The basis of this recipe came from something in the Boston Globe Mag a few weeks ago. I tweaked in two basic ways:

1. I didn’t have any Chinese 5-spice powder so I improvised my own
2. I did it in the crockpot because it was a weekday and I don’t have four hours to cook on Monday nights.

I knew I wanted to make some kind of pilaf thing to go with some lamb chops. The lamb chops recipe was sort of moroccan–braised in a sauce of onions, tomatoes, coridander, cinnamon–so I wanted to complement that.

I got inspired watching Chef John Bull rock some delicious looking Jerk Chicken on Sunday. His recipe was a bit hard to follow, so I took one out of Chris Schlesinger’s License to Grill and adapted for what I had on hand.

• juice from 2 limes
• 3 scallions
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1/3 cup honey mustard
• 1/2 t cayenne
• 1 T coriander seed
• 1 T green peppercorns
• 1 T ground allspice
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 t each dried basil, oregano and thyme
• 1 t salt

Grind the spices your spare coffee grinder (you have one, right?), then blend everything in a food processor. Should make a saucey paste; enough for 6-8 split chicken breasts. Coat the chicken, cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour, but not more than two or the lime juice will start “cooking” the chicken too much and toughen it. You want to grill the chicken slowly over indirect heat so the sugars in the marinade don’t burn, maybe 30-40 minutes.

The recipe is here, so no need to repeat it. I thought I had some coconut milk, but I didn’t. Doh! Ended up substituting almond milk + some butter (to kick up the fat a little). It was awesome anyway, but I still stocked up on coconut milk for next time.

To accompany it I fried up some tofu slices coated in a mixture of panko and thin-sliced scallions. Went great with a bottle of Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling.

Thanks to Angela for the recipe heads-up.

The Menu:

• Baby Arugula Salad w/ Shaved Fennel Slaw, Black Grapes, Gorgonzola & Arkansas Pecans (Cook’s Illustrated)
• Pan-Roasted Rosemary Potatoes (Gourmet Next Door)
• Glazed Carrots w/ Ginger & Rosemary (Cook’s Illustrated)
• Basmati Rice & Braised Cabbage Pilaf w/ Tarragon (Vegetarian Planet)
• Baked Ham w/ Vermouth & Dijon Mustard Sauce (Cook’s Illustrated)
• Dinner Rolls (from Wilson Farms)
• Dark Gingerbread Cake, Chocolate Espresso Cake (from Dancing Deer Bakery–thanks Carol & Tony!)
• Coffee & Tea

The Guests: Me, Jennifer, Mom, Hunt, Aunt Marillyn & Bob C.

Locally Grown: Potatoes, Carrots, Cabbage & Onions from Waltham Fields Community Farm

Made this on Saturday with the first of our harvested habanero peppers. The recipe called for any type of hot pepper to suit your heat preference. I used about 1/2 of a seeded habanero and it was hot. An excellent, gradually building heat; the kind where you almost don’t notice your mouth’s on fire until you push the plate away.

* 2 t grated fresh ginger
* 1 t grated fresh garlic
* 1/2 habanero pepper, seeded and minced
* 1/4 cup rice vinegar
* 1 T thai fish sauce (nam pla)
* 2 sizeable cukes, seeded if you prefer
* 2 medium carrots
* a couple of ice cubes

Mix the first six ingredients together in a large bowl. Peel and slice the cukes and carrots (I used my mandoline to get them pretty thin). Add the veggies to the dressing and toss. Before serving, add in a couple of ice cubes and toss some more. According to the original recipe this is supposed to crisp up the veggies, and I can attest that they were crisp.

Leftover grilled corn-on-the-cob is a great thing to have in the fridge when the volume of ripe grape tomatoes in the garden starts to increase. Possibly inspired by a great-looking striped bass recipe, I threw this salad together last night.

* 4 leftover, grilled ears of corn
* 1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
* 1 minced jalapeno
* 1 T minced curly parsley
* juice from 1/2 a lime
* salt & pepper

Over a wide plate, saw the corn off the cob with a serrated knife (a steak knife works well, or you could get yourself one of these gadgets). Quarter the tomatoes. Toss with the minced jalapeno, parsley, lime juice and s & p.

Burned by bad chicken from Wilson Farm again! I love Wilson Farm. It is 5 minutes from my house. I do all my weekly shopping there. But. They seem to have some chronic issues keeping their chicken breasts fresh.

The latest incident involved a package of split breasts purchased on Monday, July 23rd with an expiration stamp of July 27th. I opened the pack last night (July 26th) all set to make Grilled Chicken w/ Tomato Tarragon sauce. MMmmmm… smelly chicken!

Fortunately, I had a pack of extra-firm tofu in the fridge. The tweaked-recipe result was delicious.

* 1 package extra-firm tofu
* 3 roma tomatoes
* 1/2 clove of garlic
* 2 T minced fresh tarragon
* 2 T lemon juice
* 4 T olive oil
* salt & pepper

Get the fire started in the grill.

Drain the tofu and press out the excess water by wrapping in paper towels and setting something mildly heavy on top for several minutes. Cut the tomatoes in half and grate them on a box grater. Mix the tomatoes with the tarragon and lemon juice. Use a microplane to grate the garlic into the tomatoes. Whisk in two tablespoons of the oil. Add S & P to taste. That’s the sauce.

Slice the tofu lengthwise into three slabs, then slice crosswise once so you have six pieces. Sprinkle with S & P and brush with the remaining olive oil (or spray each side with some of that aerosol canola or olive oil). Make sure the grill grates are cleaned and oiled. I keep an old kitchen towel and a can of spray canola oil near the grill just for this purpose; spray the oil on the towel and quickly wipe down the grate. Repeat. Don’t burn yourself.

Grill the tofu “cutlets” for 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with the tomato sauce spooned over the top.

Got this recipe via my CSA newsletter. It works for all kinds of greens–spinach, kale, chard, etc.– but my favorite is with broccoli rabe (aka, rapini). I’ve tweaked it a little and added a bit of acid in the form of lemon juice or vinegar towards the end of the cooking.

* 2 T olive oil
* 1 medium onion
* garlic to taste (or not–I’ve actually been leaving this out)
* 2 medium carrots in 1/4 inch dice
* 1 bunch broccoli rabe, coarsely chopped
* 1/2 – 1 cup chicken or veggie broth or water
* 1 can diced tomatoes or 3 or four medium tomatoes peeled and chopped
* 2 T lemon juice or red wine vinegar
* 6 medium-large eggs
* salt & pepper to taste

In a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, saute onion until translucent. Add garlic (if any) and saute 30 seconds more. Add carrots and stir. Add the greens. The greens should have some water clinging to the leaves from when you rinsed and drained them in a collander. If not, increase the amount of water/broth you add. Toss the greens with the onions and carrots. Saute until the greens wilt enough that you can fit the lid on the pan.

Turn the heat to low and braise for 5-15 minutes depending on the type of greens you’re using. i.e., 5 minutes for spinach, 10 for rabe. For tough collards you may have to go as long as 30 minutes (and increase the amount of liquid). Uncover and stir in the tomatoes and the acid. Cover and cook another 5 minutes.

Ok, now we’re going to add the eggs. Uncover the pan. With the back of a spoon make six depressions in the vegetables. There should still be enough liquid in the pan at this point that the eggs will poach. If there’s no liquid in the bottom of your depressions, add more and put the lid back on until everything is back to as simmer. Carefully crack an egg into each depression. Cover the pan and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the eggs are mostly set (they’ll continue to cook and harden a bit more even after you turn off the heat).

Serve over rice or quinoa.