Sriracha Honey Lime Skewers

Since this is a food blog, I should probably talk about the food KK and I had while on vacation.  We indulged in wine, gelato, and tiramisu, but I really want to tell you about the dining experience we had at Drogheria della Rosa in Bologna, Italy.  It was the best meal of our vacation, and also the best dining experience I've ever had.  We strolled past the Drogheria around 7:30 and it was empty, so we checked out a few other options KK found on Tripadvisor.  After making a loop, we ended up back at the Drogheria.  Without a reservation, the owner Emanuele was able to seat us at an outside table.  Aperitifs and antipasti appeared almost as soon as we sat down! There is no printed menu or prices at the Drogheria (we read the reviews so we knew what to expect), so the owner verbally described the primi and secondi menus and we made our selections on the spot.  I chose eggplant ravioli as my primi and guinea fowl with roasted vegetables for my main course; KK opted for orecchiette with lamb ragu and steak with a balsamic reduction.  The ingredients were extremely fresh and the flavor combinations were incredible! The owner also asked if he could select the wine for us, and we were not disappointed with his pick.  With no room for dessert, Emanuele brought homemade limoncello, grappa and another ½ bottle of wine to the table instead, allowing us to pour our own servings (and left the bottles for refills).  The meal was well worth the non-itemized bill of €85.  Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the food, so you’ll just have to take my word for it and visit Drogheria della Rosa if you’re ever in Bologna!

Something’s gotten into KK - he marinated the chicken for these skewers on Tuesday (without asking for any advice!), and volunteered to cook Parmesan Crusted Chicken last night since I was getting home a little late from work.  Maybe I’ll have him write a guest post sometime soon! Back to the skewers – we didn't make many changes to the original recipe.  KK used bottled lime juice instead of juice from an actual lime, and he didn't use cilantro because, as you know, we rarely have fresh herbs on hand.  He marinated the chicken for 6 hours, so all I had to do was thread the chicken onto the skewers and grill them up using our cast iron grill pan.  Easy-peasy! I thought it would be too spicy, with Sriracha and red pepper flakes, but we both ended up adding more Sriracha sauce at the end! Keeping it healthy (after all that food we ate in Italy/Portugal), I nuked a bag of Birds Eye Steamfresh Asian Medley as a side dish with the skewers.

Sriracha Honey Lime Skewers

Adapted from Cooking Pinterest

Time: 15 minutes + marinade time

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp Sriracha sauce

Red pepper flakes, to taste

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

8-10 skewers

Directions

1. Combine soy sauce, honey, lime juice, vegetable oil, garlic, Sriracha sauce and crushed red pepper in a small bowl.  Place chicken in a Ziploc bag, pour marinade into the bag, and mix until chicken is thoroughly covered.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 1-8 hours.

2. If skewers are wooden, soak for 15-20 minutes to avoid burning.  Thread chicken onto skewers.

3. Heat grill or grill pan on medium high heat.  Grill skewers 5-6 minutes, flip and continue grilling for an additional 5 minutes or until skewers are fully cooked.