THURSDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2017

Bonnie Benwick The Washington Post

Here's one thing a lot of res-taurant chefs have in common with a lot of kids, and we're not talking about the wunderkinder

who compete on junior cooking shows: They love good, crispy, crunchy chicken tenderloins, a.k.a. chicken fingers.

"They are the easiest thing to cook and eat when you're busy back there," says Ed Scarpone, executive chef at DBGB in CityCenterDC. "Everything's always around to bread and fry them, plus a cheap sauce can be found, or hid-den, in the walk-in. We do them every other week, at least."

Scarpone says he knows "for a fact" that his pals who cook in high-end res-taurants often bring in chicken tenderloins or order a case of them that will never make it out of the kitchen, starring in staff meals instead.

The accompanying recipe is partic-ularly kind to those of us who don't have 375-degree oil at the ready. It starts with butter-toasted panko bread crumbs, done on the stove top; that way, the coating becomes nicely golden brown and delicious - in restaurant parlance, GBD - in the chicken's short time in the

oven. You can assemble the fresh salsa before the chicken is done.

And because we're thinking chicken fingers go over well with a lot of "grown-up kids" as well: Make this recipe for hungry children and babysitter - but not before stashing away a few of the ten-ders for yourself. Upon returning home, kiss sleeping children's foreheads and then head to the kitchen for your late-night snack.

Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders With Pineapple-Apricot SalsaIngredients (4 servings)For the chicken3 tablespoons unsalted butter2 cups plain panko (Japanese bread crumbs)Kosher or sea saltFreshly ground black pepper1 large egg1/4 cup whole or low-fat milk3/4 cup flour1 pound thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For the salsa4 fresh pineapple rings (about 12 ounces; may substitute the flesh of 1 small mango)1/2 medium red onion

1/2 small green or red jalapeño pepper4 red radishes (optional)6 stems cilantro1 lime1/2 cup apricot preservesKosher or sea saltFreshly ground black pepper

StepsFor the chicken: Preheat the oven

to 425 degrees. Place an ovenproof wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the panko and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until golden brown. Remove from the heat; season (still in the pan) lightly with salt and pepper and let cool.

Whisk together the egg and milk in a wide, shallow bowl until well blended. Place the flour in a separate, similar bowl.

Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry. Cut each thin piece lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips. Dip each strip into the egg mixture, then the flour, then into the egg mixture again, then into the but-tered bread crumbs; make sure the last coating is thorough. Place the coated chicken strips on the wire rack.

Once all the chicken is coated, spray it lightly with cooking oil spray. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes or until the chicken

is cooked through (registering 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).

Meanwhile, make the salsa, combin-ing the ingredients in a mixing bowl as you work: Dice the pineapple and finely chop the red onion. Seed the jalapeño pepper half, then mince it. Cut the

radishes, if using, into small dice. Coarsely chop the cilantro leaves and some ten-der stems. Cut the lime in half, and squeeze in 2 tablespoons of juice. Add the preserves, then season lightly with salt and pepper, stirring to incorporate.

Serve the chicken warm, with the salsa.

Chefs and kids agree: Chicken fingers are GBD

F D THURSDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2017

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMohammed Salim Mohamed

ADVERTISING MANAGERAli Wahba

CHAIRMANSheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDr. Khalid Mubarak Al-Shafi

DESIGNAbraham Augusthy

SUPPLEMENT EDITOR Pramod Prabhakaran

PRODUCTIONViswanath Sarma

Nando’s, Qatar’s favourite flame-grilled Peri-Peri chicken restaurants, has

launched a new flavour of bast-ing sauce for those who want a kick of vibrant flavour but pre-fer it without the chilli heat. The Mango & Lime flavour combines the sweetness of the mango and the tanginess of lime with a touch of the African Bird’s Eye chili.

Customers can now choose from six different flavours on the Nando’s PERi-ometer: Plain-ish, Lemon & Herb, Mango & Lime, Mild, Hot and Extra Hot. On the PERi-Ometer, Mango & Lime flavour is slightly hotter than Lemon and Herb, but milder that our Mild flavour.

Speaking about the launch Francois Rousseau, Chief

Operating Officer of Oryx Group for Food Services said, “Since 2001, Nando’s has enjoyed a growing community of PERi-PERi lovers across Qatar. Our customers have been asking for a new flavour for years, and we are confident that Mango & Lime flavour will satisfy their taste buds, especially those that prefer the milder flavours.”

