What's for Dinner, Tues., June 19, 2018

[NJCher]

Portuguese restaurant on the way home from the airport: Charcoal-grilled chicken with piri piri sauce. Also a mixed greens salad. This is barbecued chicken the Portuguese way. The piri piri sauce is olive oil with hot peppers and garlic in it. The chicken is highly seasoned, also. They serve it with pickled vegetables: carrots, cauliflower, pickles, black olives. Nice contrast of the acidic and the hot. Also a bowl of rice.

Awhile back when we were at this Portuguese restaurant we noticed them putting up strings of international flags. I didn't quite know what that was about but of course now I know it was to celebrate the World Cup. So we watched Russia/Egypt today; neither of us are sports fans but I enjoyed it because of the RG's commentary about the sport.

Then we had espressos and segadurra. (sp?) Sawdust dessert. And a dessert liqueur.

Since we did this mid-afternoon, I doubt we'll be doing anything more than a salad or some pasta later tonight.

[Cairycat]

1. Something I made up

It has strips of cottage bacon and chicken thighs as well as broccoli, also shallots and garlic scapes. The sauce is chicken broth thickened with cornstarch, and we'll add some white wine and parmesan when we serve it over mini penne. My husband really enjoyed it, and suggested the name "broccoli e pasta Contadina" (country girl style). It was flavorful and satisfying. I had wanted to use asparagus instead, but there was none at the farmers market.

The dish is a riff on something I had a couple years ago at the Wolfgang Puck restaurant in the Denver International Airport. That dish had slices of chicken breast and mushrooms. I had a glass of some lovely white wine, that cost for a glass about a third again as much as the whole bottle of German Pinot Grigio from Aldi's that I used in tonight's dish.

[NJCher]

3. that sounds terrific

Did you notice, though, that the scent of fresh garlic scapes really takes over the kitchen? I love chicken thighs--my favorite part of the chicken.

So Aldi's in your area sells wine. I wish we had one that did that. I'll bet there would be some good buys.

[irisblue]

2. Cottage Cheese & Tomatoes, cilantro & iced decafe tea