TumblrGinger in the Kitchen [Week of 3/25/2012]
Liz Clements, Lifestyles Editor
Back in the fall, the market had avocados on 6 for $5 so I jumped on the bargain just to get home and realize I had six avocados and about a three day window to eat them. After the initial panic I got creative and came up with some really great recipes. The avocado fruit is an amazing tasty little treat. They are rich and creamy, giving fullness and consistency to dishes; and they pack more nutrition than a banana, rich in vitamin B, E and K and have been linked to lowering cholesterol. While most people see avocado as just something used in guacamole, I see it as an ingredient to add to stews, eggs, salads and sandwiches. The first dish I made is perhaps my favorite sandwich to date. I toasted up some baguette, grilled some chicken breast with garlic, lemon and hot paprika and scored the avocado with lemon and salt on my stovetop grill; add in some roasted red peppers and you have the perfect summer sandwich. The warms bread with the creamy avocado and spicy chicken burst with flavor as the citrusy lemon danced on my tongue, and those little red peppers gave a sweet that brought this sandwich to perfect harmony. Just imagine sitting out by the pool on a hot day with one of these sandwiches and a glass of wine; there is no doubt in my mind that these flavors wouldn’t transport you off to a beautiful island on the Mediterranean.
As for what to drink with this beautiful sandwich, I’d stay with a white wine. A Riesling would have the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. The Pacific Rim Dry Riesling is a new discovery of mine, as I’m not one for sweet wines, but this my friend is delicious. It starts out tasting almost like a white grape juice and then, bam, you get this burst of tanginess. It finishes very smooth and drinking it just reminds me of summer. The bottle runs about $9.99-$11.99 and is a twist off, so it’s perfect for packing a picnic or that impromptu bottle where no one has a bottle opener. To be honest, I would recommend anything else to pair with this sandwich. The flavors and too complex and how the all meld into another would be disturbed by a beer, destroyed by liquor and made stale my something too sweet. If you’re not in the mood for a glass of wine put your feet up with a glass of mineral water and enjoy this delicious recipe.
Ingredients
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut horizontally in half
1 lemon, zest and juiced
2 cloves garlic
1 pinch hot paprika
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 avocado halved and pitted
Freshly roasted red peppers
French Baguette cut into 6 inch portions
Directions:
Drizzle your chicken with olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper, paprika, zest of one lemon and two cloves grated garlic. Make sure the chicken is fully coated and let sit for 15-20 minutes on the counter. You never want to put cold meat in a hot pan! Next, sprinkle your avocado with salt and half of the lemon juice. Still in the skin put the flesh side down onto a grill pan set to medium high heat. Let grill 2-3 minutes, until nice dark grill marks have formed. Scoop out of the skin and slice. Next, grill your chicken on the same grill pan, about 5-6 minutes on each side, a minutes before it’s done add the rest of the lemon juice to the pan with 1tbs water. Finally assemble your sandwiches on toasted baguette and enjoy.
