Farmers' Market Friday ~ A Meal for the Men in My Life {Grilled Chicken with Tomatillo Salsa & Borracho Beans}

Last weekend was FUN. Sort of spur of the moment, I was out at the Wolf Ranch Farmer's Market to demonstrate one of last week's Farmer's Market Friday dishes and to hand out samples. The purpose is to help folks who might be stuck in a vegetable rut to try a new dish made from things found at the market. We arrived (The whole family attended; El Syd spent a good amount of time at the Pillar Bluff Vineyard tent; My Girl helped out with setting up and also helped with plating samples; The Boy? The Boy brought a book.), and I collected the ingredients I needed at the market and got to cooking up Calabacita. At the end of the 2 hour cooking session, we'd served up 2 batches of the dish with a lot of good comments from market-goers and vendors alike. With the cooking demo under my belt, it was time to turn my attention to what we would serve for Father's Day meal.

One of El Syd's favorite dishes is Tomatillo Chicken with Borracho beans. I thought it would be a good chance to showcase Tomatillo Heaven's Guacamillo Salsa that is available at the market and a chance to try out the pastured chicken from Richardson Farms. One of the lessons I've learned from visits to the market is that if you don't see an item that you'd like to purchase, always ask the vendor. This is especially important at a new market where vendors are just getting to learn what the local customers are looking for and wanting to buy. Case in point, I have seen that most poultry vendors have been bringing whole chickens. My dish calls for boneless, skinless breasts. When I asked if they were available, I was told by 2 different vendors "Oh yes, we have them, we didn't bring any to market this time. Here's our card, email us and we can bring you what you need next time." So, not to be deterred, I picked up 2 chickens from Richardson farms and decided that I'd bone them out myself. In addition to the salsa and chickens, I also picked up some onions from Star Farmers Market and some jalapenos from Two Happy Children Farm.

So, for these recipes here's the Farmers' Market Shopping list: 

• Guacamillo Salsa from Tomatillo Heaven
• Whole Chicken from Richardson Farms
• Sweet onions from Star Farmers Market
• Jalapenos from Two Happy Children Farm
• Fresh Garlic from Tiemann's Tasty Produce
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Central Texas Olive Ranch

The schedule I followed was to get beans started, then to marinate the chicken, finish up beans and then have El Syd grill the chicken. Plate the food and enjoy!

Borracho (Drunken) Pintos

• 1 lb dried pinto beans
• 1 lb bacon - cut into 1/2 inch pieces, divided
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced
• 4 Tbsp good quality tequila
• 1/4 C chopped cilantro

1. Beans: Pick through beans to remove any stones or dirt clods. Rinse in a colander and then place in a large Dutch oven or pot. Add about 10 cups of water (enough to cover the dry beans well as they will be absorbing a lot of that water as they cook). Remove any floating beans and then add 1/2 lb of bacon cut into 1/2" pieces. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer very gently, partially covered, until the beans are completely tender (about 2 hours). Be sure to gently stir the beans regularly and if needed, add water to keep liquid about 1/2 inch over the level of the beans.
2. Flavor additions: In a medium skillet over medium heat, fry the remaining bacon pieces until crisp (about 10 minutes) Remove bacon with a slotted spoon leaving behind as much of the drippings as possible. Pour off all but about 2 Tbsp of bacon drippings and return pan to medium heat. Add onion and jalapeno and saute until deep golden brown. 
3. Once beans are completely tender, add cooked onion and jalapeno, continue to simmer for about 30 more minutes so that flavors can meld. Just before serving, add the tequila and cilantro, stir well and serve by gilding the lily with the crispy fried bacon pieces.

Grilled Marinated Chicken

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs
• 1 1/2 C dry white wine (budget wine is fine, but it should be something you could/would drink; don't use so-called "cooking" wine)
• 2 Tbsp dried herbs mixed (rosemary, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 C Olive oil

1. In medium bowl, whisk together all items except for chicken meat.
2. Submerge meat into marinade and let soak at least 2 hours or overnight
3. Heat grill; cook (basting occasionally with marinade) until internal temp reaches 165F.
4. When done, remove from grill and get ready to plate.

To Finish Dish:

In center of plate, spoon about 1 cup of cooked beans to make a bed for chicken, etc. Place one cooked chicken breast or thigh in center, spoon tomatillo salsa on top of meat and then top with a couple of slices of ripe avocado. Serve and Enjoy!

This meal was well received by all guests. The beans, when cooked until perfect tenderness, are creamy and slightly sweet which is a wonderful accompaniment to the grilled chicken. The chicken itself was amazingly tender and flavorful. (We supplemented the Richardson Farms chicken with a couple of all natural, organic, boneless skinless breasts from the grocery store and the difference in quality was clearly apparent. The Farm chicken just blew the store chicken away.) The tomatillo salsa from Tomatillo Heaven provides a tangy, bright and (depending upon spice level chosen) spicy foil to the beans. Top it all off with a creamy avocado and you have an exceptional plate!

Happy Cooking!

sld

Disclosure: I was invited by Wolf Ranch Farmer's Market to visit and meet the vendors and was provided Market Money with which to purchase ingredients for use in the Farmers' Market Friday posts.  I was not compensated to write this article and all opinions are my own. 

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