The Mango & Lime flavour was launched on December 5th during an event which was attended by Nando’s lovers, bloggers and the media. The fla-vour is currently available in all Nando’s restaurants and will soon be available on the shelves in leading supermarkets.

Nando’s has recently opened in Mall of Qatar, marking the eighth restaurant in Qatar.

Joe Yonan The Washington Post

When I was a kid, ground-beef tacos were on my mother's regular dinner rotation. Any time-stressed cook knows why: All she had to do was quickly fry up some ground beef, grate some cheese, chop an onion and set out bowls of all those plus some salsa, sour cream and taco shells, and let her kids make their own.

Is there an equivalent vegetarian taco fill-ing, something just as easy and satisfying?

Walnut Tacos6 servings (makes 12 tacos)If you'd like to keep this dish vegan, use non-

dairy yogurt or nondairy sour cream.MAKE AHEAD: The walnut crumble filling

can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

IngredientsFor the filling2 cups coarsely chopped raw walnuts2 tablespoons fresh lime juice1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro1 tablespoon water1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin1 teaspoon chili powder1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (may sub-

stitute ground cayenne pepper)1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more as needed1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepperFor assembly

Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed1 cup chopped fresh tomato1 cup thinly sliced red cabbageFlesh of 2 medium avocados, sliced1/2 cup store-bought or homemade salsa

verde (see related recipe)1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt (may substitute

non-dairy yogurt or non-dairy sour cream)12 cilantro sprigs2 limes, cut into wedges

Method:For the filling: Combine the walnuts, lime

juice, cilantro, water, ground cumin, chili pow-ders, salt and black pepper in a food processor; pulse frequently for a minute or so, until the nuts are reduced to pebble size. Do not over-process. Taste, and add more salt as needed.

To assemble the tacos, divide the corn tor-tillas among serving plates. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling on each tortilla, then add some tomato, a few slivers of cabbage, a couple slices of avocado, a spoonful of salsa verde, a dollop of yogurt and some cilantro.

Serve with lime wedges for last-minute squeezing.

It's a smart substitution, and it's nuts

Nando’s Qatar launches Mango & Lime flavour

For the first time in 15 years, Nando’s has a new PERi-ometer

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Rocela Bautista

F D THURSDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2017

Mohamad BwaryThe Peninsula

When it comes to Arabic sweets there are hun-dreds, if not thousands, of

option all around Qatar. So to authoritatively identify the best place for Arabic sweet is going to be controversial. But in the interest of foodies in Qatar we did a little research and asked around to find the best Kanafeh

in town (also spelt Kunafeh or Kunafah. Again depends on who you ask).

The recommendation you get for Arabic sweets depends on the nationality of the person you ask. But when it comes to Kanafeh, majority of the people we asked were unanimous in their choice of Al Nashama Res-taurant & Sweets, an old sweet shop tucked away in busy Al Muntazah.

They have one of the best Kanafeh or kunafah in town. A

few other shops popped up dur-ing our survey, but those were a tad less tasty and a bit more expensive than Al Nashama. But we are sure there could be dozen others we are not aware of. Any-way this is good place to start the hunt for a good Kanafeh.

Al Nashama has been mak-ing the most delicious and fresh cheese Kanafeh in town for dec-ades at a very affordable price. Generations of sweet lovers swear by their Kenafah Nabul-sia and Kenafah Khishna. We

also liked Kunafa bel Qeshta (Bain Narain), with cream not the usual cheese.

Kanafeh is popularly known to have originated in the Pales-tinian city of Nablus, hence the name Kenafah Nabulsieh. Nab-lus is still renowned for its kanafeh, which consists of mild white cheese and shredded wheat surface, which is covered by sugar syrup.

Some other sweets worth a try are Lebanese Nights, Harissa (semolina cake), Halawet El Jibn and Othmaliye.

They have a dine-in facility, which is very basic and décor is very unappealing. Then you are not here for fine dining. Unless

you are a purist and want to consume your Kanafeh fresh and hot, it’s better to take it home and share with friends and family.

Just in case if you don’t know what we are talking about then kunafeh is a cheese pastry soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup with a tinge of rose water garnished with crushed pistachios, found in most Ara-bic countries and is best eaten fresh.

