JBug's Kitchen Antics

Grilled Salmon with Potlatch Seasoning and Potato Latkes

Isn't it funny how we all crave different things during different times of the year. Comfort food takes on a whole new meaning when you live in Arizona or other parts of the south where temperatures soar. We stretched it a bit yesterday with the chicken and dumplings, because it's more salad weather here than stew appropriate so grilling is really the answer at least until it gets too hot to do even that.

We picked up some gorgeous Copper River salmon at the market and while I had every intention of smoking it, to be honest I was just too darn impatient. I mean waiting for it to cure for 24 hours, then drying it before smoking seemed like too much effort when we could have almost instant gratification on the grill. I had some potlatch seasoning left over from another dinner and it was the perfect solution. 

A good rub in it, an 8 hour nap in the refrigerator and 10 minutes on the gas grill on low meant perfect results. What can I say except we're just lucky that way ...no actually, it's Big Guy on the grill that does the trick but I'm not loaning him out.

Placed on top of a bed of fresh greens along with a perfectly ripe avocado, it could have been absolutely perfect but some kind of crunch seemed like a great idea. Enter the lowly potato in a latke form. 

This particular version is more like an Irish potato cake (see here) in texture as the potatoes and some of the onions are pureed in the food processor rather than grated. It's certainly a lot easier and quicker too.

While the recipe on epicurious.com suggested draining the potato/onion mixture in a towel lined colander and squeezing out the excess moisture, I happen to hate the mess that creates, so I used my trusty little OXO potato ricer instead. It really does the trick in getting rid of the excess moisture; in fact, if anything, you can squeeze out too much of it. Finished with an egg, a mere tablespoon of flour, a little baking powder and salt and pepper, the latkes are super light, incredibly moist and really crisp on the outside. 

Who needs boring old croutons when you can have latkes on your salad instead? Incidentally, we had our salad dressed in a purchased Vidalia Onion dressing courtesy of Sam's Club and it was just perfect, but a vinaigrette, or even ranch dressing would be A-OK too. 

Potlatch Seasoning  (adapted from Foodnetwork.com)

4 teaspoons kosher salt

3 teaspoons chili powder

3 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Combine ingredients together in a small jar and seal tightly.

Quick and Easy Potato Latkes (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from epicurious.com)

1 large russet potato, peeled and diced

1 medium onion, finely chopped and divided

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Vegetable oil for frying

In a food process, combine potato chunks and all but a quarter cup of chopped onion. Pulse until potatoes are very finely chopped. Working in batches, put the potato mixture through a potato ricer to squeeze out the excess moisture. Scrape into a bowl. (Alternately move the potato mixture into a towel line colander and squeeze out as much moisture as possible by wringing the towel). 

Add the reserved chopped onion to the bowl along with egg, salt, black pepper, flour and baking powder. Mix well to combine.

Heat approximately a quarter inch of oil in the bottom of a heavy pan and heat over medium high. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop quarter cupful’s of potato mixture into hot oil and press slightly to make a flat cake. Cook for approximately 3 to 4 minutes a side until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a cooling rack placed on top of a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 425 and just before serving, heat latkes until crisp and deep brown – about 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 6 latkes.

A year ago - Thai Style Grilled Chicken on Noodle Salad

Two year's ago - Santa Fe Corn Pie

Pork Ribs with Ginger BBQ Sauce

Oh 'dem ribs, 'dem beautiful ribs. Big Guy has me spoiled with his long and slow BBQ ribs and unfortunately everything pales in comparison, including these but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do so I figured I'd branch out on my own yesterday and cook up a mess for dinner last night. 

After I removed the membrane from the back and gave the rack a good rub with lots of pepper, garlic and adobo seasoning, I wrapped 'em up all cozy in foil, poured in a can of beer and shoved the package in a 350 oven for an hour so the ribs could steam and get all juicy and tender like. It left me just enough time to whip up a batch of potato salad and soak some fresh corn for grillin' later.

Oh and then there's the barbecue sauce. We have a slew of Big Guy's homemade sauce in the refrigerator left over from the meatloaf, but since he's not about to part with his secret recipe, I knew I'd have to have something to tell you. Page 149 of this month's Food Network Magazine holds a recipe for a ginger flavored sauce that's just a little different from the usual. (Hit the link and it'll take you directly to the recipe). 

Starting with sauteed onion, ginger and garlic, it brews up in about 20 minutes after the addition of apple juice, oyster sauce and apple cider vinegar. Spiced with red pepper flakes and smoothed out with the immersion blender it came together pretty quickly. The only trouble is that I thought it was a tad too subtle in flavor, even after adding more pepper flakes and a good shot of apple jack to the mix. 

You see, ribs just aren't the same without that smoky flavor, at least in my book, so even though Big Guy fired up the gas grill and finished the ribs, glazing them up all pretty like with Ginger BBQ Sauce, in my opinion they just didn't taste as good as they should have. 

By the way, the white "snow" on the corn is a mixture of crumbled feta cheese and lime zest that we sprinkled on the grilled corn as soon as it came off the heat. Talk about wonderful and as for the potato salad - well, I didn't measure a thing so can't tell you much except that I'm not sure you can make a bad one, so just wing it like I did, OK?  

Oh one more thing - Big Guy's feeling a little less stiff and sore this morning, although his finger tips are cut up and his right hand's swollen for some reason. His comment as he groaned his way out of bed was "getting old isn't bad, but getting old in 3 days really sucks". 

A year ago - Rhubarb Apple Diddle Dumplings

Two year's ago - Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes

Onion Pie and Barbecued Meatloaf

Big Guy's going to be asking "what holiday" as this long weekend comes to a close. He had quite the day yesterday! Between laying backsplash tile and several trips to Home Depot, he managed to cook breakfast as well as whip up 5 lovely individual meat loaves for our dinner last night. Talk about an overachiever!

We've shared his meat loaf recipe with you in the past but it's just too darn tasty not to make over and over, particularly now that barbecue/grilling season is upon us. Loaded with ground beef, pork and spicy hot Italian sausage along with tons of garlic, jalapeno's, sun dried tomatoes and chopped mushrooms, there's not much filler in these babies - just pure unadulterated meat.  The mushrooms really help to keep the loaves moist while they cook for an hour over charcoal flavored by alder chips and the resulting smoky flavor is absolutely incomparable. Hit this link and it'll take you to the recipe! 

I'm always on the lookout for a new side dish, so when I saw the recipe for Onion Pie in the Best of the Best of Arizona Cookbook Big Guy brought back from his Grand Canyon hike for me last weekend, I just had to give it a try.

This simple pie has got most all the same ingredients as a quiche but is much lighter thanks to an untraditional crust made from crushed saltine crackers. Baked in a 9 x 13 pan, it comes out thinner than a normal pie, but absolutely packed with onion flavor and a perfect creamy textured, mild flavored foil for the spicy meatloaf. It's definitely going on our "keeper" list. 

Onion Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from The Best of the Best of Arizona Cookbook)

48 saltine crackers

1/2 cup butter, melted and divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 extra large onions, thinly sliced

1/2 pound grated Cheddar cheese

2 cups whole milk or half and half

3 eggs, beaten

Salt and course ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Place saltine crackers into a large zip bag and crush to fine crumbs. Add all but 2 tablespoons butter to the crumbs, close bag and mix together well. Pour 2/3 of the crumbs into a 9 x 13 pan and press evenly onto the bottom.

