Just a week behind

Mixed Olive and Lemon Tapenade served with French Baguette to start, followed by Grilled Pesto and Goat's-Cheese Stuffed Chicken and  French Green Bean Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette with Toasted Hazelnuts.

Last weeks blog - one week later!
Gotta say, I was just too pooped last Tuesday to get the blog up.
I also ran into a little snag when making my tapenade last Tuesday...mechanical malfunction! Yip, my mini chopper (little device I've been using as a food processor), bit the bullet. I was in the middle of processing the ingredients when it just died...couldn't get the darn thing to go. So I was left with half of a batch of tapenade...better some thatn none, I guess!

Mixed Olive and Lemon Tapenade

Ingredients

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp capers

1 cup black olives

1 cup green olives

1 cup Kalamata olives

1/3 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

¼ cup fresh basil

2 tbsp lemon zest

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Toasted baguette

This is where it all went wrong!

Had to bin that thing...good-bye.

Add garlic and capers to food processor and process until coarsely chopped.

Add olives, red peppers, basil and process until coarsely chopped.

Add lemon zest, vinegar, parsley to mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest  1 hour.

Serve with baguette.

Yes, some is better than none.

 

Grilled Pesto and Goat’s-Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in

½ cup pesto

½ cup goats-cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.

Lift skin and make a small pocket between skin and meat.

Stuff one tablespoon of pesto and cheese into centre.

Press down to distribute.

Transfer to oven for 35-40 min. Skin should be crisp and golden and chicken should be cooked through.

French Green Bean Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette and Toasted Hazelnuts

Ingredients

2 cups fresh green beans

2 tbsp Dijon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper

Blanch beans in salted boiling water 3-5 min depending on size. Beans should be crisp and be dark green.

Strain and plunge into cold water to stop cooking.

Blot dry on clean kitchen towel.

Toss in Dijon Vinaigrette until evenly coated, season to taste.

Dijon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 ¼ cups extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, shallot, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Whisk in one direction to avoid splitting dressing while slowly adding oil in a thin stream.

Continue whisking until dressing is emulsified and thick enough to coat a spoon.

Transfer to a clean jar and store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.