WARNING: The following post may contain material deemed inappropriate for the friendless or inexplicably dour. Those completely devoid of humor and therefore easily offended may wish to jump directly to the recipe because today's post deals with S - E - X. Oh my!
The faithful amongst you know that we own a Meyer Lemon Tree. This gift, shipped from Florida, not only produced 8 lemons last year, but its very presence sustained me this winter, reminding me of warmer days to come. So it was with much hope and some trepidation that we all watched to see how it would survive our colder clime.
The Boonsta took away our fun, but then she came up with an idea to bring it back. Boonsta would be Mother Nature. Armed with a tiny paint brush, Boonsta played the role of worker bee, transferring fruit giving pollen from one bud to the next.
Using a blender or small food processor, combine the garlic, lemongrass, ginger, and chiles along with 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the chopped cilantro along with 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper. Process until smooth.
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Slowly, achingly slowly, the temperatures are warming; robins are chirping a shivering din, only the bravest of daffodils have opened and the buds on the trees are desperate to burst. After an interminable winter, Spring with a capital S, finally appears to be at hand.
But there is more to Spring than warmer days. If you've been paying attention, you've seen birds bee-ing, bees bird-ing and of course, bunnies acting like bunnies. But the steamy and sensual are not limited to the great outdoors. No, there is a survival imperative being played out right here at Crabby Central.
The faithful amongst you know that we own a Meyer Lemon Tree. This gift, shipped from Florida, not only produced 8 lemons last year, but its very presence sustained me this winter, reminding me of warmer days to come. So it was with much hope and some trepidation that we all watched to see how it would survive our colder clime. Fear not crablings, the tree has blossomed. Countless buds have opened and things were looking up. That is until the Boonsta brought up an inconvenient truth,
"With no bees in the house, how will the buds pollinate, how will we get fruit?"
So close, yet so far. LuAnn, our lemon tree, needed a date, and Craiglist looked unlikely to help: Single, green lemon tree looking for no questions asked cross-pollination buddy.
All hope seemed lost.
The Boonsta took away our fun, but then she came up with an idea to bring it back. Boonsta would be Mother Nature. Armed with a tiny paint brush, Boonsta played the role of worker bee, transferring fruit giving pollen from one bud to the next. What has our in-house Dr. Ruth with a rake wrought? Has our Hugh Hefner of Horticulture saved our succulent citrus' love life?
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.
Actually the count of potential lemons is up to 10, with many more buds soon to be available for further breeding. I know nothing of Meyer Lemon genetics; I don't know if fruit pollinated from the the same tree tastes good or if we're hatching a cloned army of death lemons. All I know is hope and lemon scent is in the air once again. Ahhhh.
I need a shower.
Spring is in the air and a young man's fancy turns to the exotic. We need something to pique the senses. Something to tickle the taste buds. Something subtle yet promising. The weather's warming, so let's go to the grill. Thai infused chicken should do the trick. All the work is in the marinading, so have at it and enjoy...
Thai-Marinated Grilled Chicken
from delicious magazine volume 5 issue 11
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 lemongrass stems, outer leaves removed and then finely chopped
1 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 Serrano chiles, seed and chopped
3 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro
1 TBSP honey
1 TBSP fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & Pepper
1 large chicken, quartered
Using a blender or small food processor, combine the garlic, lemongrass, ginger, and chiles along with 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the chopped cilantro along with 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper. Process until smooth. Stir in the honey, fish sauce and lime.
Rub the chicken parts with the paste. Place the chicken in a large re-sealable plastic bag, refrigerate and marinade for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
Thirty minutes before grilling remove the chicken from the refrigerator and preheat you grill.
Turn the grill to medium and roast the chicken pieces. You want to cook the chicken slowly to properly caramelize the marinade. Turn the pieces every 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 40 - 50 minutes total cooking time.
Remove the chicken and allow to rest 15 minutes before serving.
Alright crablings, chicken with a few exotic flavors to get the blood flowing for Spring. Have this meal with a light salad and a glass or three of wine, listen to the birds chirp, watch the sun set, let nature takes its course.
Until next time, remember, you can do it, you can cook.
1 comment:
I made this the other day and it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
For what it's worth I liked the old banner much more.
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