Heat oil and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter together in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook until onions are softened but not browned. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Arrange onions on top of cracker crumbs in pan and top with grated cheese. Heat milk in microwave until hot but not boiling. Pour slowly over beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Season with salt and coarse ground black pepper, and pour egg/milk mixture over cheese and onions in pan. Sprinkle with reserved cracker crumbs and top with freshly grated nutmeg.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before plating. Makes 8 servings.

A year ago - Buffalo Shrimp on Lemon Caesar Salad 

Two year's ago - Curried Chicken with Fresh and Dried Cranberries

Artichoke Chicken Salad

When you've a very hungry man to feed or even a gaggle of ladies from the bridge club, then here's a super solution to have on hand for a quick summer spread. 

Not your usual chicken salad, this one's extended by using that old San Francisco treat - Rice a Roni. Not something I ordinarily have in my cupboard, when I saw this recipe in a Junior League Cookbook, Saint Louis Souvenirs, I was intrigued enough to give it a go.

Prepared Rice A Roni is spiced up a touch with marinated artichoke hearts, green onions, red and green peppers and roughly chopped black olives and chicken of course. 

The recipe called for poached chicken, but I figured a little flavor boost was in order so kicked ours up a notch by grilling the butterflied breasts for more even cooking, then brushing them with some of our kicky kumquat marmalade. While that may be a stretch for some of you, I figure the same flavors could be achieved mixing orange marmalade with a little triple sec and a chopped up habanero pepper. Brushed on the chicken at the very end of the grilling time, I also mixed some of the marmalade into a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream to dress the salad. 

We were both surprised by how delicious this salad is; in fact it's so tasty, it had my hungry man going back for seconds and there's a bunch left for lunch today too. It makes a ton, so be prepared to enjoy some leftovers but I don't think they'll hang around for long. 

Incidentally if you're stuck at the thought of using a whole habanero pepper for the glaze, they're really not as hot as you think they are. Carefully remove the seeds and ribs and you'll lose a huge part of the fire in the pepper. As well, the smaller the mince, the hotter the glaze so leave bigger chunks and you'll cut the heat even more. Of course if you're really worried about your glaze being too spicy, you can always substitute jalapeno or serrano's too but I'll have to call you a pansy if you do. Just sayin'. 

Artichoke Chicken Salad (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Saint Louis Souvenirs)

The Salad:

1 package chicken flavored Rice a Roni

1 – 12 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 large can large pitted black olives, roughly chopped

Cook Rice a Roni according to package directions and cool. Combine with artichoke hearts, green onions, green and red pepper and black olives and refrigerate until needed.

Glaze:

2/3 cup orange marmalade

2 tablespoons triple sec (optional)

1 habanero chopped pepper, seeds and veins removed

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until marmalade has melted and mixture is hot. Set aside. Reserve 3 tablespoons of mixture for salad dressing.

The Chicken:

3 large chicken breasts washed and dried

Salt and pepper

Butter flavored cooking spray

Butterfly chicken breasts or pound to an even thickness. Season well with salt and pepper on both sides and spray liberally with cooking spray. Heat gas grill until very hot and carefully place chicken on grill. Lower temperature to medium low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Flip chicken over, cover and cook for additional 4 minutes. Brush chicken with glaze and cook for an additional minute or until chicken is done. Remove to a plate and refrigerate until cold.

Salad Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons orange/habanero glaze

Mix ingredients together and refrigerate until needed.

To serve – pile salad on plate and arrange sliced chicken over top. Top with a couple of spoonfuls of the dressing. Serves 6 to 8. 

A year ago - Sausage Meatloaf with Lemon and Parmesan

Two year's ago - Ziti with Pancetta and Fresh Tomatoes  

Ideas for a Memorial Day Feast

Tweren't nothin' cookin' in JBug's kitchen last night as Big Guy and moi were guests at the Fellows' Ranch in Sonoita, a ranching town about an hour south of us. Fred and his beautiful wife Deborah (Copenhaver) are both amazing artists as you'll see when you check them out on the web here. To say we are honored to be included in their circle of friends is putting it mildly and we enjoyed our evening tremendously.  

Looking at the calendar this morning, I was rather shocked to see the first long weekend of summer's coming up and I don't know about you, but I've barely thought about what to cook to celebrate. Traditionally the "grillin'" weekend, here's a few ideas from our kitchen.

Skirt Steak's a perfect choice for the grill as it takes very well to being marinated - whether in a wet marinade or a dry rub since as a cousin to flank steak, it can be rather chewy if it isn't treated just right. Try it with a chimichurri sauce for a little somethin' special like this recipe from Cooking Light magazine. We loved the fresh flavor never mind the almost instant gratification as it takes almost no time on the grill.  

Of course no holiday weekend would be quite right in our house without a burger. Goodness knows we've posted enough of them here, but my personal favorites are these Bacon and Blue Cheese burgers we had a while ago -  a recipe adapted from the Canadian Living Rush Hour Cookbook. 

Of course that said, I'm not sure there's such a thing as a bad burger do you? Try these Chipotle and Green Chili Burgers, or try a Six Sided Burger like these. Tired of beef? Don't forget there's always chicken or turkey too. Turn it up a notch by adding some cheese sauce to your chicken burger and you can call it a Hot Brown burger like we did here. 

If you're thinking burgers be darned - what about a Sonoran Hot Dog. Wrapped in bacon and topped with grilled jalapenos or fresh salsa, there's not much better according to Big Guy, unless maybe you pile it all with a huge spoonful of chili.

Speaking of Big Guy, try making his special meatloaf on the barbecue and I'm thinking you'll be bowled over by the flavor, never mind the kudos coming atcha'. He's rather famous for barbecued meatloaf particularly during horse racing season in Grant's Pass, Oregon.

Of course no grillin' weekend would be quite complete without a batch of the infamous musical fruit. Try a pot of Calico Beans and see 'em smile, or there's always Bacon Maple Cheater Beans too. Open a couple of cans, chop up some bacon, add spices and Bob's your uncle. 

Are you looking for a new fangled special kind of potato salad to blow everybody's socks off?  Try a creamy roasted potato salad with fresh herbs, or for something really different, make a sweet potato salad chock full of island flavors.

Whatever you decide, remember to do some pre-planning so you can enjoy the party too!

A year ago - Moroccan Shepherd's Pie

Two year's ago - Spring Vegetable Ragout with Dill

Sweet Chili and Root Beer Baby Back Ribs with Fresh Corn Saute'

Grilling season is upon us once again, although here in the sunny Southwest it's darn near a year round enjoyment. The challenge is often coming up with something new and different to try.

Every once in awhile I hit the Fine Cooking web site and rarely come away from it unhappy. This time I couldn't resist their recipe for baby back ribs. Only thing is, it was "stankin'" hot here yesterday (over 100) and since Big Guy spent the entire weekend marking papers, we decided to roast the ribs inside and merely glaze them on the outside grill. 

