Juice of 1 lime

4.

large large garlic cloves garlic cloves, 1 crushed, 3 chopped

3-inch piece of fresh ginger fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped .

teaspoon teaspoon red pepper flakes red pepper flakes (eyeball it) (eyeball it)

2.

tablespoons tablespoons vegetable oil vegetable oil, plus some for drizzling

1.

large yellow large yellow onion onion, chopped

1.

pound pound carrots carrots, peeled and shredded with a box grater or the grating blade on a food processor

Freshly ground black pepper

6.

thin-cut thin-cut chicken breast cutlets chicken breast cutlets

1.

teaspoon teaspoon toasted sesame oil toasted sesame oil .

cup cup toasted sesame seeds toasted sesame seeds .

cup fresh cup fresh cilantro leaves cilantro leaves, a generous handful, chopped .

cup fresh cup fresh basil basil, 10 leaves, chopped or torn .

cup fresh cup fresh flat-leaf parsley flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful, chopped

Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill over high heat.

Place a large pot of water with a tight-fitting lid over high heat and bring it to a boil. Once it comes up to a boil, add some salt and the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and reserve it.

While the water is coming up to a boil, make the soy glaze. In a small skillet, combine the cup of tamari, the brown sugar, cup of the chicken stock, the lime juice, crushed garlic clove, one fourth of the grated ginger, and the red pepper flakes. Place it over medium-high heat, bring it up to a simmer, and cook it until the glaze looks like a watery syrup, about 3 to 4 minutes, then remove it from the heat and reserve.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, twice around the pan. Add the onions, carrots, chopped garlic, the remaining ginger, a little salt, and a generous amount of pepper; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If the pan starts to look dry, add a bit more oil.

While the carrots are cooking, grill the chicken. Season the chicken with some pepper and drizzle it with a little oil. Place the seasoned chicken cutlets on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until well marked, then flip the chicken and brush with the soy glaze. Continue to cook it for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Brush again with the glaze, flip it, and then brush one last time with the glaze. Remove the grilled chicken to a plate, tent it with a piece of foil, and let it rest a few minutes while you pull together the carrots and noodles.

Add the remaining 1 cups of chicken stock and the remaining tablespoon of tamari to the carrots, bring them up to a bubble, and simmer for 1 minute. Add the drained pasta, stir to combine them, and cook for about 30 seconds so the pasta soaks in some of the sauce. Turn the heat off and drizzle the mixture with the toasted sesame oil, then sprinkle it with the toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, basil, and parsley. Toss thoroughly to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings with a little more sesame oil, salt, and pepper and transfer it to a platter. Slice the chicken into thin strips and arrange them on top of the carrot-sesame noodles.

EXPRESS LANE SHOPPING LIST.

- [image]3-inch piece of fresh ginger fresh ginger - [image]6 thin-cut chicken breast cutlets chicken breast cutlets - [image]1 bottle toasted sesame oil toasted sesame oil - [image]1 small jar toasted sesame seeds toasted sesame seeds - [image]1 bunch fresh cilantro cilantro - [image]1 bunch fresh basil basil And make sure you have the following On Hand: - Salt - Thin long-cut pasta, such as vermicelli - Tamari - Brown sugar - Chicken stock - Lime - Garlic - Red pepper flakes - Vegetable oil - Onion - Carrots - Freshly ground black pepper - Flat-leaf parsley

Spanish Pork Chops with Linguica Corn Stuffing and CherryRed Wine Gravy [image]

Confession: I have never been to Spain. This is actually my version of a fantabulous meal I enjoyed at a late-night hot spot in Vancouver, north of the border. It's good because you get salty, sweet, and savory in each and every bite. Note to self: gotta go to Spain. I serve these with green beans.

4 SERVINGS.

4.

thick thick boneless center-cut pork chops boneless center-cut pork chops, about 2 pounds

Salt and and black pepper black pepper

3.

tablespoons tablespoons EVOO EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) (extra-virgin olive oil)

2.

tablespoons tablespoons butter butter

2.

tablespoons tablespoons all-purpose flour all-purpose flour

1.

cup cup dry red wine dry red wine (eyeball it; about bottle) (eyeball it; about bottle) .

cup cup black cherry preserves black cherry preserves or all-fruit spread or all-fruit spread

2.

cups cups beef stock beef stock .

pound pound linguica linguica or chorizo, chopped or chorizo, chopped

2.

celery ribs celery ribs, chopped

1.

medium medium onion onion, chopped