Recipe of the Week: Grilled Tomato Towers

I honestly don't remember what these are really called or which magazine inspired me to make them years ago, so we'll go with "tomato towers." They are a wonderful summer accompaniment to almost any meal, especially grilled meats.  Close your eyes and imagine slices of juicy ripe tomatoes and Vidalia onions, melded together with some soft fresh Mozzarella cheese. Throw in some basil leaves and balsamic vinegar for flavor and you've got a warm, gooey tower of goodness.  In fact, we had one last night...

Tomato Towers

Ingredients:
1 large beefsteak tomato, cored and sliced into 4, 1/4-inch slices
1 small Vidalia onion, sliced into 4, 1/4-inch slices
Soft fresh Mozarella cheese, sliced into thin layers
4 basil leaves, washed and patted dry
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place onion slices in balsamic vinegar to marinade for a few minutes; be sure to turn to coat. When ready to assemble, layer as follows:

1 slice of onion
1 basil leaf
1 or two slices of cheese (if they are small use two)
1 slice of tomato
1-2 slices of cheese
1 basil leaf
1 slice tomato
1-2 slice of cheese
1 slice onion

Homely but handy!

Place on hot grill (I like to use this perforated grilling tray so nothing falls through the grates), and grill covered until the onion caramelizes a bit and the cheese softens; carefully flip over and repeat; Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. This recipe make 2 large side portions, or split them apart to serve four.

Note: It is a given these will not stay neatly stacked once you start slicing into them, so don't worry if they look a mess. Messy is good, especially when it's yummy and messy.

Happy eating!

Recipe of the Week: Chicken Teriyaki

Back in Oklahoma, a neighbor fixed something she called "teriyaki chicken" and invited us over for dinner.  I was instantly hooked on the flavor.  Sure, you can buy a bottle of pre-made teriyaki, but making your own is easy, and you can control the ingredients (and sodium content!) and the ratio of sweet to tangy. It is one of my children's most-requested foods; they call it "Terry's chicken."

According to some sources, "yaki" (Japanese) refers to the method of cooking  - grilling or broiling - while "teri" refers to the glaze.  However, it is not an authentic Japanese dish, but most likely developed as Japanese immigrants settled in Hawaii.  My recipe is an adaptation of Joy of Cooking's marinade.

Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients
1 cup soy (lite or regular)
1/2 cup oil
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons diced garlic (or 3 cloves, minced)
1 teaspoon dried ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
1/2 teaspoon dried onion powder or 1/4 cup fresh onion, diced small
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Rinse and pat dry breasts and place in large zip-lock bag or glass pan deep enough to hold them and the marinade.

Whisk the marinade ingredients together.  You can heat on the stove or in the microwave to melt the brown sugar, but I rarely take that added step.  Pour marinade over breasts and turn to coat.  Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or several hours or overnight.  The longer it marinates, the more intense the flavor, but even just 30 minutes of marinating on the kitchen counter while the grill heats up will still yield good results if you're pressed for time.

Remove from marinade and grill over medium-high heat.  For large, thick chicken breasts, I grill for approximately 15 minutes, turning after 5 minutes, again at the 10 minute mark, then at least once or twice more, just until juices run clear.  (I'm not a fan of overcooked chicken, so I tend to pull mine off the grill sooner than later.)  The cooked breasts can be sliced and served over a garden salad for a light dinner or lunch.

Note:  You can also use this marinade on chicken thighs, a whole cut-up chicken, or steaks (it's a great way to tenderize and season some less-than-perfect cuts of meat.)  I don't recommend freezing the uncooked meat in the marinade - I tried it once and the results were too salty.