After Big Guy took the membrane off the back, we seasoned the ribs well with salt and pepper, minced garlic and an onion, then placed them into a foil packet along with a cup of apple cider. Wrapped up well, they roasted at 350 for 80 minutes. After they cooled slightly, we coated them in the glaze made of hoisin, root beer, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha glaze and grilled them till they were brown, crispy and shiny.

If you head to Fine Cooking's site, you'll notice their version was done completely on the grill and the glaze included kecap manis - we happened to be out of that sweet Indonesian style soy sauce so I substituted hoisin instead.  

Lorraine over at Figs and Artichokes recently posted her version of Hoisin Ribs and I really wish I'd followed her footsteps because the Chinese 5 Spice Powder she used in hers, never mind the sherry would have been a great addition to this version. I found them a little lacking in flavor, but since Big Guy normally does the rib cookin' around here, it could be I was missing the smoky flavor. Saying all of that, these were moist, tender and OK. I'm just spoiled and that's all there is too it.

Our side dish last night also from Fine Cooking included fresh corn, sauteed with bacon, red onion, green pepper, and garlic and finished with chives, parsley and a dash of hot sauce. Served warm with a squeeze of lemon, it was absolutely fabulously delicious and a great accompanyment to the ribs. Incidentally, the lemon could be replaced with lime juice but for heaven's sake, don't leave it out. It makes a huge difference and really freshens up the flavors. 

Hit the link and head directly to Fine Cooking for the recipe. We made it as listed with one exception - we cut the recipe in half and we used our home smoked side bacon instead of the back bacon they recommend. 

I know I'm being a lazy lout for not listing the recipes below, but our little Maxer had a long string of seizures last night and he's a might fragile at the moment. He needs his Momma so I've gotta run. Hope you all have a super day! 

A year ago - Lamb Sausage Rolls

Two year's ago - Chicken Chili Caliente

Japanese Style Grilled Salmon on Soba Noodle Salad

Light, quick and perfect for a summer feast, this grilled salmon is a real keeper. Marinated for a few hours in a mixture of soy sauce, white wine, and mirin spiced up with green onions and fresh ginger, we liked it so much we could eat it every day and twice on Sundays. It's perfect on a bed of soba noodles garnished with a selection of fresh veggies.

The only thing is I'll be letting Big Guy do the grilling from now on. The hair appointment I booked for this week could very well be cancelled because I did something quite stupid again...yes, again. You see I oiled the grill a little too much then threw the marinated salmon on without wiping either the grill or the excess marinade off the salmon and the result was a gigantic whoosh of roaring flame. It did a rather good job of incinerating my bangs, my left eyebrow and those blessed little stray hairs on my chin never mind nixing the need for the wrinkle removing dermabrasion I've been thinking about putting on my bucket list. 

The upside to the near incineration was crispy crunchy skin on the salmon which made a perfectly wonderful garnish to the bowl. 

In case you're wondering why Big Guy wasn't doing the grilling in the first place...well he was exhausted. The reason you ask? Well, being kitchen sinkless, doing dishes has taken on a whole new meaning. I've been performing the task in the master bathroom using Big Guy's camping out dish pan and drainer, and dumping the dirty dish water down the toilet when I'm done. The only problem is that on Friday I managed to miss a small measuring spoon that self flushed itself along with the dishwater and got caught on it's way through. 

Big Guy tried his best to remove it on Saturday using a plumber's snake and was unsuccessful. In the process he destroyed the porcelain making a new throne the order of the day and thus the beginning of the end of his relaxing Sunday. When the toilet was being removed, half the flooring went with it, so to make a long story short, 5 trips later to Home Depot, a final run to Ace Hardware, and 12 hours later we now have a new toilet in the bathroom, that's sitting proudly on new flooring. 

As you can imagine, it's been quite the weekend. Hey, gotta run! I've a bunch of dishes to wash and I'm thinking maybe this time I'll do 'em in the bathtub. A lovely new clawfoot tub would be a great replacement for the corner garden version we have currently, or maybe I'll use the shower. Wouldn't ya' just love one of those steam shower units? Just kidding...honest!

Japanese Style Grilled Salmon on Soba Noodle Salad from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from John Ash’s From the Earth to the Table)

Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine

 1/4 cup mirin

2 tablespoons sugar

3 green onions including white and green parts, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

Zest and juice of 1 small lemon

4 – 5 ounce salmon fillets with skin

Combine marinade ingredients and place into a container that will hold the fish. Check salmon for bones and remove as necessary. Place into marinade and refrigerate covered for 2 to 4 hours, turning fish occasionally.  To prepare, remove fish from marinade and pat dry. Place onto hot grill and grill approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until just done (it will be translucent in the center). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Soba Salad:

4 ounces of soba noodles cooked per package directions and cooled

1/2 cup julienned carrots

1 can bamboo shoots, well drained

3 green onions, sliced

Fresh spinach

Dressing:

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey or sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Combine dressing ingredients in a small container and shake well to mix. Set aside. Place spinach leaves into bottom of a bowl and arrange cooked soba noodles on top and garnish with carrots, bamboo shoots, and green onions. Place salmon on top and pour dressing over all. Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Stromboli 

Two year's ago - Chicken Marsala

Beautiful Burgers

We celebrate Friday nights around here and that often involves an easily put together dinner and a favorite libation of one form or another. The other pre-requisite last night was that dinner needed to be something that generated as few dishes as possible because I for one am super sick of doing the darn things in the bathroom. It absolutely amazes me how much I've taken running water and a kitchen sink for granted. Thankfully cooking's about to get easier because the granite will be installed on Monday and the plumber's coming Tuesday to hook everything up. Praise be!

Meanwhile, Big Guy and yours truly wouldn't do much complaining if we needed to do a repeat showing of the burgers we had last night. Thank the Neely's and foodnetwork.com for the idea although as per normal I deviated somewhat from their original.

I mixed up some lean ground beef with a minced shallot, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and flattened them to a shape resembling the panini buns I had left hiding in the freezer. Accompanied by the Neely's Secret Sauce made from sour cream, mayo, buttermilk, BBQ sauce, lemon juice and cayenne, the burgers needed nothing else other than cheese (cheddar for Big Guy and gorgonzola for me), and some of our own homemade bacon cooked extra crisp. 

With the rest of beans from Tuesday night, some pepperocino for Big Guy and dills for me, dinner was on the table in record time.

Hit the link for the recipe because I'm being lazy, never mind that I didn't change it enough to call it my own. You'll notice I didn't bother making the slaw, mostly because I didn't have any hiding in the refrigerator but honestly, I can't think the burger would be much better with it. Also, if you're really brilliant you should make extra of that fabulous sauce. It would be amazing as a dip with some buffalo wings, or on a roast beef sandwich, or on another burger or three.

 

A Special Evening

There's a definite upside to Big Guy's teaching at the University and that's the attachment we've made to some of his students. Not having children of our own, we've managed to adopt several over the years and we keep in touch with many of "our kids". One of a group of favorites that graduated 5 years ago came through town last night with her Dad on her drive from the OC (Orange County) all the way to her exciting new job in New York. 

Dinner had to be of the kind that would hold fairly well and/or be cooked quickly since we weren't sure of timing so Big Guy grilled up the steaks I alluded to the other day. We topped them with a compound butter including garlic and gorgonzola and you've got to admit they're pretty darn awesome hunks of beef.

