marinades II

So, like I said, I was playing with two marinades this week. And now that the experiment is finished, I have to confess that I have no clear answers. What I believe that I can say with certainty, is that marinades certainly get the taste of anything they carry into the meat, and I'll come to that in a minute. Do they bring any of the actual marinating "liquid" with them? Very hard to say. What I CAN say is that they change the way you have to cook the meat, and that is a lesson I will remember.

Yesterday's marinade was a yogurt base. I had some sheeps milk yogurt from Karen, who sells grass fed sheep products at the Farmer's Market (on one level, her prices are very high. But I will also tell you that we have never enjoyed lamb, sheeps cheese, or yogurt, as much as hers. I think her farm is called Three Corners. She's from Shushan NY). I mixed about a half a cup of this stuff with salt, a shake of red pepper flakes, a WHOLE lot of chopped fresh ginger, and finally, a big teaspoon of honey. I mixed it all together, and then put it in a bag with four small, boneless chicken breasts. I rubbed everything together, and then put the bag in a bowl, and let it marinate, for the whole day : 7-7 .

When I took the chicken out of the fridge at night, I noticed something right away. Just about all of the liquid from the yogurt was gone. I have to assume that it was absorbed into the chicken, but I don't know that for certain. But of course, if it was in a bag, then where did it go? I had little clots of yogurt left, plus the chunks of ginger, so I just kind of spread the stuff over the chicken, even the ginger chunks, got out my grill pan, and went to work. I oiled it with olive oil, got it hot, and put the stuff down.

Now, here's where something different happened. At this point, I know how to pan grill so that the meat doesn't stick. This meat, stuck. There was no way that I could prevent it from tearing a little. What I THINK happened is a combination of the "chemistries" of things. Honey is, of course, a sweetener. It's sticky. And chicken breasts are low in fat. And they were wet. So all of those things came together, and while the chicken cooked the way it should have, it also stuck. I was able to turn the meat carefully, and minimize it, but it did happen.

I cooked it for four minutes on one side, and two on the other, before finishing it in the oven for ten minutes. The breasts took on a nice sear, they were very juicy (more evidence of absorbance of the whey from the yogurt), and the taste of ginger was the clear, winning voice. No taste of heat, interestingly enough, and no taste of dairy. But probably the best ginger chicken we have ever had.

We ate this with fried potatoes, and from out of the freezer, spring peas we put away in June, and some pesto we also froze. I want to give quick instructions for the potatoes, because when I told people we were having them, well, I could have "had" anyone I wanted.

To make them, I peeled a pound of yukon golds (but any potato except a red waxy would do), cut them into thick slices and boiled them in salted water for ten minutes, while I was making the marinade. Ten minutes later, I took them out (ten minutes made very soft potatoes. Do it for less time if you want them firmer.). Then I let them cool to room temperature, and refrigerated. When I was ready to make dinner, I heated a nonstick pan with some vegetable oil, and just put the potatoes in. They sizzle. When the sizzling stops, I turn them. When it stops completely, I'm done. Maybe ten minutes.

So , where am I on marinades? Undecided like the unwashed electorate. I'll use them again, just don't know when. But I am interested in anyone else's experiences on this.

I will also again point to the convenience of getting food ready in the morning for later that evening. Let's face it, boys and girls. All of us have ten or fifteen minutes to spare in the morning. It took me fifteen minutes to both make the marinade, and to get the potatoes ready, and I was able to get dinner on the table when I got home in about twenty minutes. Now how good is that? An investment of ten minutes, for a home cooked meal that will make you smile, and make you feel good?

COMING UP: I owe a blog to my friend Ben Whine. And I know what it's gonna be about. But I have to try the stuff first. For Ben, we're all gonna make a cake that does not use butter, does not use lard, but uses fat. Any guesses? Intrigued? Tune in this weekend.