Cut the Mustard!

For an entire month I have been less of a gourmand and more of a glutton. Right from my gourmet affairs at Punjab Grill, Mamagoto and several others, to the mini food festival on the way to and at Patiala, to delicious (and free!) French wines, this month I have had it all. While in Patiala, I ate like there is no tomorrow, especially because the trip marked the end of the nine day abstinence from non-vegetarian food. Also, it was PUNJAB, and Punjab spells culinary indulgence!

Soon enough I began to feel horizontally challenged, precisely why it became almost imperative for me to enroll myself for yoga classes and shed those extra pounds I was gaining thanks to my endless bingeing. Muscle pulls combined with a hyper-active social life *feels cool at this point* ensured my cooking plan remained just that - A PLAN!

I began worrying for fear of having poor Orange Zest vanish into some gigantic black-hole of the blogosphere and knew I had to get cooking. I read a million recipes and spoke to a gazillion friends, fretting and searching for inspiration. Finally, a South India return friend (yes Kiki, you!) who felt deprived of Big Chill food made a request. I was asked to replicate a grilled chicken dish that she had thoroughly enjoyed at the restaurant, but because Mayawati ruined this Noida resident's Delhi visiting plans, I experimented on my good ol' flatty, Saaransh.


Confession: This dish took 2 attempts in order to turn out the way I had imagined, and poor Saar had to bear the brunt of the first, almost unpalatable version of it, so THANK YOU, my lowe, for keeping the faith and daring to gorge on the second attempt :)


Now before I get too emo, please find the recipe below for my Rosemary Grilled Chicken served with Creamy Mustard Sauce:

Ingredients:
Chicken (boneless): 450 grams
Olive Oil: 1/4 cup
Mustard Sauce (I used the French's one): 5 tbsps, 3 for the chicken marinade and 2 for the sauce
Rosemary (dry): 1 tbsp
Salt and Pepper: To taste
Lemon Juice: Juice of one lemon
Cream: 1/2 cup
Milk: 1/4 cup
Cheese: 1/2 cube, grated

Method:

• Take the boneless chicken and clean thoroughly. Now poke the pieces with a fork or make small gashes with a sharp knife. (This allows the marinade to seep right in, making the chicken burst with flavor.)
• Next, rub olive oil generously all over the chicken, followed with mustard sauce, salt and pepper, and rosemary, and finally drizzle the juice of half a lemon on top.
• Allow your chicken to marinate for at least an hour and a half in the refrigerator. More is always better, but anything lesser than an hour will not give you that same zingy, zesty result. 

• Once you feel the chicken has rested enough, pop the lazy bugger into an electronic grill for about 30 odd minutes, or till such time you smell the heady aroma of the rosemary and lemon wafting through the kitchen, arousing your hunger and disallowing you from controlling anymore!
• While the chicken grills, prepare your creamy mustard sauce. Take a saucepan and pour the cream into the same.
• Add 2 tbsp of mustard sauce (you could use more/ less depending on your capacity to enjoy/ bear the piquancy of mustard), a dash of rosemary and pepper to the cream and cook over medium heat till the cream reduces a bit and the sauce begins to thicken.
• As your sauce comes to a boil, add grated cheese to the saucepan and gently mix. This gives it that added cheesy, creamy flavor.
• Remove from the flame and allow to cool. Add the remaining lemon juice to this and your sauce is ready!  

Note: I have included milk in my recipe as I sat and prepared fresh cream instead of using the store bought variety due to lack of availability of the latter, but you could simply buy the cream off the shelf. Quantity of cream used remains the same.

• Remove the chicken from the grill and serve hot with the sauce. Enjoy the juicy pollo with your home-made creamy mostaza sauce! GO DIG IN!!! 

With the second attempt, I think I finally cut the mustard! :)