Alice and I love cilantro. Curiously, our husbands don’t. While we wouldn’t dream about having a salad, soup, taco, or whatever, without this wonderful herb, our husbands can’t imagine eating anything that has cilantro in it.
Someone once wrote that there is “supposedly a gene that determines whether or not people like cilantro, so this herb is truly a love it or hate it proposition for most.” Used primarily in Asia and Latin America, cilantro stems are sweet and can be added raw along with the leaves.
Cilantro Grilled Chicken Breasts
From George Stella
1 pound (2 large breasts) boneless skinless chicken breast, butterflied
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Cilantro Herb Butter, recipe follows
Fresh parsley, optional, for garnish
Preheat a grill or grill pan over high heat.
Lightly coat chicken with oil and sprinkle each evenly on both sides with the salt and pepper. Grill chicken breasts for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until thoroughly cooked; the meat should be solid white throughout and the internal temperature will read 165 degrees F. Remove from grill and immediately top with cilantro herb butter. Garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve as butter is melting.
Cilantro Butter:
Scampi Butter, recipe follows
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Follow the scampi butter recipe, but use only half of the garlic, and replace the parsley with 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro.
Yield: 12 servings
Scampi Butter (Base):
1/4 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash white pepper
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon white wine
In a bowl, whisk all ingredients until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate until ready to use. Use the Scampi "base" to make different flavored butters.
Download this recipe.
Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro Pesto Pizza
From Bobby Flay
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 3/4 to 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading and dredging
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing dough
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
Cilantro Pesto, recipe follows
Grilled Shrimp, recipe follows
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast and 1/4 cup of the warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes to proof. Place 1 3/4 cups of the flour in large bowl with the salt. Add the yeast mixture, the remaining water, and 2 teaspoons oil, and stir until combined. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth. Grease a large bowl with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, add the dough and turn to coat. Cover and put in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat the grill to medium-high. Once the dough has risen, divide it in half, and set aside half for another use or for the Red Chile-White Anchovy Caesar Salad Pizza. Then divide the half into 4 balls. Roll each ball into 8-inch circles. Brush each circle with oil and grill on both sides until golden brown. Add 1/2 cup grated cheese to each pizza and grill until the cheese is just melted. Remove from the grill and spread a few tablespoons of the cilantro pesto over each pizza. Top each pizza with 4 shrimp and sprinkle with cilantro leaves.
Cilantro Pesto:
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put all ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Grilled Shrimp:
16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the grill to high. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with enough olive oil to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Remove from grill and keep warm until ready to use.
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