French Lemon and Roasted Garlic Chicken

     Alright you scallywags, here's a new recipe for the lot of ya. I recently tried my hand at a low-sodium dish (me blood pressure be a bit too high) and it was really good! So let me be sharing it with you all.

French Lemon and Roasted Garlic Chicken

by Ellen Brown

Ingredients:

1 (3.5-4 pound) Frying Chicken, cut into serving pieces with each breast cut lengthwise in half

Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

2 tsp Dried Thyme

1/4 Olive Oil

2 Heads Garlic, broken into cloves but not fully peeled (leave the last skin on)

1 C Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

1/4 C Lemon Juice (or lime if you prefer)

2 Tbl Fresh Parsely, chopped (optional in my opinion)

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400°, and grease a 10x14-inch baking pan.

2) Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

3) Sprinkle chicken with black pepper and rub with thyme

4) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then place chicken in pan, skin side down.

5) Brown chicken for 2 minutes per side, or until browned, and then transfer chicken to baking dish using tongs

6) Add garlic cloves to the skillet and brown for 2 minutes, then add the chicken broth and juice to the skillet.

7) Bring to a boil and then pour over the chicken

8) Bake chicken for 25 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165° in the thickest piece (usually the thigh)

9) Season to taste with black pepper and parsely (I didn't add anymore black pepper or parsley and I thought it was very good)

     I looked through several low-sodium cookbooks to find one that made my stomach growl with anticipation and this recipe really got my interest.  You can use lemon juice or lime juice in this and I opted for the lime juice and boy was it good! I thought this was incredibly tasty and it was quite healthy as well, so if any of ye have a bit of high blood pressure, check out this recipe and more in the book $3 Low-Sodium Meals by Ellen Brown.

When Grandma Finds Out You Haven't Eaten

Aye! This be truer than the blue sea! Now can any of you scurvy knaves tell me what kind of pan she's cooking in?

First one to get it right will get 2 extra entries into this year's Pirate Chef Contest coming up in September!

 

You can post your answer here on the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ThePirateChefPage/ 

Sloppy Joe Quesadilla

     Who doesn't enjoy a good Sloppy Joe sandwich? Well next time you're making some and you be feeling like switching it up a bit, try a Sloppy Joe quesadilla! This is not a recipe but more of an idea for you all, you can use any cheese you want, I just prefer Colby Jack for this kind of stuff.

1) Preheat panini maker [check your instruction manual for settings] or pan [if you're doing it on the stovetop]

2) Take a flour tortilla and put about 5 pieces of thinly sliced Colby Jack cheese on half of it.
 
3) Then spoon enough Sloppy Joe mix to cover the cheese, draining as much liquid as you can off.
 
4) Put another 5 pieces of thinly sliced Colby Jack cheese on top.
 
5) Fold over other half of tortilla shell.
 
6) Cook quesadilla until shell starts to brown and cheese is melted.
 
7) Cut into halves or quarters and enjoy!

Grilled Asian Chicken

Summertime be upon us lads and lasses, so fire up them grills and let's get cooking!

     Here's a recipe I found that my mother came up with who knows when, I rescued it from the deep dark recesses of my parents computer and tried it out this past week. It was very good and wonderfully tasty!

Grilled Asian Chicken

by The Pirate Chef's Mom

Ingredients:

3/4 C Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1/2 C No Pulp Orange Juice

1 tsp Fresh Ginger, finely chopped

1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped

2 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts

Directions:

1) Mix soy sauce, orange juice, ginger, and garlic together.

2) Place chicken breasts in a small container suitable to marinade in.

3) Let sit for 3-4 hours or overnight (I prefer overnight), turning over halfway through if the marinade doesn't fully cover the chicken.

4) Preheat grill and wipe down with a little cooking oil (helps to prevent sticking to some degree)

5) Place chicken on a separate plate and pour the marinade in a small pot.

6) Bring remaining marinade to a boil on the stove so that you can use it to baste the chicken as it cooks. **Please Read Safety Precaution at regarding this**

7) Place chicken on grill and brush on marinade whenever you flip it over.

8) When chicken is done, remove from grill and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat so that it doesn't dry out so quickly.

**Safety Precaution: Always bring your marinade to a boil before using as a basting sauce. Not doing so could result in a nice little visit to the ER.

The Shimmery Fin Drink

     Here's something for you lovers of things that shimmer and shine. No, not gold, put away your treasure maps and shovels.

The Shimmery Fin

by The Pirate Chef

 

 

Ingredients:

   3/4 oz Spiced Rum

   3/4 oz White/Silver Rum

   1 1/2 oz Margarita Mix

   1/2 oz Blue Curacao

   1/4 tsp Blue Pearl Dust (used for cake decorating)

Directions:

   1) Place the pearl dust into rocks glass

   2) Combine all the other ingredients

   3) Stir and add a couple of ice cubes

   4) Swirl and enjoy the shimmering show!

   If you don't want the shimmery part of this drink, simply omit the pearl dust and enjoy, it is quite tasty either way!

