Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
With Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil

"This recipe served as the cover photo for the August 2007 issue of Food and Wine magazine. I couldn't get my mind off the photo and made these the very next day. This is a perfect summertime sandwich! Quick, easy and delicious. Prep time includes marinating time."

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemons, zest of, finely grated
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 12 chicken breasts, cutlets ( half inch thick totaling 2 1/2 pounds)
• 6 ciabatta rolls, split
• 6 slices fresh mozzarella cheese ( 1/3 inch thick)
• 6 large basil leaves

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the olive oil with the lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, garlic and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Spoon 1» tablespoons of the mixture into a medium bowl, add the tomatoes and turn to coat. Add the chicken to the large bowl and turn to coat. Let the tomatoes and chicken stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Light a grill. Brush the rolls with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and grill over high heat until golden. Add the chicken to the grill, season with salt and pepper and grill over high heat, turning once, until cooked through and lightly charred, about 6 minutes. Place the chicken on the rolls and top with the mozzarella, tomato and basil. Spoon any tomato juices on the top half of the bun, close the sandwiches and serve.

Recipe by KC Cooker

Read more at: food.com

ROSSY BITES – RICKARD'S DARK.

Boozy Maple Syrup & Apple Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

On the last issue of The Pub Magazine I featured a recipe with beer for a dessert... so why not live dangerously and do a recipe with beer for breakfast?!

Ok, so maybe not so dangerously... I am pretty sure there are some of you who have had beer for breakfast first thing in the morning *wink wink*

I toyed around with a couple of versions of this syrup since sometimes dark ales can turn quite bitter when you try cooking with them, especially when making reductions which are a much more concentrated flavour.

I have to say I was a little hesitant as I tasted this beer for the first time since I tend to lean more towards white beer and quite often find dark ales and porters to be palate intimidating.

Hints of roasted malt, caramel and maple, not as strong as I suspected it to be. I found it easy to drink, with a sweet mild finish so probably a great introduction into the dark side...of ales, that is ;) Finally settled on this syrup recipe which turned out to be quite simple & easy to do!

Rickard's Dark Boozy Maple Syrup

• 1 - 473 ml (16 oz) Rickard's Dark
• ¼ cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• ¼ cup Maple Syrup (optional)*
• Using a heavy bottom sauce pan, over med-high heat, bring beer and brown sugar to a boil while stirring regularly. Turn heat to med-low and allow beer to reduce until mixture thickens to a syrupy consistency, about 35 minutes.

Remove from heat and mount sauce with cold butter until all the butter melts.
This will give your syrup a beautiful velvety sheen.
*I liked the syrup without the maple addition since the brown sugar gave it enough caramel sweetness but adding a splash of maple syrup just rounded the flavours quite nicely.
This syrup also turned out to be quite nice for glazing pork, salmon, tuna or chicken.

Apple Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

• 2 cups all-purpose Flour
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• 1 cup quick cooking Oats
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp Baking Soda
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2½ cups Buttermilk
• ¼ cup Butter, melted
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 grated apple

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, oats and cinnamon. In separate bowl, beat together egg, buttermilk and melted butter then add to dry ingredients and mix just until just combined. Add grated apple last and mix just enough to incorporate.

Heat a skillet over med heat; brush with vegetable oil. Pour in batter into desired size for each pancake. Cook until edges start to crisp up, underside is golden and bubbles pop on top. Turn and cook for an additional minute or so.

Recipe by The Pub Magazine

Love at First Bite Burgers

Sometimes I get lucky enough to have gorgeous sunny weather on my day off. It was the perfect time for eating outdoors so I picked up fresh buns from a local bakery to go with beautiful heirloom tomatoes, red onions & lettuce that I had purchased from the Farmer's Market. My son had friends over, so what better time & tasters than hungry youngsters on a sunny day?

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb ground beef, preferably chuck
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 Tsp Mustard
• 1 Cup Ketchup
• 2 Onions thinly sliced
• ? Cup Cider vinegar
• 1 Can / Bottle Rickard's Red, room temperature
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil

The Sauce

Heat up oil in a heavy-bottomed saut? pan on medium heat & add onions, salt & pepper to taste. Stirring occasionally, saut? onions until soft & translucent. Reduce heat & cook until golden brown in colour, then add the Rickard's Red & cider vinegar & continue cooking until completely caramelized. Add ketchup, brown sugar & mustard. Mix well & cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

The Burgers

Preheat barbecue on HIGH, and oil the grids generously to avoid sticking. Season the beef with salt and pepper and divide into four equal portions. Gently shape into patties similar in shape and size to the buns you will be serving, using your thumb to create an indent in the centre of one side. Place the patties on the grill, and reduce heat to medium. Grill approximately six minutes per side, taking care not to press down on the meat (unless you have a thing against juicy burgers). Serve with your

Rickard's Red BBQ sauce

Rickard's Red is a rich dark ale with sweet caramel undertones & no strong aftertaste so there was none of that bitterness sometimes found when cooking with some beers. After caramelizing the onions & deglazing the pan with Rickard's Red, the sauce turned a gorgeous bright coppery red with a nice gloss. It was the perfect choice for the BBQ sauce!