On the side was a pot of Calico Beans adapted from an old favorite recipe from The Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks, Best of the Best. I nixed the green and lima beans called for in their version because you know who doesn't go for either, and substituted a can each of chili beans and great northern's. Flavored by some of our homemade bacon, spiced with garlic and dry mustard, sweetened with brown sugar and tarted up with vinegar, an hour in the oven's all you need for a pot of goods you'd be hard pressed not to call homemade.

We also had a new favorite Corn and Jalapeno Casserole that's a cross between cornbread and a cheesy, spicy corn souffle.

We can thank what I've renamed my kitchen bible, Idaho a la CArte, for its existence and includes canned creamed corn, cornmeal, buttermilk and eggs along with chopped onion for crunch and jalapenos for heat. Unsure about our guests' appreciation for spicy heat, I used only one jalapeno but next time I make this beauty I'll load it up with more along with some green chiles too.  It takes an hour in the oven to bake at the same temperature as the Calico Beans - coincidence isn't it...or just good planning.

We loved it - the texture's amazingly light, it holds well when timing is an issue and can even be prepared in advance and re-heated if you're so inclined. I daresay it'll give our favorite Pancetta Green Chile Cornbread a run for its money in this household.

So there ya go. I bet you're all wondering what we had for dessert but you'll have to wonder for another day or two because it is so differently delicious, it deserves a post all its own.  To give you a hint...think orange...think cream....think push-ups. Bet that's got you wondering!

Calico Beans (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks, The Best of the Best)

6 thick cut slices of bacon, diced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 – 14 ounce can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 – 14 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 – 14 ounce can chili beans with sauce

1 – 14 ounce can pork and beans

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

In a medium sized Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from pan. Return pan to heat and add chopped onion. Sauté onions until softened then add remaining ingredients, including bacon. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 oven for up to 1 hour. Check after 40 minutes and if beans are looking too dry, cover for remaining cooking time.  Serves 6 to 8.

Jalapeno Corn Casserole (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Idaho a la Carte)

1 – 14.5 ounce can cream style corn

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1&1/2 cups)

2 eggs beaten

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese or Mexican Blend

1 jalapeno minced (or more depending on tastes)

1 small can chopped green chiles (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 inch pan (square or round) with cooking spray and line bottom with parchment. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine creamed corn, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, melted butter, buttermilk, onion and eggs. Whisk until well mixed. Pour half the mixture into prepared pan. Top with half the grated cheese, sprinkle with minced jalapeno then add remaining cheese. Pour on the remaining batter and spread to even top. Bake for 1 hour or until set. Cool for 15 minutes then invert pan onto a platter. Cut into wedges or squares to serve. Makes 8 to 9 servings.    

A year ago - Meatloaf on the Barbecue 

Two year's ago - Asian Noodles and Glazed Steelhead

Grilled Cuban Style Pork Chops

I have to admit to a certain affinity for the sight, sounds and flavors of the Caribbean and Latin America likely due to some long, cold and dark winter nights spent dreaming of the sun, sand and sea. When I worked for the hockey club, many's the midnight I'd spend clearing the snow and frost off my car before driving home on slick roads after a game and believe me when I say I cherish the memories but I don't miss it one bit. Living in Tucson now kinda' takes the bite out of winter as it's grill season year round here which is a good thing.

Last night's dinner took mere minutes to cook after the gargantuan porterhouse style pork chops marinated for two hours. The marinade's the key to the Island flavors and it is composed of fresh orange and lime juice along with lots of garlic, oregano, cumin and oil of course and infuses the meat with all those lovely flavors. Just be careful not to over soak the pork or it will have a spongy texture as it almost "cooks" in the acidic juices so longer is not better in this case.

Grilled for 4 to 5 minutes a side the chops are topped with sliced ham slices that I warmed slightly on the grill, and Swiss cheese slices. With the grill cover down for a few minutes, the cheese melts all nice and gooey and the sour dill pickle slices hit the chops just before they hit the plate. 

The results are different and delicious - perfectly cooked to a lovely moist barely pink inside, the flavor's like the Cuban Sandwich we've enjoyed here before sans the bread of course. We had our chops with a salad of black beans, corn, sweet onion and jalapeno peppers in a citrus vinaigrette but fried plantains or a baked sweet potato would be wonderful too.

We can thank Bobby Flay for this creation. I changed it up by necessity as I didn't like the looks of the pork loin chops that were available at the supermarket so rather than butterfly and stuff the chops with the ham/cheese/pickle mixture, I topped them instead. Hit the link here to Food Network's site for Bobby's original recipe so you can check it out. Otherwise, you'll find my version below. 

Grilled Cuban Style Pork Chops (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Bobby Flay via Foodnetwork.com)

2 large 8 ounce porterhouse style pork chops

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons olive oil

Whisk marinade ingredients together until well blended. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the mixture and set aside. Place the remainder into a large zip bag along with the pork chops and refrigerate for a maximum of 2 hours.

Salt & pepper

4 ounces thin sliced deli ham

4 ounces Swiss cheese cut into quarter inch slices

Sour Dill pickle chips

Vegetable Oil.  

To cook – Brush oil on grill and preheat grill to medium hot. Remove chops from marinade and discard marinade. Pat chops dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place chops on grill and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown on one side. Flips chops over and cook for additional 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile heat ham slightly on grill until barely warm. Top chops with ham followed by Swiss cheese slices. Cover grill and cook additional minute or two until cheese is melted and chops are barely pink inside. Remove from grill to serving plate and drizzle chops with reserved marinade mixture.  Garnish with dill pickle chips. Serves 2.

A year ago - Grilled Lamb Chops with Wheatberry Salad

Two year's ago - Pasta in Vodka Sauce with Sausage

Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri

When winter wanes and you're ready to start up the grill, here's an idea that is worthy of a spot at the top of your list. 

Skirt steak is a long flat cut of meat from the plate, part of the beef's underside that is just behind the front legs. Like flank steak only better in my books, it's not exactly known for being a tender cut of meat but the flavor is incomparable.

Cooked properly, it's a great candidate for fajitas, or grilled quickly to a rare or medium rare and sliced thinly across the grain.  However you serve it, it benefits greatly from a marinade or dry rub such as the one we used made from olive oil, a touch of lime juice, lots of herbs and of course, garlic too.

We topped our flavorful and fork tender pieces of meat with Chimichurri sauce made famous by the Argentinians. Its brilliant green is made up of pureed fresh parsley and cilantro in addition to oil, vinegar, garlic, cumin and spicy dried crushed red pepper flakes. It is unbelievable on beef or chicken and even dare I say shrimp too, in fact I'm planning on mixing a little of it with some mayo to crown a sandwich or two in our near future. 

Our steak was accompanied by a Tuscan White Bean Salad that we've enjoyed here before. Loaded with cooked navy beans and studded with strips of sun dried tomatoes, briny kalamata olives and fresh greens including basil, parsley and raw spinach all in a simple vinaigrette, it's the kind of dish that will go with almost anything. It would be just fine on its own as well, especially with the addition of marinated mozzarella balls to complete the protein.   

Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Cooking Light Magazine as well as epicurious.com)

Grilled Skirt Steak:

2 skirt steaks (approx. 2 pounds total), trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

Juice of half a lime

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic

Combine oil, lime, oregano, basil, paprika, red pepper, salt, pepper and garlic together in a small food processor and process until it forms a paste. Spread evenly on both sides of the skirt steaks, roll up and place into a zip bag. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

Heat gas grill until very hot. Grill steak for approximately 3 minutes a side or until done to your preference. Best served rare or medium rare. Serves 4 to 6.

Chimichurri Sauce:

1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley

1/3 cup (packed) fresh cilantro

2 large cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coarse ground black pepper

Place all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and puree. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let stand at room temperature to mellow flavors. May be prepared 2 hours in advance.  Store leftovers in refrigerator but bring to room temperature before serving. 

A year ago - Pork Tenderloin with Herb Crust

Two year's ago - Garlic Roasted Shrimp with Red Peppers and Smoked Paprika

 

Grilled Jumbo Shrimp with Basil and Prosciutto

The thing I love most about Saturdays is 9 times out of 10 I get to share the kitchen with my Big Guy. We're a team, I mean a real mean team machine in the kitchen let me tell ya'. 

Case in point - yesterday's weekly shopping excursion yielded some absolutely gorgeous wild jumbo shrimp so while the Big Guy shelled and de-veined the beauties, I mixed up a marinade of white wine, olive oil, Dijon, fresh basil and lemon juice. While the shrimp marinated for the better part of the afternoon we went our merry ways and reconvened to complete the dinner preps as the sun was setting.

Big Guy wrapped the shrimp in fresh basil leaves and prosciutto then threaded them onto skewer's before grilling them on our little red gas grill supplemented with some maple and apple wood chips that he'd soaked and then wrapped in foil. While he was taking care of that, I whipped up a simple pasta sauced with pine nuts, tomato and garlic breadcrumbs and half an hour and some laughs later, dinner was on the table and we were moaning and groaning about our good fortune. We really are lucky aren't we?

By the way, the shrimp's from one of my favorite "go to" books, The Silver Palate and it's an old favorite from way back when during my single days in Calgary. As for the pasta, we can thank Fine Cooking for its existence. I've listed the shrimp recipe below, but hit the link and head on over to Fine Cooking for the pasta. It's a real keeper and from such simple ingredients - I left out the raisins just so you know.  

Grilled Shrimp with Basil and Prosciutto (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Silver Palate Cookbook)

Marinade:

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined with tails left intact (we used 16-20 shrimp)

Large whole fresh basil leaves

Thin slices of prosciutto

Skewers presoaked in water for minimum 2 hours

Combine wine, oil, lemon juice, mustard, basil and pepper together. Place prepared shrimp into a large zip bag and add marinade. Chill for a minimum 3 hours, turning the bag every once in a while.

Remove shrimp from marinade and discard marinade. Wrap each shrimp with basil, then with a slice of prosciutto. Thread 4 or 5 shrimp onto skewers. Grill shrimp until pink – about 3 minutes a side depending on how hot the grill is. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

 A year ago - Poppers in a Blanket

Two year's ago - Chocolate Chip Cranberry Nut Cookies

Maple Glazed Cedar Planked Salmon with Dijon Mashed Spuds

Boy sometimes I even surprise myself with my stupidity. Yesterday's shopping trip yielded some beautiful salmon steaks, all plump and glistening. The problem is I forgot how bony the darn things are even though the flavor's great. I really should have listened to the "look" I got from the Big Guy when I picked them up and bought fillets instead - but oh no. Sometimes I think I need to exert my independence but it's no surprise that I should have saved it for another time.

No problemo though because I'm thinking we'll be making this one again. Notice I use the term "we" - which is meant as a collective "we" since the Big Guy did all the work yesterday and cooked up the salmon. A recipe from Gourmet via Epicurious.com, the glaze is a combination of reduced maple syrup, lemon juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger and garlic. It's really simple enough but in combination with cedar smoke the end result is absolutely not to be believed.

The Mustard Mashed Potatoes, also from Gourmet via Epicurious are really the icing on the plate - creamy yet chunky unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes, mashed along with butter, milk and Dijon mustard and paired with the salmon, it is without a doubt a match made in heaven. Who knew?

We changed not one single thing other than the Big Guy cooked the salmon outside on the Weber, so I'm sending you directly to the source of this blissful more than company worthy dinner. Hit the button here and you're on your way to Epicurious!

A year ago -  Chicken Paillards Cordon Bleu  Two year's ago - Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Bacon

Keeping It Simple

We decided to fore go the usual Thanksgiving hoopla and stress this year and instead we're keeping our menu very simple for a change; however, simple means I still spent most of yesterday afternoon in the kitchen doing some pre-prep for the big day. Believe me, I know I'm lucky not to be working outside the home and thus have the luxury of spreading the tasks out over a few days, but I was still exhausted last night after my morning housecleaning and afternoon cooking. What happened to the stamina, I'm wondering.

Last night's dinner was simple by necessity and certainly delicious in its own right. The Big Guy loves beef patties on salad so I added a touch of Mediterranean flavor to the pound of lean ground beef and threw in some oil packed sun dried tomatoes, minced garlic  and Italian seasoning along with panko crumbs and an egg for added moisture, then whipped up a quick salad and promptly collapsed. The Big Guy picked up the slack and slapped the burgers on our trusty little gas grill and dinner was a done deal.

Sorry for the short post people, but I'm off to the kitchen to work a little more magic on our "simple" Thanksgiving feast.  Cheers everyone!

A year ago - Duck Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Brie

Cedar Plank Steelhead with Potlatch Seasoning

Grilling fish on a cedar plank has got to be the most brilliant thing, but make that fish steelhead trout coated with potlatch seasoning and you're really on to something. Last night's dinner was absolutely incredibly perfect and that's from someone who rarely admits that perfection exists.

Steelhead is a rainbow trout that can't decide if it prefers salt water or freshwater so usually returns to freshwater to spawn after a 2 or 3 year frolic in the ocean. It's enough like salmon that it could be salmon, honestly and we love it for its mild flavor and moist tender flakey flesh, never mind the lack of bones.  Slapped on a cedar plank that soaks in water for a minimum of 12 hours and grilled, it is about as good as it gets, especially flavored with potlatch seasoning.

Potlatch seasoning is a spice rub named in honor of the ceremonial feast held by what we Canadians call the First Nation tribes of the Pacific Northwest who I might add have been cooking on cedar and alder planks for centuries. This particular seasoning is a combination of salt, chili powder, black pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, celery salt, garlic and onion powders as well as oregano. You may think it's going to be incredibly spicy, but trust me it isn't. What it is though is a very well balanced blend of seasonings that is enhanced by the flavor of the cedar planks and smoke and the fish of course.

We had our plank grilled steelhead along with assorted vegetables (mini potatoes, cauliflower, baby carrots, green and yellow beans) in a light creamy dill sauce. I thought it was quite honestly our best effort of the week so far.

Incidentally, if you're unable to find steelhead, just use a nice salmon fillet. Also, be sure to soak your cedar planks in water for a minimum 12 hours before putting them on the grill, and if you're using a little gas grill like the one we have with a heat source really close to the grate, be sure to use the indirect method or your planks will go up in flames.

