Recipe: Basic Marinade

Recipe

Basic Marinade

Categories: Sauces, Cold

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbs vinegar 50 grain
1/2 cup juice orange or lemon
12 each peppercorns—crushed
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
herbs (ad lib)
splash wine or brandy—optional

Mix everything together. This is just a rough guide, as marinades need to be customized to what you are doing. Rub this into the flesh well, and turn every so often.

Mustard variation: My cousin Mark likes to substitute 3 different mustards for the juice, for grilled tuna. No reason why it wouldn't work on chicken breast just as well. For a mustard crusted chicken, apply the mustard marinade towards the end of the cooking process, let it dry on, and repaint with the mustards, and dust with very lightly buttered bread crumbs to coat the mustard. Continue slow heat to brown. The more butter you use on the crumbs, the longer it takes for them to brown. This will save a chicken that has had its skin messed up or burnt, and also works well for skinless chicken.

Lean Variation: As there is an orange tree just a few steps from my Florida home, I often pick sour oranges, juice them and add cayenne pepper as a chicken marinade. I also use lemon juice and ground black pepper. If the chicken is skinless, I am forced to add some oil, so it won't stick to the grill, but very little does the trick. I wash the bird well, and add the marinade and the cut up pieces to a baggie, and refrigerate overnight. It marinates better in a baggie, and I turn it every time I open the fridge.

Notes: Please remember that this says Basic, so you are expected to improvise and add some of your own creative juices.