I have a confession...I skipped a book. After braving the world of 1983 last week, I couldn't handle Moira Hodgson's 1977 take on all things spicy (where somehow all recipes have very little measurement/ingredient detail and fit into a 1/3 of a page). So, I ran into the loving arms of country music star, Trisha Yearwood, whose cookbook, Trisha's Table, has simple, healthy meals (unlike her show on Food Network that seems a bit less healthy). My husband liked so many options for today's cooking that he listed his picks on a Post-It before I even cracked the book.
I finally chose the Pork, Apricot, and Rosemary Kebabs (with chicken instead because, try as I might, pork has not taken its rightful place of tasty honor in our household) with a side of her Roasted Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze.
Ingredients:
Skewers:
10oz apricot jam
2 TB honey
2.5 TB country dijon mustard [I used the grainy dijon from TJ's]
2 TB low sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed, plus 16 more for kebabs
S&P
3-4 branches of fresh rosemary
2 tsp fresh orange zest (~2 oranges)
2 lbs pork tenderloin [or chicken] - cut into 1 inch cubes
3 TB vegetable oil
8 (12 inch) metal or wood skewers (if using wood, soak in water for 15 min before using so they don't burn)
Vegetables:
1/2 lb carrots
1 head of garlic, cloves removed (I used pre-peeled because I'm lazy and hate the papery peels)
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts (ends cut and halved)
1/2 lb fingerling potatoes [Safeway brought me a mixed bag including purple potatoes]
1 med. butternut squash [we didn't use - I'm not a squash eater]
2 lrg sweet onions - peeled and quartered
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp salt
ground pepper
Glaze:
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 TB honey
2 TB country Dijon mustard [I used the grainy stuff again]
1/3 c. vegetable stock [I used chicken]
1/2 c. olive oil
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
S&P to taste
Start the chicken first - ideally at least 2 hours or overnight before you want to eat.
Heat the jam in a saucepan over medium heat until it melts (~2 minutes). Add to a bowl with the honey, mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, crushed garlic, whole garlic cloves, 3/4 tsp salt, pepper, rosemary sprigs, and orange zest. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to combine. Marinate for 2-24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the veggies in the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread in an even layer on a pan. Roast until tender, 35-40 minutes. Stir once (if you remember to - I didn't).
Make balsamic glaze by cooking the balsamic, honey, dijon, stock, oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a saucepan over low heat until the glaze is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. I think my husband forgot this step and just mixed together, it was still delicious. This can be a dipping sauce or you can pour over the vegetables.
Meanwhile, heat a grill or grill pan to medium (I call this 400F on the grill?) and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Shake off the excess marinade as you thread the meat, garlic cloves, and rosemary onto skewers (you remembered to soak them for 15 minutes, right?). Grill until the meat is cooked through - for my chicken, it was about 14 minutes.
I can't say that I'd make this chicken again - the flavors were kind of blah surprisingly. Not sure if they just cooked off on the grill or what, but neither of us were super stoked about it (dipping it in the balsamic glaze did help things). The two year old touched her tongue to the chicken then proceeded to dip the stick in ketchup and eat that. The veggies, on the other hand, are pretty much a staple here anyway - I love a good roasted vegetable! The dipping sauce was a nice change for them.
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