Cedar Plank Grilled Steelhead with Potlatch Seasoning  (adapted from Foodnetwork.com)

Potlatch Seasoning:

4 teaspoons kosher salt

3 teaspoons chili powder

3 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Combine ingredients together in a small jar and seal tightly.

 

Cedar planks

1 pound steelhead or salmon fillet, skin on

Soak cedar planks for a minimum 12 hours in water before using. Check fish for bones and remove as required. Sprinkle steelhead liberally with potlatch spice mixture and refrigerate for a minimum 1 hour before grilling. To cook – place cedar plank on grill, close lid and heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Place seasoned steelhead on plank, skin side down. Cover and cook for 7 to 9 minutes or until cooked as desired. Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Tuscan White Bean Salad with Spinach

Grilled Tri Tip with Tequila Marinade and Cherry Tomato Relish

Tri tip's not something I knew an awful lot about in my previous life but I've had some edumacatin' over the last 11 years. I'm not sure the cut wasn't just called "rump" aka stewing meat when I was growing up; however, now I know that it's a great grilling meat with a lot of flavor but certainly requires special treatment in that it needs all the tenderizing tricks you can come up with.

This particular version took to marinating in a highly acidic mixture of lime juice, soy and tequila with lots of flavors thrown in for good measure including cilantro, tons of garlic, cumin and oregano. Course there's also olive oil too because it is an incredibly lean piece of beef. The other necessity for cooking tri tip so it's at least edible, is to make sure not to cook it beyond medium rare, in fact the more rare the better. Sliced as thin as possible and served along with a fresh mini tomato relish, it was quite delicious.

Just don't expect it to be incredibly tender because you'll be mooing at the wrong part of the cow. It is the personification of toothiness. By the way, next time I make the relish I might add some anchovies and capers for a little more flavor, but that's neither here nor there. It's fine as it is too.

Grilled Tri Tip with Tequila Marinade (Adapted from Bon Appetit)

Marinade:

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup tequila

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons grated lime peel

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 – 2 pound tri tip roast

Place lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, tequila, garlic, lime peel, cumin, oregano and pepper into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until well combined. Trim tri tip of any silver skin or membrane, but leave fat, if any. Place roast in zip top bag and pour marinade over top. Marinate, flipping over as often as possible for a minimum 2 hours – more is better and overnight best.

To cook, remove meat from marinade. Grill approximately 6 to 8 minutes per side for rare over medium high heat. Remove to a board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Cut across grain into very thin slices. Serve with Cherry Tomato Relish.

Relish:

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

6 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup diced roasted green chilies

2 green onions, finely chopped

2 cups cherry or mini plum tomatoes cut in half

Whisk vinegar, oregano together. Gradually add oil, whisking constantly. Add green chilies and onions.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour to develop flavors. Just before serving add tomatoes. Add salt and pepper as required. Download Grilled Tri Tip w Tequila Marinade

A year ago - Shaker Lemon Bars

Bacon and Blue Cheese Burgers

Beef rules in this house, at least according to you know who but because I grew up on a beef/dairy farm, it holds limited appeal to me; however, if I must indulge I prefer a burger over a steak any day of the week. The burger we had last night is liable to convince you that I may be right. 

Lean ground beef mixed with some whipping cream to keep it moist along with dried onion flakes, a smidge of garlic, worcestershire and a few dried panko crumbs then pattified and grilled until perfectly crunchy on the outside and tender inside are joined on the bun by crisp bacon, perfectly ripe red tomato and the kicker - a blue cheese sauce. The sauce is fashioned from equal parts sour cream and mayo, along with dry mustard, garlic powder, a little worcestershire, a  hint of red wine vinegar and 4 ounces of crumbled Gorgonzola. It's creamy, drippy, cheesy and, single or double - the burger's the bomb!

Oh, we had our burgers with some potato and parsnip latkes but I'll have to tell you about them another time. I really don't want to steal the burger's thunder.

Bacon and Blue Cheese Burgers (Adapted from Canadian Living Rush Hour Cookbook)

Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon each salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

4 ounces crumbled blue cheese (I used Gorgonzola)

Combine ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and chill a minimum of 1 hour to blend flavors.

Burgers:

1 pound lean ground beef

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup panko crumbs

2 tablespoons dried onion flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

In a large bowl combine ingredients together. Form into 4  or 5 patties, depending on desired thickness. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

 

Fresh burger buns

Sliced tomato

Bacon cooked until crisp

Heat grill and cook burgers for approximately 4 minutes on one side. Turn and cook for another 2 minutes, or until desired doneness. Grill buns if desired until warm. To serve, spoon sauce onto bun. Add burger and garnish with bacon and tomato. Top with additional sauce as desired.

A year ago - Chunky Autumn Chili

Apple Jack Glazed Baby Back Ribs with Corn Green Chile Gratin

Just imagine enjoying tender juicy baby back ribs coated in a shiny Asian flavored glaze on your weeknight menu. I don't know about you, but we always seem to reserve a meal like this for the weekend thinking it requires a lot of time to prepare, but believe me that's not the case here.

You see the ribs are drizzled with pineapple juice, wrapped in foil and roasted in the oven for an hour and then cooled in the accumulated juices. That makes them perfect for partial prepping in advance - either while you're enjoying coffee and breakfast in the morning, or the night before. Whatever, you can just haul the pre-roasted ribs out of the refrigerator, coat 'em in glaze and finish them just before serving, which is exactly what we did.

We needed an excuse to try out our fancy new little gas grill and these glazed baby back ribs were just the ticket. You see, I've been after the Big Guy for a while to purchase one that I can use when he's out of town because I don't do charcoal plus we were a tad frustrated with the cooking equipment provided at the houses we rent at the beach so after a little research we found the perfect solution - the Coleman Roadtrip Grill LXE. It's perfectly portable so we'll be able to take it with us. How 'bout them apples?

As you can see, it worked beautifully putting a "dew" on the ribs. The spicy boozy Asian flavored glaze takes about 5 minutes to put together and can be made in advance as well which means dinner can be ready in a flash. Talk about make you look good!

We had our ribs along with a creamy corn and green chile gratin which can also be prepped ahead of time, refrigerated and cooked just before you need it. Loaded with roasted green chiles, sweet corn and cheese, the gratin is really like a chile rellano casserole and just a little different from the standard rib "withs" of beans and coleslaw. 

Apple Jack Glazed Baby Back Ribs (adapted from Bon Appetit via epicurious.com)

1 – 2-1/2 pound rack baby back pork ribs

Sea salt and course ground black pepper

1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

Preheat oven to 350. If desired remove membrane from back of ribs. Season rack well with salt and pepper. Place on a large sheet of aluminum foil and pour pineapple juice over ribs. Seal foil and place on a sheet pan to catch any drips. Roast for 1 hour. Remove from oven, open foil and turn ribs upside down so the meaty part is facing into the juices. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate until just before serving.

Glaze:

5 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup Apple Jack brandy (or bourbon)

1-1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon plum sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons light molasses

1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot chili paste (sambal oelek)

1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Place ingredients into a jar or container, seal and shake to combine well. Refrigerate until needed.

To prepare – preheat grill until medium hot. Grill ribs, brushing often with glaze and turning frequently until desired color – about 10 to 15 minutes. Serves 2.

