St. Anthony’s, Thigh Bruise

I thought this article, courtesy of How to Geek, was fascinating. The largest collection of Christian relics, outside the Vatican, is in a little known church, St. Anthony’s, in Pittsburgh. The collection was amassed by Father Suitbert Mollinger in the mid to late 19th century. An interesting story. Apparently even the people of Pittsburgh are mostly unaware of the collection in their midst. He collected the items from all over Europe whilst it was in turmoil. His agents had little or no difficulty in finding things of worth. He used his wealth to accumulate all the relics and to build the church in which to house them. Now I want to visit downtown Pittsburgh.

I just discovered this morning, I have one hell of a bruise on the back of my thigh. To be expected I suppose although I somehow didn’t realise it would be external but thought it would all be internal. I bowled  on Thursday afternoon with a friend, but she is unable to come regularly so there is a women’s league and they have one space in their group which I can fill. However, I got home and Matt was not happy because he thinks he may be able to bowl. I don’t, but not going to argue with him. We will see what happens at the surgeon’s on Friday.

I thought this recipe looked absolutely yummy. Didn’t realise it was 20 servings, however… I found it at Food & Wine.

Tunisian Chicken Kebabs with Currants and Olives

Contributed by Susan Feniger

• SERVINGS: 20

Susan Feniger’s sweet-and-tangy marinated chicken skewers are adapted from her new book, Street Food. They are flavourful enough to eat on their own, but they’re even better with the chunky currant-and-olive relish.

1. 2 medium red bell peppers
2. 1 cup dried currants
3. One 14-ounce jar sweet Peppadew or other sweet pickled red peppers, 1/2 cup of the juices from the jar reserved
4. 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
5. Kosher salt
6. 3 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips
7. 3 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, lightly pounded and cut into 1-inch-wide, lengthwise strips
8. Tunisian Relish

1. Roast the bell peppers directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning, until charred all over. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Peel, seed and core the peppers.
2. Meanwhile, soak the currants in 1/2 cup of hot water until plump, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer the currants to a blender. Add the roasted peppers, Peppadews and their liquid and the 1 cup of olive oil and puree. Season the marinade lightly with salt.
3. Thread the chicken breast and thigh strips separately onto 30 to 40 bamboo skewers and transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken, turning to coat completely. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Refrigerate the remaining half of the marinade in a serving bowl.
4. Light a grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Season the chicken with salt. Oil the grill grates and grill the chicken skewers over high heat, in batches if necessary and turning with tongs, until lightly charred and cooked through, about 8 minutes for the breasts and 10 minutes for the thighs. Serve the kebabs hot or at room temperature with the reserved marinade and the Tunisian Relish.

Make Ahead The marinade can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Tunisian Relish

1. 1 cup dried currants
2. 2 cups pitted green olives, chopped
3. 1 cup sweet Peppadew peppers, chopped
4. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5. 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
6. Kosher salt

1. In a bowl, soak the currants in hot water until plump, about 5 minutes. Drain, pressing out the excess water. Return the currants to the bowl and add the olives, Peppadews, olive oil and vinegar. Season the relish with salt.

Make Ahead The relish can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Have a great day