Recipe by The Pub Magazine

The Happy Cooker . Rickard's Dark Chicken Pot Party

If man can walk on the moon, and Hugh Heffner can marry a twenty-four year old, then PubMaggers can make Chicken Pot Pie - from scratch! Why not? It's a bright new year, and anything's possible. Simply crack open two cans of Richard's Dark and remember Julia Child's guiding philosophy: One for me, one for the pot (pie)! Rickard's Dark is a rich and creamy beer with a delicious hint of Quebec Maple Syrup. If flavours had their own day of the week, I think maple would have to be Sunday. It's the Great Canadian Taste that pairs well with hardwood fires, snow days and TV- PJ parties. This recipe is all about comfort. Just a thought: Make Saturday. Bake Sunday. The longer you let the filling sit, the more flavourful it will be.

Yield: Feeds 2 shut-ins for a whole day of Soccer, football and/or "Coronation Street". Can also be served during hockey - or the complete boxed set of "the Tudors". Alternatively, will feed 6-8 people with normal appetites and behavioral routines.

Ingredients:

• 8 rashers of maple flavoured naturally smoked bacon, (cut in half lengthwise, then dice)
• 3 glugs olive oil
• 3 - 4 chicken breasts, no skin or bone; cut into small bite-sized pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups Rickard's Dark beer, plus one full can for the chef
• Stock: 5 cups water and 2 Knorr "Homestyle" concentrated chicken stock bouillons
• 1 huge knob of butter split into two big knobs of butter, unsalted
• 3 leeks, sliced (discard dark green woody parts)
• 4-6 cloves of garlic (why not, it's flu season)
• 1-2 chili peppers, minced, or 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1 splash maple syrup or honey
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 tbsp for *** beurre manie (see below)
• 1/4 cup 35% cream
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
• 4 cups of sweet potato, diced
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley OR coriander leaves, chopped
• About 10-15 parsley OR coriander stalks, minced
• 1 pkg puff pastry
• 1 egg

Now What?

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Over medium heat, get a pot or Dutch oven hot; add 3 tbsps of olive oil and bacon. Cook bacon until fat is rendered, and just starting to crisp. Add chicken, salt (not too much) and pepper, then cook until done. Not ½-done; not ¾ done; but done-done. Remove chicken and bacon with slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the lovely leeks, and cook until soft; Add a big knob of butter. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot. The leek juice will help lift up all of the sticky bacon-bits. Add garlic, chili, and minced herb stalks and cook for a few minutes.

Sprinkle the top with flour. Add 2 cups Rickard's Dark, a splash of maple syrup, stir everything together and let cook for a few minutes. Add water and stock bullions. Bring to a boil and let thicken.

Add carrots, celery and sweet potato. Add chicken and bacon; Reduce to a simmer and cook until vegetables are almost fork-tender. Stir in 35% cream. Turn off heat, and then stir in herb leaves.

Correct seasoning (add more salt or pepper or hot sauce, if you like); Correct consistency, if need be. If you would like it thicker (and lump-free), make a *** beurre manie (fancy French term for smushing together 1 tbsp each of flour and softened butter with your fingers); bring back to a rapid simmer, stir in butter and flour and wait for desired thickness. Egg wash: crack an egg into a bowl; beat it with a fork.

Prepare individual oven-proof bowls. Ladle in the chicken pot pie filling.
For the pastry: Go to your local supermarket and buy it, frozen. Thaw, unravel, sprinkle with some flour. Divide into squares. Using a cookie cutter, cut a maple leaf (or cut 3 slits) into the middle of each square. Brush the edges of each bowl with egg wash, and then place the dough on top. For extra brownie points, take the cutout shape and position it above the hole. Trim the dough to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough, folding it over the side and pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough - and the cutout - with egg wash. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40-minutes to 1 hour or until puff pastry is golden brown, your home smells like heaven-on-earth, and the filling is bubble, bubble toil and trouble.

Cheers - and happy cooking.

Recipe by The Pub Magazine