Corn and Green Chile Gratin (inspired by Wall Drug Cookbook)

10 ounces roasted green chiles, chopped

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 cup grated cheese (I used combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey jack)

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

5 tablespoons flour

Salt and pepper

Hot sauce (optional)

Fried Onion Rings and Crisp Bacon for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. Spray two 10 ounce ramekins with cooking spray. Arrange 1/4 cup of green chiles in bottom of each ramekin. Top with 1/4 cup frozen corn, then cheese. Repeat layers ending with cheese. Using a whisk, beat egg in a small bowl. Whisk in milk, flour, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Pour mixture into ramekins. Ramekins may be refrigerated at this point and baked later. Place ramekins on a sheet pan to catch any drips and bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Garnish with onions and bacon. Serves 2. Download Corn and Green Chile Gratin

A year ago - Green Chicken Curry

Grilled Chicken Margarita on Green Chile Rice

Picture tender chicken pieces, marinated in lime, sugar, salt, a touch of coriander and a kiss of garlic, grilled to perfection and presented on top of a creamy cheesy green chile rice, all surrounded by grilled vegetables. I'm talkin' about last night's dinner.

It comes to us courtesy of Taste of the Territory, a wonderful cookbook put out by the Service League of Bartlesville Oklahoma and all I gotta' say is thank goodness for ingenuity. I only wish I'd taken a video because while all of this was coming together we were experiencing an unbelievable monsoon thunder storm which resulted in over 2 inches of rain in about a 2 hour time frame. Of course true to Murphy's Law, the storm hit right at the time we were supposed to be grilling our dinner in the outside kitchen, but no matter. We switched to grill pans and the Big Guy came through once again.

The result - gloriously tender kabobs of sweet, salty, lime flavored bird that really taste like a margarita sans the tequila although I'm not quite sure that the addition of a shot or two wouldn't be a good idea. The chicken would be wonderful on its own with the grilled vegetables but we went a step beyond and whipped up a casserole style rice dish, loaded with creamy ricotta, sour cream, cheese and roasted Hatch green chiles just because ya' gotta' have starch ya' know.

Grilled Margarita Chicken (Adapted from Taste of the Territory) 

1 pound chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut lengthwise into 3 pieces

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

3 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Whisk together lime juice, sugar, salt, coriander, garlic and vegetable oil. Place chicken pieces into a zip bag and pour marinade over top. Seal and refrigerate for a minimum 1 hour. Thread onto skewers and grill until done. Serve with grilled zucchini, onions and tomatoes. Serves 4 Download Grilled Margarita Chicken

Green Chile Rice Gratin (Inspired by Taste of the Territory)

3 cups cooked rice

1 cup sour cream

1 cup ricotta cheese

4 large roasted green chiles, skinned, seeded and chopped (or 1-6 ounce can)

Salt and pepper to taste

1-1/4 cups grated 4 cheese blend (or Monterey jack)

Spray a gratin dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350. Combine cooked rice, sour cream, ricotta and green chiles. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Place half the mixture into prepared gratin dish. Top with half the grated cheese. Repeat. Place casserole into preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Serves 6. Download Green Chile Rice Gratin

 

Chipotle and Green Chile Pork Cheeseburgers

We all seem to be stuck on using beef for hamburgers so in the interest of individuality, we thought we'd do something different for our Labor Day barbecue yesterday. We cooked up burgers made from the other white meat instead.

The trouble with using ground pork in a burger is that today's hog farmers have bred the fat right out of the meat. Because it is so lean, it tends to dry out a lot which means one needs to add moisture to the meat.That was no problem for us because we live in the land of chipotles and green chiles and happen to love their flavor, along with some smooth melting, mild flavored Muenster cheese.

 

Rather than fire up the charcoal, the Big Guy cooked 'em in a grill pan in his outside kitchen. Once the burgers were nicely browned on both sides, he put the cheese slices on top and covered the pan with foil so the cheese melted and got all ooey gooey.

When the burgers came off the grill, they were dressed in thin slices of tomatillo and creamy avocado in keeping with our southwestern theme. If you're not into chipotles or green chiles, you could use grated raw zuchinni or even grated apple along with cheddar cheese. They'd be fabulous but you'll have to give them a new name. Right?

By the way, if you think our burgers looked a tad underdone you need to know the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced a change in the "official" safe cooking temperatures of pork and it's been lowered to 145 from 160. Just be sure to use a meat thermometer to test your burgers and remember to let the meat rest for a few minutes before you dress 'em, because the internal temperature will go up a few degrees as the patties continue to cook. If you want to feel even safer about your ground meat, grind your own. That way you're sure the equipment you use is absolutely immaculate before you start the process.

We had a side of baked beans along with our burgers. I had seen a recipe for a version cooked with root beer of all things, and since I've a half bottle of Dr. Pepper left from our shredded pork last week, I thought I'd just substitute the Dr. Pepper for the root beer. I mean pop, is pop (soda) right?  Well they might have looked good but in this case looks were definitely deceiving. They tasted kinda' weird. Doesn't it make you feel good to know I have my share of failures too?

Chipotle and Green Chile Pork Cheeseburgers (adapted from Gourmet Magazine via Epicurious.com) 

1 pound ground pork

2 teaspoons minced Chipotle in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 roasted green chiles, minced (or 2 ounces from a can)

Salt and pepper

Muenster cheese slices

Toasted hamburger buns

Mayonnaise

1 large tomatillo, husked, rinsed and thinly sliced

1 avocado, sliced

Combine pork with chipotle, garlic, green chiles, salt and pepper. Be careful not to overwork meat or it will be tough. Form into patties and grill on hot oiled grill or in grill pan until patties reach the internal temperature of 145. Just prior to removing from grill, add cheese slices and cover loosely with foil to allow cheese to melt. Remove from grill and allow to rest covered for a few minutes. Dress toasted hamburger buns with mayonnaise. Add cooked pork patties and garnish will tomatillo and avocado. Download Chipotle and Green Chile Pork Cheeseburgers

A year ago - Fried Mac and Cheese

 

Chili Dog Perfection

A picture is definitely worth a thousand words so I'm going to keep this post short and sweet.Every once in a while I'm reminded that J'Bug's Kitchen Antics is all about every day food for every day people and it's obvious this menu choice is far from gourmet. I make no apologies and hold my head high. Don't you think it takes a lot of intestinal fortitude (balls) to post chili dogs on a blog in the first place?

You see, every so often I try to cook for my audience of one and he's more into chicken gizzards and clam strips than he is a prissy smoked salmon tart. If you want to know the truth, he looked forward to last night's dinner all week.

I'd never had a chili dog in my whole long life before I married the Big Guy and although I may be wrong, I think they're more of an American institution than a Canadian one. I needed some help in coming up with a recipe so I looked to the studmuffin at Foodnetwork (Tyler Florence) for the goods. What you see is his version. The chili itself is about as different as one can get in comparison to the spiced up tex/mex version we're used to around these parts. This one's got more sweet than heat and while I wouldn't want a bowl of it, I have to admit it went well with the dogs.

As you can see from this photo of the Big Guy's plate, he was extremely happy with the results. By the way, I apologize for the blur but it was all I could do to snap a shot before he grabbed his plate out from under the tripod.

