Summer Meal to Beat the Heat: Sausage and Peppers Sandwich, Burrata with Tomato, Grilled Nectarines

Menu:

Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches with Red Pepper and Basil Mayo

• Saute Sliced Onions + Red Bell Pepper + Yellow Bell Pepper + 2 cloves smashed garlic till softened (about 30 minutes)
• Grill 3 Sausages till warmed through (for 4 servings).  Slice on the diagonal
• Puree roasted red peppers, garlic, basil, combine with Mayo + Red Wine Vinegar + Salt & Pepper
• Toast Ciabatta Bread
• To build sandwich:  Spread Mayo, then spoon sausage and veggies

Heirloom Tomato Caprese with Burrata

• Slice tomatoes 1/3 inch thick.  Season with salt, pepper and olive oil.  Let marinade about 20 minutes
• Arrange tomatoes on platter and tuck burrata around the tomatoes
• Sprinkle basil and finish with more olive oil, salt and pepper and perhaps clear vinegar (I don’t like the cheese getting dark from balsamic)

Grilled Nectarines with Cinnamon Sugar or Herbed Balsamic Reduction

• For balsamic reduction: reduce 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar with chosen herb (rosemary or thyme) to about 4 tablespoons.  Add brown sugar and salt to taste
• Brush nectarine halves with oil, place cut-side down on grill set on high till cooked through and slightly soft
• Drizzle with the balsamic reduction or
  • Spoon mixture of melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Place in grill to melt sugar
• Serve with ice cream and granola

Thai Chicken Rice

One of my favorite dishes to get from the hawker stalls when I visited my family in Penang! I don’t know why it has taken me so long to try it at home! The sauce is slightly different than what they make in Penang, but I sadly can’t remember what it taste like. This sauce is Thai-inspired. I had trouble finding the right soybean paste, but the thick Chinese version I found was pretty close. It just needed to be thinned out a bit.

Chicken and stock:

• 1/2 uncut chicken. Trim the fatty pockets and some skin to render for the rice
• 1/2 onion
• few springs of cilantro
• enough water to submerge the chicken, you may also use a bit of chicken broth
• salt

Place the chicken into the cold water, bring the water to a boil, then let simmer till the chicken is done (20 minutes). Remove the chicken and allow the broth to cool. Season to taste. Should be just lightly salted.

Sauce:

• 1 scoop of Chinese soybean paste or a few TBSPs of Thai soybean paste (Chinese version is more concentrated and saltier)
• small amounts of dark soy sauce and regular soy sauce
• sugar and vinegar to taste
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced and pounded
• 1″ knob of ginger, minced and pounded
• Red chilies, finely minced
• water to meet the right consistency

1. Start with the soybean paste and add water to create a thin sauce consistency (like soy sauce)
2. Gradually add the soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Use a light hand
3. Add sugar and vinegar to taste to get a good balance of both sweet and sour
4. Stir in the ginger and garlic and chileis

Rice

• 3 cups of Jasmine Rice, rinsed well. Could use a bit of Glutinous rice to improve the texture. The sweet rice needs to soak overnight)
• 2 TBSP minced garlic
• 2 TBSP minced ginger
• 3 TBSP rendered chicken fat (Take the fat and put in a cold pan with a little oil. Turn to medium low, careful not to burn or smoke the oil)
• Enough chicken stock for the rice cooker

1. In a wide bottomed skillet, fry the ginger and garlic in the chicken fat on medium. Do not brown. Cook for about 2 minutes.
2. Add the rice, turn up the heat and fry for about 2 minutes.
3. Pop the rice into the rice cooker and fill with chicken stock up till the line for 3 cups of rice.

Serving:

Plate a bit of rice on a plate. Top the rice with sliced chicken. Serve the sauce on the side. Te left over stock can be served with the dish as well.