TMC Chicken POMOrado with Habanero

 

So I have this reader who might be the most enthusiastic guy ever, owing at least partially to the fact that his company makes really good hot sauce for a living. I’m sure this factors in. It would for me.

Johnnie Walker’s company is Two Mile Creek (twomilecreekspecialtyfoods.com), out of Colorado. They crank out some of the more creative jellies and jams that I’ve tasted, and moreover don’t have anything weird in them. When I wrote about a gluten-free sourdough recently and thought to smush TMC’s habanero jelly and fresh goat cheese between it, I posted a pretty pic. I ate this sandwich last winter on a day when my heat was flaking out, and it warmed me from the toes up.

The below recipe was gifted to me by Johnnie for my cooking project this year. It features the habanero jelly (properly called ‘Habanero Hot Pepper Jelly made with whiskey-infused apricots’, like you needed any extra incentive to try it), and makes a very simple and satisfying weeknight dinner.

What I did differently:

-Used plain yogurt instead of whipping cream (Have to watch my cholesterol. Boo and bummer, but it was great just the same).

-Used some of the tomato sauce I made from last summer’s crop.

-Left out the wine and served it straight up with no pasta/rice/polenta, but I am sure it would be lovely to add any or all.

-Added twice the amount of hot jelly 😉 Wildly yummy.

TMC Chicken POMOrado with Habanero

4  boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

1-2 Tbsp TMC habanero jelly

1  onion, finely chopped

3  cloves of garlic, minced

1  tsp dried oregano

1  14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1/3 c heavy whipping cream

¼ c chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp Italian seasoning

2  big dashes of your favorite white wine like Pinot Grigio (optional)

4  servings of your favorite pasta or rice or polenta

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season with the salt and pepper. Heat one tbsp of the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan and when it shimmers, add in the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and clear. Add the jelly and the garlic and oregano. Cook until the aromatics are in the air and in your nose, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and the cream. Add three dashes of salt and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet and add any juices that have accumulated. Simmer this covered until chicken is firm to the touch and cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the basil or the Italian seasoning and the white wine. Simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Season with more salt if needed. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve over the carb of your choice.

Yield: 4 servings

Thanks, Johnnie!

 

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sourdough

Last fall Charles Luce, one of my LinkedIn colleagues and owner of Luce’s Gluten-Free Artisan Bread, asked if I would review one of his bread mixes. I don’t typically use this forum for reviews, but was happy to in this case, one, because Charles has taught me so much about mushroom foraging (another of his skills) and I’m grateful; and two, because I am a carb girl, and thus open to any new horizons in a carb-like capacity. On his site Charles says ‘great bread is everyone’s birthright,’ and I bow to those words; they’re true, with no exaggeration at all. While I am not on a gluten-free diet, I was curious to find out what a homemade gluten-free bread would be like, in both taste and texture. And yes, I had a degree or two of skepticism.

The sourdough mix arrived in a paper pouch with bench flour, parchment cut in precisely the size needed for the loaf, and a baking bag. It also came with remarkably detailed instructions on how to bake and enjoy the bread, down to how many strokes are needed to stir the dough. It’s very easy. I followed the instructions to the letter, slid the dough into the baking bag and into the oven it went. It was a cute little loaf, not the big San Francisco kind. But right for dinner or a few sandwiches.

Or toasted with butter.

Out of the oven it came once it was nutty brown, and I waited for it to cool (both per the instructions). I pulled it apart; I wanted to see what kind of crumb I was dealing with. The crumb was no different than any other sourdough. I took a bite without any topping on it; I wanted to see what kind of flavor I was dealing with. And again, it was simply sourdough—just honest, crusty, tangy sourdough. I wrote to Charles that night and told him if it were served to me at a restaurant and no one told me otherwise, I would never have known it was gluten free—a really pleasant surprise.

I sliced it up and froze the remainder, taking it out piece by piece when I was hungry, dolling it up with salmon salad, or butter, or goat cheese/hot pepper jelly. The bread became somewhat crumbly once defrosted; it might serve you best, as it did me, toasted.

With fresh goat cheese and habanero jelly from another reader who owns Two Mile Creek Enterprises. That’s another review.

I’ve reviewed many products and restaurants, and it’s odd for me to endorse a product entirely. I guess there’s a first time for everything. Nice work, Charles.

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