titanium chef

summer kicked off this year with a little dose of healthy competition as jordan and i participated in our first titanium chef competition, hosted by our friend ramsey.  lovingly borrowed from the television show "iron chef", this year's competition produced just as much good food, without the sweat, gongs, and pressure (and english subtitles) of the original.

the key, of course, was the secret ingred

ient.  the morning of the competition, it was revealed to be....(drumroll)... pineapple.

(pineapple)

after much brainstorming, shooting down of cliched ideas, and hair-pulling, we came up with a yet-to-be-named, simple, yummy dish with chicken, rice, beans, veggies, lime, spices, and, of course, pineapple.

here goes...

poached chicken

ingredients

4 chicken breasts, bones and skin on

1 large can low sodium chicken broth

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

bay leaf

oregano, salt and pepper to taste

method

arrange chicken breasts in the bottom of a large pot.  pour in broth until chicken is just covered.  add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper.  bring liquid to boil on high heat.  partially cover pot then reduce heat to low to cook 

for seven minutes (make sure liquid is just simmering, not boiling again).  remove from heat, cover completely, and let rest 30 minutes to 1 hour.

**we reserved the broth to use as the cooking liquid for the rice.  i would highly recommend doing the same.  we were not disappointed. **

remove chicken breasts from pot, remove skins, shred, and set aside.  

pineapple lime cumin sauce

ingredients

juice from 16 oz. can of pineapple rings

juice of one lime

cumin

chili powder

salt and pepper

method

combine all ingredients.  let chill.  

pineapple peppers and beans

ingredients

1 red pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 red onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

olive oil

cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, lime juice

any combination of fresh and canned pineapple chunks, about 16 oz.

method

heat oil in large pan.  add onions, garlic, and peppers.  saute until soft.  add beans, chili powder, and cumin.  cook over low heat, stirring occasionally so spices distribute evenly.  add half the pineapple cumin sauce and let liquid simmer for several minutes.  add pineapple towards the end and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.  remove from heat and add fresh lime juice.

putting it all together... 

so, we reserved the chicken broth to use as the cooking liquid for the rice.  using the handy-dandy rice cooker, we added 2 parts broth to 1 part rice, as is standard for conventional rice cooking.  we made about 4 cups of rice, which was way too much, but oh well.

anyways, so once the rice is done, remove from cooker and combine with the pepper and beans, a few scoops at a time to make sure there isn't too much rice and too little of everything else.  stir in chicken, then add remaining pineapple lime cumin sauce.  stir to combine.  garnish with fresh lime juice, fresh pineapple slices, and fresh diced cilantro.

we served this with the roasted beet and orange endive salad as a complementary dish, adding a little pineapple juice to the dressing we drizzled over the top.  garnish further with avocado slices, lime wedges, or anything else you can imagine.  this dish is also great the next day, and the next day, and the next day... make a lot and enjoy often.