Uprinting Archives - Passionate About Baking

“A man who loves good food has a way of making it gravitate toward his kitchen.”

Angelo Pellegrini

Finally glad to be back doing what I like best. Sometimes it takes an innocuous looking bug to mess up your life. Something that sounds as assuring as ‘Security Tool’, a rogue anti-spyware program downloaded via some stupid site, which messes up your computer. The past 2 days have been horrid and frustrating, battling this virtual virus, but am glad to say that the the back breaking time has been worthwhile. I busted the virus step by step, following a list of 24 odd instructions, most gobblygook, but managed to get my ill computer back on it’s feet.

And SOMETIMES a tweet is all it takes to make the world a better place, deliciously so. This was just one of those better days. Got onto twitter after a loooong time, tweeting hysterically to make up for lost time, I intercepted Olga’s tweet. It went something like this…

MangoTomato Lunch time: adobo buttermilk chicken, barley and red beans. Wish I had sour cream, cheese, salsa and guacamole to go with it. 9:36 PM Aug 25th via web

I was on the trail within a second of reading the tweet, and knew this is what I was going to make the next ‘chicken time‘! More so because the jar of smoked chipotles that spicy yet sweet Jeanne from Cook Sister had sent me was waiting to jump into that something special. This was possibly the simplest chicken I’ve made in a while. Nothing to it. It was deliciously marinated in a blend of buttermilk, chipotle and onions overnight. Tossed it onto a grill pan the next morning and let it cook till most of the buttermilk had evaporated and the chicken was cooked. Finished it off in the oven for the nice red colour {stuck the same grill pan into the oven for minimum wash up}.

On the side were green beans. One of my fave ways of serving them and one even the kids enjoy without a fuss now.

String the beans, and cut them into 2 each, about 3″ pieces. Bring a pan with salted water onto a boil, and drop the beans in, blanch till tender crisp. In the meantime, pour 1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a small pan. Add 1-2 cloves of minced or finely chopped garlic and some red chili flakes to the oil, and gently simmer till the oil gets flavoured. Careful not to burn the garlic or it will taste bitter. Once the beans are done, drain them and toss them in this flavoured olive oil. Give the beans a squeeze of lime if you like, adjust seasoning if required. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I like the way they take the flavours of the flavoured extra virgin olive oil. These beans are inspired by this recipe from the Ottolenghi cookbook … Chargrilled Brocolli with Chili & Garlic which is a winter favourite with us.

Adobo Buttermilk Chicken with Onions
Adapted minimally from Mango & Tomato
Ingredients
500ml buttermilk
2-3 tablespoons adobo sauce {Feel free to add chopped chipotle peppers if you like your food very hot}
800gms chicken on the bone, cut into pieces
1-2 large onions, thinly sliced
Salt
Method
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. {The flavor will be better if you let it marinate overnight.}
Spray a grill pan with some oil, and turn the chicken, marinade and all into it.
Cook on high heat, open, on top of the stove, until the chicken is tender and most of the marinade has evaporated, 15-20 minutes is what it took me. Turn the chicken once during this time.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200C. Put the pan grill pan under a hot grill for about 10 minutes to get the gorgeous color.
Serve the chicken with sauteed green beans, and a bread.
Note from Olga: The buttermilk tenderizes the meat, and the adobo sauce adds a punch of heat. And don’t forget the onions: they are full of flavor after sitting in the adobo buttermilk marinade and then getting charred underneath the broiler.

To complete the meal was an Olive Oil Schiacciata from ‘What Katie Ate‘. Made it in three different avatars, and all three were fantastic. I got 3 schiacciatas from the dough, but I think I should have made 4, as one was rather plump! My choice of toppings were – oven roasted tomatoes and mature cheddar, roasted bell pepper, oregano and garlic, and the third one with thinly sliced roma tomatoes, garlic and sea salt. We loved them all!! Take your call, use a topping you like, and do remember to give the bread a nice drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Olive Oil Schiacciata Dough
Adapted minimally from What Katie Ate
500g plain four
100g whole wheat flour
1.5 tsp ready-to-use yeast
400ml (14 fl oz) water
20ml/4tsp extra virgin olive oil {EVOO}
20ml/4tsp milk
1.5 tbsp sea salt
Method:
Place all ingredients into a large bowl in the following order: liquids, oils, dry ingredients, yeast. Therefore place water, milk, oil followed by flour, salt and finally yeast. Mix with a hand beater with a dough hook attachment, and then knead well for 7-10 minutes. Place dough in a large oiled bowl, cover with cling-wrap and leave in a warm place for about 1.5 hours till it doubles in bulk.
Once risen, it is ready to use. Or like Katie, you can to knead it a little then let sit in a warm area for a further 20-30 mins before using. {I put it in the fridge overnight after the first rise as I needed to bake it the next morning}.
Take it out of the fridge about an hour before, so it comes to room temperature.
Roll out the olive oil dough into a rectangular shape, gently transfer the dough onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking parchment.
Brush the dough with some EVOO, then an overlapping layer of finely sliced roma tomatoes,leaving a 1/2″ border. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and sea salt. Scatter some sliced garlic and oregano if you so desire. Drizzle over some more EVOO.
Reduce the temperature of the oven to 200˚C and bake the schiacciata for 25 minutes, turning the tray around after 10 mins. The schiacciata is cooked when the edges and base are browned.

Note: I got 3 schiacciatas from the dough, but I think I should have made 4, as one was rather plump! I used 3 different toppings … oven roasted tomatoes and mature cheddar, roasted bell pepper, oregano and garlic, and a third one with roma tomatoes, garlic and sea salt. We loved them all!!
Note 2: A little left over schiacciata and some shredded adobo buttermilk chicken made for delicious grilled sandwiches.

This bread is off to Susan @ Wild Yeast for Yeastspotting!