Northwest Flavors (MattMatt's birthday) part III

Time to think about mains. I really like using local ingredients and ingredients that are native to Washington state. What says "Washington" more than apples, and salmon?! We have some picky eaters in my family, and only about 1/2 of them like seafood, so I made one salmon dish and one chicken dish. Don't forget bacon is still our theme. I'm embarrassed to say until this point I had NEVER made salmon before. I knew I wanted to grill it. And I knew I wanted a marinade that would be a little on the sweet side - nothing too over-the-top. (To please the picky eaters of course!) So off I went to the world wide web, to see what I could find as far as grilling salmon goes. I finally stumbled across a marinade that I thought was perfect for what I was looking for.

SWEET AND SIMPLE GRILLED SALMON

This recipe is from ALLRECIPES.COM and is called grilled salmon 1. I'll post the link here so you can see the original recipe, and below I'll show how I made it. I do like seafood on occasion, but I don't love it. I have to say this made me LOVE salmon. What a great marinade! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Salmon-I/Detail.aspx (real recipe!)

2 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
2/3 cup soy sauce

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

juice from 1/2 lemon

Lay fillet of salmon in a 9X13 or other dish. (You'll be marinating the salmon in this dish, so you'll need room for liquid) Sprinkle salmon with freshly ground pepper, and lightly season with salt - don't forget the soy sauce is pretty salty so go easy on the salt, or skip it all together) In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and whisk until well blended. Pour over the salmon, turning the salmon to make sure it's well coated. Allow to marinade for at least 2 hours, but it's even better if it can marinade for 4 hours. Preheat grill (all burners on high) for 10 minutes, or until hot. While grill is preheating make a foil "boat" for the salmon." When grill is preheated, turn side burners to med-high. Grill for 12-15 minutes on indirect med-high heat, checking after 10. So delicious, and goes well with side salad, and winter sangria!

BACON CHICKEN ROLL-UPS

A few months ago now, I went to trader Joe's and bought some pre-packaged apple stuffed chicken breasts. Great idea! Unfortunately, these particular chicken breasts were very bland, and had very little apple in it. So I went home a couple weeks later and started on a recipe hunt that would last a few months. I tried making pockets in the chicken breasts and filling them with apples, but I had the same problem as TJ's. Not enough apple with the chicken. I tried making chicken and just spooning apple goodness over the top and it was OK, but not great. Finally after pulling ideas from many different recipes, I finally have a recipe I love!

4 chicken breasts

8 pieces of bacon

2 apples

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Johnny's seasoning

pepper

1 cup apple juice, or chicken stock, or sherry (my favorite!) or a combination of any of them

honey

First things first as I always say. You want to put the bacon into a fry pan, and cook over medium heat for just a few minutes. You want to barely cook the bacon as it is going to cook later. Next fill up with a medium bowl with water, add some salt. Start chopping up the apples, and as you chop, pop them into the water.

Now pound the chicken breasts really thin. About 1/4 inch thick if you have the patience. Season up one side with johnny's seasoning, or any seasonings that sound good. I have a blend of spices called "basil and citrus rub" that I use a lot and that goes well with this, too. On the other side. Pile up some apples, cheese, and honey, and then dot with butter.

Now roll up the chicken breasts and wrap two pieces of bacon around each chicken bundle. Secure with a toothpick if it's rolling around too much. Place in casserole dish. Fill the dish up about halfway with liquid. (Sherry, apple juice, chicken stock, etc) Cook at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until done.