloins and marinade at room temperature for 1 hour, turning the bag over several times.

Heat the oven to 450, with a rack positioned in the top third of the oven.

Transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board, reserving the marinade, and pat the meat dry with paper towls. Brish the tenderloins with 1 tsp of the oil, and season them with 1 tsp of salt and the black pepper. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in a large cast-itron skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Add the tenderloins and sear, turning them occasionally, until they are nicely browned, 5 to 6 minutes.

Transfer the tenderloins to a plate, add butter and shallots to the pan, stirring until the butter has completely melted, and then add the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and the flour. Cook until the shallots have softened and are fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the figs and the reserved marinade and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, add the tenderloins to the skillet, and nestle them among the figs. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast, turning the meat once, for about 15 minutes (an instant-read thermometer should register 135 defrees).

Remove the skillet from the oven and let the tenderloins rest on a cutting board, loosely covered with foil, for 5 minues. Then slice tenderloins into 1/2-inch thick medallions and serve with the sauce.

Source: Simple, Fresh, Southern by The Lee Brothers

Zucchini Linguini

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Do you guys have zucchini coming out of your ears yet? I know in a couple of weeks we will, so I thought it would be a great time to share one of my favorite ways to prepare them. This is a recipe that I’ve been making for several years now, looking forward to it every summer. This is another recipe that my sweet neighbor Janie shared with me a couple of years before she passed. She always loved gardening, and sharing her bounty – including zucchinis! I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years, and it’s open to substitutions, depending on what looks good from your garden (or CSA share) that week.

This pasta couldn’t be simpler to make. While the pasta is cooking, you do a quick saute and sauce with the veggies – then toss everything together and top with breadcrumbs. Meals like this are a lifesaver when the weather climbs to 100+, and the idea of slaving over a hot stove makes you want to cry for mercy. I made a few changes to the recipe over the years – adding tomato and white wine to the mix, as I felt the dish was a bit dry without them. Have made this dish with yellow squash as well, and it was great.

Zucchini Linguini

Coarse salt
1 pound linguine
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced very thinly crosswise
1 large tomato, diced (about 1.5 cups)
20 black olives, halved
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine (I used Vermouth)
1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp olive oil

Heat oven to 425. Toss the breadcrumbs with 1 tsp olive oil and garlic powder. Place on a cookie sheet, and toast in oven until golden brown; about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Fill a 10-quart stockpot with 7 quarts water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons coarse salt. Add pasta, stir until water returns to a boil, and cook pasta, according to package directions, until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add oil and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion and zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, olives, oregano, and red pepper flakes; season with salt to taste. Add white wine and simmer for a about 5 minutes.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Add pasta to skillet and toss to combine. If pasta seems dry, add reserved cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing between each addition. Transfer pasta to a large platter, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with bread crumbs; serve immediately.