I admit, it's been many years since I visited Montana. The week I spent in Billings some time ago was a pleasure and eye-opening. I experienced a surprising level of culture. Still, I managed to be surprised by the flavors in "Open Range." I didn’t expect sophisticated flavors.
Those expectations, fortunately, were wrong. Expectations, however, lined up with lots of options for meat dishes. I tested four recipes, the “extra” one being a salad recipe that was a great add-on for the meal. More than 20 recipes tempted me on the first quick review of the book. More were added to the list as I spent more time with the book. The breadth of international flavors piqued my attention. I see so many books and have been reading cookbooks for enough years that I regularly find just acouple recipes in a single book that pique my interest.
We enjoyed the Curried Coleslaw as this time year in California cabbage is affordable and it’s a simple recipe. I also tried a beef recipe, a chicken recipe, and a potato dish.
The results all turned out great. I would make a couple changes: less red-pepper in the coleslaw. It was too spicy as written for my family. I also would add the garlic cloves and olives to the roasted potatoes after the first 1/2 hour. The ones in my test dish burned. Burned garlic of course is not recommended. That said, the potatoes turned out great and everyone agreed that recipe was a keeper.
The tested chicken recipe, however, was the top winner. “Grilled Coriander Chicken Breasts” won over every taste bud that met the dish. Coriander plays well in a variety of arenas, savory and sweet. It is perhaps this flexibility that makes it such a fabulous match for chicken. The chicken came out moist, flavorful, and different enough from other recipes to be interesting. This is definitely a recipe to make and enjoy many times.
I look forward to trying even more recipes. For carnivores looking for new ideas and flavors with quality cuts of meat, Open Range is a great place to start.
Those expectations, fortunately, were wrong. Expectations, however, lined up with lots of options for meat dishes. I tested four recipes, the “extra” one being a salad recipe that was a great add-on for the meal. More than 20 recipes tempted me on the first quick review of the book. More were added to the list as I spent more time with the book. The breadth of international flavors piqued my attention. I see so many books and have been reading cookbooks for enough years that I regularly find just acouple recipes in a single book that pique my interest.
We enjoyed the Curried Coleslaw as this time year in California cabbage is affordable and it’s a simple recipe. I also tried a beef recipe, a chicken recipe, and a potato dish.
The results all turned out great. I would make a couple changes: less red-pepper in the coleslaw. It was too spicy as written for my family. I also would add the garlic cloves and olives to the roasted potatoes after the first 1/2 hour. The ones in my test dish burned. Burned garlic of course is not recommended. That said, the potatoes turned out great and everyone agreed that recipe was a keeper.
The tested chicken recipe, however, was the top winner. “Grilled Coriander Chicken Breasts” won over every taste bud that met the dish. Coriander plays well in a variety of arenas, savory and sweet. It is perhaps this flexibility that makes it such a fabulous match for chicken. The chicken came out moist, flavorful, and different enough from other recipes to be interesting. This is definitely a recipe to make and enjoy many times.
I look forward to trying even more recipes. For carnivores looking for new ideas and flavors with quality cuts of meat, Open Range is a great place to start.