Friday, May 30, 2008

First Dinner Party

Last night we had Joci, Jack and Karsin over for our first dinner party in the new house. Tragically poor Jeff had to work so we missed him, but Jack and Joci really represented the Besecker spirit so thankfully all was not lost and we ended up having a great time! We feasted on a menu courtesy of Rachel Ray (who I find annoying, but I have to admit she makes some pretty dynamite things on her show). This meal was delicious and easy, so I'm including the recipe here. The bean salad was by far my favorite and don't feel tempted to leave out the mint, it tastes fantastic in there!

Check out the dinner party photos and the recipe below:


The Grill in action!
I used my indoor grill for the first time when making this meal and I love it! It's easy to use, easy to clean and cooked everything up in a flash! Here's a link to that too:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku7749773/index.cfm?pkey=celtgrl&ckey=eltgrl


Dinner is served...


Karsin posing with my beautiful bouquet of peonies (my favorite!). Both Joci and Karsin were so thoughtful and brought me a bunch of peonies. To make it even better they brought coordinating colors so I ended up with the gorgeous, giant bouquet you see here. How lucky am I to have great friends and such a pretty bouquet?!

The recipe, as promised:

LEMON-GARLIC-HERB CHICKEN with GRILLED PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED ASPARAGUS and PESTO 3 BEAN SALAD (So GOOD!)
5 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt
1/4 to 1/3 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 lemons, zested
1 teaspoon fennel seed
5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped
3 to 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
A handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 to 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound asparagus spears
8 slices prosciutto
1 cup basil leaves, about 20 leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, 5 to 6 stems stripped of their leaves
A handful pine nuts, 3 to 4 tablespoons, lightly toasted and cooled
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed

Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high.
Fill a small skillet with about 1-inch water and bring to a boil.

Grate the garlic onto acutting board and add a couple teaspoons salt, mash into paste with the flat of your knife.

Add salt to boiling water and cook green beans 1 minute then drain and cool under cold running water then reserve.

Reserve 1/5 of the pasted garlic, about 1 clove and add the rest to a shallow dish. To the garlic, add the lemon zest, fennel seed, chopped thyme, rosemary, parsley and about 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil and some black pepper. Stir with a fork to combine then add chicken pieces and coat evenly. Grill chicken 12 to 15 minutes until juices run clear.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.

Trim asparagus of tough ends. Add salt and the asparagus to the water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove from the water and place into an ice water bath to cool. Once cooled, pat dry with paper towels, drizzle with a touch of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide the asparagus into 4 piles and roll 2 layered slices of prosciutto around each pile to form bundles. Grill 7 to 8 minutes until prosciutto is crisp and spears are tender.

Place basil and mint leaves in a food processor with the nuts. Add some salt and pepper and turn processor on. Stream in about 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil to form a thick pasty sauce. Transfer the sauce to a bowl. Stir in the reserved garlic paste and the grated cheese. Add the cooled green beans and the canned beans to the bowl and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning.

Remove chicken from the grill and squeeze the juice of 1 of the zested lemons down over the meat while still hot.

Serve 1 piece each chicken breast and thigh with an asparagus bundle and some bean salad alongside.

4 comments:

Michelle said...

I love the new "include the recipe" portion of your blog! I think it will really enhance the Cougan/Malley/Graves cookbook too! I'm making the bean salad, it sounds great and I do have a bunch of mint. That stuff is crazy and can take over the herb garden.

fragment G said...

Well I certainly hope you enjoyed toasting to global terrorism last night. I am so ashamed that my daughter would promote international terrorism just ONE day after a smart and patriotic company like Duncan Donuts showed their American Spirit and decided to have nothing to do with Rachel Ray and her Islamic jihad.

Please, as you entertain this summer, please try to remember that we are in a fight for our American way of life!

See below



Dunkin' Donuts has pulled an online advertisement featuring Rachael Ray after complaints that a fringed black-and-white scarf that the celebrity chef wore in the ad offers symbolic support for Muslim extremism and terrorism.

The coffee and baked goods chain said the ad that began appearing online May 7 was pulled over the past weekend because "the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee."

In the spot, Ray holds an iced coffee while standing in front of trees with pink blossoms.

Critics, including conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, complained that the scarf wrapped around her looked like a kaffiyeh, the traditional Arab headdress. Critics who fueled online complaints about the ad in blogs say such scarves have come to symbolize Muslim extremism and terrorism.

Melissa and Charlie said...

Oh my GAWD! I cannot believe that I made a meal created, promoted and taste-tested by a jihadist like that evil Rachel Ray. I always knew there was something I didn't like about that lady. I thought it was that she called extra virgin olive oil "evoo" but now I know it was because I sensed that she was a terrorist!

fragment G said...

How can this be called a daily blog if you do not post something daily?????