TED ALLEN'S RECIPES AND PAIRINGS

Tandoori(ish) Chicken (serves 4)

Marinated in spiced yogurt, this chicken gets very tender with a moist coating. It’s spicy, but not terribly hot; you can make it hotter by adding more cayenne. The name comes from the freestanding, cylindrical, wood-fired clay oven called the tandoor, which you may have seen in Indian restaurants. Food is placed on long skewers and lowered into the heat. Chances are quite good that you don’t own a tandoor, but you can approximate its fantastic, charred crustiness on a regular grill.

For Marinade:
½ medium onion, quartered
3 medium garlic cloves
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
Juice of ½ a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
½ cup of plain yogurt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of ground cardamom

For Chicken:
1½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
cut crosswise 1½ to 2 inches thick
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For Garnish:
1 lemon or lime, cut into wedges

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender and puree. Pour out into a glass baking dish. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill. Just before you’re ready to cook, add the oil to the chicken mixture and stir (this will keep the chicken from sticking to the grill). Also, before you put your grate over the coals, lightly oil it too, using several folded paper towels drizzled with oil. Then, heat up the grate for a few minutes, check to see that the coals have reached medium-high heat (when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grate for only 3 seconds), and place the chicken on the grill. Cook until browned on each side, 8-10 minutes total. Serve with lemon or lime wedges.

Wine pairing: Robert Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with
Poblano Peppers and Goat Cheese
(Serves 4)

2 pork tenderloins
4 ounces goat cheese
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
4 teaspoon olive oil
2 canned poblano peppers
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
½ teaspoon pepper

Butterfly the tenderloins by cutting them almost in half lengthwise, and then opening like a book (it sometimes helps to use a meat pounder or the back of a cleaver to flatten the meat a little bit).

Sprinkle half of each loin with 2 ounces of goat cheese, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Lay one canned, roasted poblano pepper, cut in half lengthwise, over the cheese. Fold the other side of the pork over to enclose the filling. Tie the tenderloins at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string, and sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.

Put the tenderloins on the grill over medium heat-high heat and cook for 4 minutes. Turn and cook for another 4 minutes. Remove the pork from the heat to a cooler section of the grill, and continue cooking until the pork’s internal temperature has reached 140 degrees (for medium, 13-15 minutes total). Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Wine pairing: Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir