Yummy Eats

Today we will learn how to make this sandwich. It does not have a name. The Limelets, well the omnivorous ones anyway, just refer to it as "That yummy chicken sandwich." You can call it "Lime's Awesome Marinated Grilled Chicken with Mozzarella, Pesto, and Roasted Peppers on Ciabatta Bread Sandwaich." On second thought that's kind of unwieldy so feel free to call it Herman or Brad or Ronaldo or whatever works for you.



You'll have to forgive me for only having this completely poor picture of the completely yummy sandwich and none of the process. Now I warn you all in advance, I am no chef. I made this thing up myself and I didn't measure a thing or time stuff either. I guess you're going to at least want an ingredient list though huh? Ok, here goes.

Boneless split chicken breasts (come back tomorrow for a special story all about chicken breasts)
Ciabatta rolls
Paul Newman's Light Balsamic Vinagrette
Lemon pepper seasoning
Roasted peppers
Pesto (basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil)
Fresh Mozzarella
Portabella mushrooms


MARINATION (Is that a word? Well, it is now.)
First you want to get some split boneless chicken breasts and pound them till they are I dunno, maybe a half inch thick. Just beat the hell out of them until they are an even thickness, however thick ya want. Feel free to imagine the face of whatever jerk has made your heart break. Pounding chicken breasts is a great way to vent aggravation. A little kitchen therapy plus it burns calories before you ever consume them..It's all good. For the men out there, we only pound chicken breasts.This is no way to treat your lover's breasts. Oh yeah, ya might want to stick em between pieces of saran wrap to keep the mess to a minimum....the chicken breasts, you doofus, not your own hooters. Then again, who am I to say what turns you on is any less valid than what turns me on. Pull off an extra long sheet for yer own breasts if ya want.

Next you want to sprinkle some lemon pepper on the breasts and then pour some balsmaic and olive oil over them to marinate. Or you can cheat and grab a bottle of Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinagrette. I do it all the time. Whatever floats yer boat, or yer chicken breasts in this case. Let em marinate however long ya want....well, not until they mutate and crawl out of the fridge, mind you.

Now, while the chicken tits are marinating you can make your roasted peppers and your pesto. Yeah I know you can go buy this stuff but it just ain't as tasty. You see those colors up there. They don't come out of a jar and they don't come from Photo Shop. I like my food all bright and cheery. Tie dye on a plate, my friends....well, if tie dye weren't actually toxic. You get the idea.

PEPPER ROASTAGE (More coinage a la Lime)
Ok, so the peppers. Get a red one, an orange one, and a yellow one. Color, I tell ya! Wash em, dry em and smear em up with olive oil. Feel free to imagine you are smearing George Clooney or Hugh Jackman...actually no...that's who I fantasize about and I won't share. I am sharing this recipe ok, I don't have to share my men. Find your own damn celebrity to smear with olive oil. If you're a guy, feel free to grab Salma Hayek or whoever. Ok, back to the peppers. Smear em up, stick em on a pan and stick the pan in a 400F oven until the skin gets blistery or black in spots. I dunno how long that is. Don't ask me. Just check on em when they smell good enough to make your belly gurgle. When they are done let them cool until you can handle them and peel the skin off, take the stem and seeds too and toss all that. Now cut up the pepper into strips or squares, whatever ya like. The guy who taught me to roast peppers is adamant about slicing into strips. I slice into squares just for spite. Do what makes ya happy. Get out cookie cutters if it makes you smile. They are your peppers and the last time I checked our flag was still red, white, and blue.

PESTO
As for the pesto, get a big bunch of basil and throw it in your food processor. How much basil? I dunno, as much as you can get. Beg, borrow and steal to get a pile of basil because pesto is so good, you can never have too much pesto. It's good on pasta. It's good in couscous. It's good on these sammiches. I love me some pesto. Ok, so whiz it up until it's good and minced up. Then throw in maybe a third to half as many pine nuts as you used for basil. Whiz that all around. Throw in some garlic. A clove or two for a big pile of basil (ok, ok, I have a 3 cup processor...so however much basil you can cram in that and still make it work) , add more if you are afraid of vampires. Sometimes I double the garlic, sometimes I don't. It depends on my mood. Yep, that's how I cook, deal with it. This is your pesto, be happy. Ok, so next you need to toss in some parmesan cheese and pulse that around. Not a lot though. Yeah I know. You want to know how much. I use maybe half a palmful. I got small hands. Figure it out. Whiz it around and then start dribbling olive oil in the processor and whizzing that up until it looks like a consistency you'd like to spread on your bread. See I am all about your happiness here, folks.

GRILLAGE OF BREASTS AND SHROOMS
Ya still with me? I know this is long but trust me, it's worth it. Get out those breasts now and grill em. How high the heat and how long...yeah yeah.....pffft. I dunno that either. I don't make the heat too high so they don't dry out. I put the grill on medium low and grill em till they are all nice and juicy.

Holy crap I almost forgot the portabellas. Get some of them and slice em up, pour some leftover balsamic dressing on them(fresh, not from the chicken) and stick them on the top rack of the grill while ya do the chicken. I had to add those for my vegetarian kid. She was happy. Then one day I threw a few on top of my sammich and now she and I arm wrestle over the mushrooms.

When the chicken and shrooms are done throw some nice ciabatta rolls on the top rack to toast them. There's a place near here that sells the yummiest ciabatta rolls. Those I don't make from scratch. I mean gees, people.....have I not done enough here? Now you want me making my own bread? Next you'll expect me to plant my own wheat and mill it. For crying out loud, I don't have that kind of time. This post is already crazy long!

ASSEMBLAGE
Ok, so ya got everything. Take a roll and slather it with some of that yummy pesto, throw on a slice of fresh mozzarella, a chunk of chicken, some peppers, and some shrooms. If you want to, you can stick the whole thing back in the grill for a minute to make the cheese all melty. Oooooh, bite into that baby and tell me it's not a mouthful of happiness. Please chew and swallow first though. I don't need to see a half chewed sandwich rolling around in your mouth.