You can see a lot of cafes selling only Kanafeh in many Arab cities like Amman and the one you get in Al Nashama tastes almost like the one you get in a Amman cafe.

Serving delicious Kanafeh for decades

Food Trail: In search of tasty meals in Qatar

Must try: Kenafah Nabulsia and Kenafah Khishna

Other notables: Lebanese Nights, Harissa (semolina cake), Halawet El Jibn and Othmaliye.

Price: Very pocket friendly. They charge QR7 for a small plate, QR13 for medium and QR20 for large. If you want to indulge go for 1kg at QR50.

One of the staff plating a Kanafeh

Q: I'm hearing conflicting opinions on whether sauteing with extra-virgin olive oil is a waste of the extra money paid for it, as it breaks down with high heat. Others say to go ahead and use it. What is the real deal?

A: It is perfectly safe to fry or saute with extra-virgin, despite all the myths to the con-trary. In fact, it might be the safest oil for frying. However, a fine extra-virgin can be very expen-sive. There are, fortunately, plenty of lower-priced California extra-virgins that make sense for this. And for deep-frying, they can be used a second time if you strain them thoroughly after the first use.

Q: My roast potatoes never come out quite right. I quarter them, toss them in olive oil and a bit of salt, cook at 400 degrees in an unlined baking pan - and yet some are burned and others are soft. What could I be doing better? Is it my oven's fault?

A: Some tips:Depending on the type of

potato, you might want to par-cook them before you roast them in the oven. Make sure your pieces are all about the same size. Be sure to toss the potatoes halfway through the oven time, so differ-ent sides come in contact with the heated surface of the pan. And turn that pan from front to back in the oven, too, for even cooking.

Your oven might indeed have hot spots, which can account for uneven heating. Do you notice it when you bake? Maybe it's time for a repair call.

Q: My marbled pound cake recipe calls for putting half the batter in a loaf pan, then add-ing chocolate to the remaining batter and putting it on top. Then, using a knife, cut down and sweep through to produce the swirl pat-tern. When I tried that, the baked loaf did not come out as a nice swirl. What is a better way to produce a two-toned swirl?

A: I make my marbled cakes differently: I spoon dollops of the vanilla and chocolate bat-ters into the pan randomly. There are no layers - just an odd bunch of polka dots. If there's white batter, I spoon dark batter over it when filling the pan (I never have a solid layer of one color

batter). I then use a chopstick or a table knife to swirl the two batters. The trick to a pretty marbled cake is restraint. It's so tempting to swirl and run your knife back and forth through the batter - resist! You want to mix things up, but you don't want to overdo it.

Q: I tried to use spray oil, sprayed it onto a cold pan and got a face full of oil mist that bounced off the pan's surface. If I spray from farther away from the pan, I'll get oil all over the stove. Is there a right way to do this?

A: I like to open my dishwasher (not full of clean dishes, please), hold the pan in one hand and the spray in the other, and go for it. That way, excess spray gets in the dishwasher, where it will get cleaned instead of all over your stove (or face, yikes!)

Q: My roasted broccoli has a good flavor, but it has a floppy texture. How do I make it crisper?I usually cut the broccoli into small pieces, spread out the pieces on parchment paper on an aluminum pan, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 425 degrees until the pieces are pretty brown. The broccoli is com-pletely dry (except for the olive oil), and I spread out the pieces so

they aren't crowded. Is there anything else I can do?

A: The only surefire way to keep it crisper is to cook it less. But I have a few adjustments to your technique that might help:

1. Increase the heat to 500 degrees.2. Put the pan in the oven while it's heating.

When you're ready to put the broccoli in, take the pan out, immediately drizzle it with oil, then scatter the broccoli and drizzle (quickly) a little more, add salt/pepper, any other spices, and get it back in the oven.

3. Skip the parchment paper. You want the broccoli to hit the hot pan and start cooking.

4. Leave the pieces a little bigger - not thicker, but longer/wider. Try cutting big florets in half or quarters lengthwise. The more surface area, the more possibility for crispness/browning.

5. Test every few minutes: Pick a piece up, and if it's not floppy but has some nice brown-ing, and it's barely tender to a fork or skewer, you're there.

Is it a waste of money to saute with extra-virgin olive oil?

>> If you go

QA