   Pearl dust is generally available in any specialty craft store that deals in cake decorating products and comes in a variety of colors. The ratio of it that I used for this was 1/4 tsp to roughly 4 oz of liquid and that can be used for any drink you want to add this look to.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to the lot of ye! Today, I have a recipe for Beef and Guinness stew for you, so if you are tired of the traditional corned beef dish, try something a little different!

Beef and Guinness Stew

by The Pirate Chef

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs Stew meat (I like to use a nice beef roast)

3 Tbls Oil

2 Tbls Flour

Salt and black pepper

1/2 Cup Flour

4 oz Butter

1 Large onion, chopped

1 Clove garlic, crushed

2 Tbls Tomato paste, mixed with 4 T water

1 Bottle Guinness Draught

1 lb Baby carrots

1 lb Small red potatoes, halved and then quartered

Sprig of thyme or 1/3 tsp dried

Sprig of rosemary or 1/3 tsp dried

2 Bay leaves

4 Cups Beef broth

Directions:

1) Trim the meat of any fat or gristle, and cut into 2-inch cubes.

2) Toss beef with 1 tablespoon of the oil.

3) In a small bowl, season the 2 Tbls flour with salt and pepper.

4) Toss meat with seasoned flour.

5) Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium-large pot over high heat.

6) Brown the meat on all sides in small batches.

7) Remove the meat and set aside.

8) Add the onion and crushed garlic to the pot and saute until tender.

9) Add the butter and melt.

10) Whisk in the 1/2 cup of flour to make a roux.

11) Turn the heat down to low and cook the roux until it is brown, do not let it get to a brick color, that's too long!

12) Whisk in the beef broth, Guinness, and tomato paste.

13) Bring the stew to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low.

14) Add the aromatics and beef, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is starting to get tender and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 1 1/2 hours.

15) Add the carrots and potatoes and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until the meat and vegetables are tender, about 1 more hour.

16) Remove the bay leaf and the thyme and rosemary stems before serving.

17) ENJOY!

If the stew gets too thick, you might not have browned the beef enough or cooked the roux long enough. This is a simple fix, just heat up some more beef broth or some water in another pot and mix it in, just a little at a time, to reach the desired consistency. This is not a perfect fix but it keeps the stew from overcooking while not taking much away from the flavor.

Burger Review - Hurricane Grill and Wings

     This past weekend, I went to Hurricane Grill & Wings (Saint Augustine) for a burger. I know I said I was thinking about heading to Surfer Joe's, but they closed down after only being open a few months. I have never been to Hurricane before and figured I would try it for my next burger review. I did not know that it is actually a chain with over 50 locations throughout Florida and other states! It sure didn't seem like it with the decor or the food.

     Hurricane is open from 11am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday, and they are open till 11pm on Friday and Saturday. I went around 1pm last Sunday, it was pretty slow and that's what I was hoping for.

     I ordered a 1/2lb steakburger with cheddar jack cheese, medium-rare, with homemade kettle chips for $9.98. The burger itself was $8.99 and the cheese was $.99 extra.

 

     The size after cooking was still about 1/2lb so they didn't lose much to shrinking through cooking, always a big plus in my book, and it came out as a medium. Getting a medium burger when ordering a medium-rare isn't a big deal as it can happen pretty easily, as long as it doesn't come out well done!

     As far as being juicy, this burger was on spot! I would give it a 4 out of 5! The juices were dripping down my hand and onto the plate, but it wasn't so much that I felt like I needed a bib or gloves.

     You have a choice of lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, and mayo as your "freebies" for you burger. I asked for lettuce and pickle only and they gave me a good amount of both, but not too much either. The lettuce was fresh and crisp, making a slight crunching sound as I bit into it. They had a good amount of pickles on there, so that every bite had a bite of pickle, and they also had a good little crunch to them, as well as a nice flavor.

     The bun was your traditional burger bun, but they did toast the bun, which I like. The bun was toasted perfectly and did a great job of not getting too soggy with juices from the burger itself.

     They have an impressive selection of sides for your ordering pleasure. You have a choice of a signature side, or you can upgrade to a premium side for $1. The signature sides are housemade kettle chips, natural-cut fries, classic coleslaw, garlic n' parm broccoli, Caribbean yellow rice, or fresh cilantro tomatoes. The premium sides are garlic n' parm fries, crispy sweet potato straws, or jumbo onion rings. I went with the housemade kettle fries, which are just potato chips that they make themselves but they do tend to be a little thicker than your traditional chip and they also have a bit more of a crunch when you bite into them. The kettle chips were good, the only complaint I have about them is that they come out unseasoned so I did have to add salt. This can be an easy fix for them, they just need to be tossed lightly in some salt soon after coming out of the fryer, this way the salt sticks to the chip.

     Overall, the burger was enjoyable and I would order it again. They don't season the meat but it still has a good flavor and was cooked well. They also have quite in interesting menu with lots of different options so I think I will have to go back there and try out some other dishes, you know, for "research."

     I'm not sure where I'm going to go for my next burger, there are so many place here to try! I will eventually go to every restaurant that I know is not a big box chain restaurant and try their burgers and let you know what I think of it. Until then eat well, cook or die!