Apples to Nuts

So I had a recipe for a grilled chicken with apple macadamia nut sauce. What would one serve with such a combination of flavors? Not to mention the chicken had marinated in a potion of tamarind paste and garlic for several hours. I had the nuts in the pantry and a couple of Granny Smith's in the fruit bowl so what the heck right? I'm not one to shy away from dishes that stray from the norm but even this one seemed a little "out there". Let's not forget I have "the boy" to feed as well. He who would eat cheeseburgers for every meal I think!

I had some wet tamarind pulp which I macerated in hot water then smashed through a fine sieve three times. This yielded some tamarind puree which reminded me of the apple butter my Grandma used to make. I added minced garlic, salt, pepper and some veggie oil and threw it over some skinless boneless chicken breasts.

While the charcoal was getting ready I sauteed some shallot, garlic, fresh ginger and just half of a green chile until they browned a little. In next went the apple, a little turmeric and some coarse chopped macadamia nuts. Sauteed the apple mixture for a few minutes and then added chicken stock, soy sauce, fish sauce and fresh lime juice. A wee bit of salt and pepper to season and I made myself a Hemingway daiquiri with the left over lime juice.

The sauce color was a little gross but the combination of the two really came together. Even the boy ate the chicken although without the sauce. He'll come around eventually!

Sauteed some fresh string beans from the garden and had some nice melon to balance the whole plate out. Quite good and next time I'll up the green chili for a little more zip in the sauce.

Gnocchi tomorrow!