Chili for Chili Dogs (adapted from Tyler Florence at Foodnetwork.com)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

2-1/2 cups ketchup

2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

Heat large sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and when shimmering add onion and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally until onion is softened. Add ground beef, breaking it up with a fork as it cooks. When the meat is nicely browned (about 10 minutes), add chili powder and red pepper flakes. Cook another minute, stirring constantly, then add ketchup and yellow mustard. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until very thick. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required.

 4 good quality hot dogs

4 hot dog rolls

Chopped red onion, chopped jalapeno peppers

Grated cheddar cheese

To complete sandwich, cook hot dogs on grill until well heated through. Warm buns until toasty. Top buns with grilled hot dogs, add chili and garnish with onions, peppers and cheese. Download Chili for Chili Dogs

A year ago - Mediterranean Style Stuffed Peppers

Chicken with Maple Mustard Glaze and Curried Rice Salad

There was plenty of kitchen witchin' going on yesterday in our house and much like a good marriage last night's two dishes truly completed each other.

Skinless boneless chicken thighs, marinated in a mixture of maple syrup, Dijon mustard, soy sauce lemon and garlic then grilled until perfect juicy little morsels all shined up with more maple glaze and sittin' pretty on top of a rice salad with plenty of attitude - well the whole thing was a meal made in heaven and once again the result of perfect teamwork.

The Big Guy's last business trip to Saratoga race track in New York resulted in another cookbook for my collection and he sure knows how to pick them! This one's the "Maple Syrup Cookbook" by Ken Haedrich and you'll be hearing about it a lot during the course of this coming week as I've planned menus that include the liquid gold he specifies.

So head on out to your favorite market and pick up a bottle of the good stuff - no substitutions please. We prefer Grade B dark maple syrup because of its intense rich flavor, but a Grade A amber either light, medium or dark will do just as well. Just don't be thinkin' about using Mrs. Butterworths because although it's a fine product it won't cut it this week. Capiche?

Chicken with Maple Mustard Glaze on a Curried Rice Salad

Maple Mustard Chicken (adapted from The Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

5 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 teaspoons soy sauce

Juice of one lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

2-1/2 to 3 pounds chicken pieces (I used skinless boneless thighs)

Combine maple syrup, mustard, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat a cool to room temperature.

Rinse and dry chicken well. Place in a large zip bag with half of the maple mustard glaze, reserving the other half for use when grilling. Refrigerate chicken for minimum 2 hours, turning bag half way through to distribute marinade.

Grill chicken over medium hot coals, basing with the remaining sauce until juices run clear when meat is pierced with a fork (about 20 minutes for skinless boneless thighs). Watch carefully so chicken doesn’t burn. Makes 4 servings.

Curried Rice Salad (adapted from simplyrecipes.com)

1 cup basmati rice cooked per package directions

2 tablespoons Madras or Trinidad curry powder

1/4 cup olive oil

Dash cumin and cayenne

1 large onion, chopped

3 stock celery, diced

1 green pepper, diced

3 green onions, chopped

1 cup raisins or currents, or a combination of the two

1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons honey or to taste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add curry powder, cumin and cayenne and cook for 30 seconds. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is transparent. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with cooked rice. Cool to room temperature. Add remaining ingredients and chill until serving time. Download Chicken with Maple Mustard Glaze on a Curried Rice Salad

A year ago - Viva Italia!

  
  Antipasto Platter        Lasagne Bolognese        Profiteroles

Grilled Adobo Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Black Bean Pico de Gallo

Is there anything quicker to cook or easier than pork tenderloin? Last night's version was particularly easy on this cook since the barbecue was put into use in a lovely summer dinner that was a true team effort. I really lucked out because the Big Guy's back from New York and I wasn't the one that had to do the grillin' during another hot summer night.

In this case, pork tenderloin's butterflied and given a rubdown with a super adobo spice mix and cooked quickly on a medium hot charcoal grill. Accompanied by a fresh spicy bean salsa aka pico de gallo without a speck of added fat, it's all delicious and easy on the calories too. One tenderloin easily makes 3 servings which is perfect when you've a lunch to pack the next day AND more importantly you're wanting that bathroom scale to go an unaccustomed direction (down).

By the way, check out the link here for another great grilled pork tenderloin recipe and instructions on how to butterfly a tenderloin.

Adobo Rubbed Pork tenderloin with Black Bean Pico De Gallo  (adapted from epicurious.com)

1 pork tenderloin, butterflied

 

3 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine spice mix and rub into both sides of pork tenderloin. Refrigerate covered for several hours but allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before grilling. Grill 8 minutes per side over medium hot coals. Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with pico de gallo.

Pico de Gallo

1 16 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups mini pearl tomatoes, quartered

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 large jalapeno, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder

Salt to taste

Combine ingredients together and chill until serving time. Download Adobo Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Black Bean Pico De Gallo

A year ago - Clams Casino Casserole with Lemon Pasta

 

Plank Grilled Salmon with Maple Glaze

Last night's dinner was a celebration of the Pacific Northwest, rather fitting since we're packing up today to leave this heaven tomorrow. Can't believe our month has gone so quickly but time always does when you're enjoying yourself.

The Big Guy did the grillin' yesterday and soaked the applewood planks for a good hour before slapping them on the grill. As for the glaze, he concocted one out of what we happened to have on hand - a quarter cup of maple syrup, along with 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce and teriyaki. He cut our whole 3.5 pound salmon in half lengthwise, cleaned it all up and removed the bones before he slathered the glaze onto the fish and let it marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator before he put it on the grill.

Oh about the grill - at home he would have used the indirect method, but the little charcoal grill that came with our cottage was just that ...little, so he placed the fish on the prepared planks directly over the charcoal, put the lid down and let it rip for about 15 minutes.What can I say...the man's a genius!

We had our perfectly wonderful gloriously pink sockeye along with some roasted vegetables covered in a dill sauce. It was a little more calorically responsible than the previous night's feast, but no less delicious. By the way, the rest of the salmon's going into a spread that'll be our lunch on the road but I'll fill you in on that one later.

Oh before I forget, you might want to check out a previous post on plank grilled salmon for more information about grilling on wood - just hit the link and it'll take you there.

Korean Barbecue Short Ribs

Flanken ribs, kalbi or cross cut beef short ribs - it all adds up to the same thing and last night we tried cooking them for the first time. They're awesome. 

You see we spotted the ribs in Newport's Fred Meyer when we were there last week and after seeing them in this month's Bon Appetit, of course we had to try them. Just so you know, I didn't use their recipe because the ribs we ended up buying were already marinated. Thank goodness because I wasn't about to part with $5 for a little iddy biddy bottle of sesame oil, and another $4 for soy sauce when I have a ton of it in Tucson that I bought for a fraction of the cost at Lee Lee's Supermarket. Just sayin'.

Anyway, I added a little more teriyaki to the ribs along with 3 tablespoons of minced ginger and a couple cloves of smashed garlic and we let them percolate all afternoon. The Big Guy cooked them over a medium hot charcoal fire for about 6 minutes total - just until they're done. Be sure to bring the ribs to room temperature before cooking so you get a quick sear.

We had them on a little broccoli slaw dressed with some teriyaki and a touch of toasted sesame seeds and boy were they tender tasty little morsels. So incredible are they that when I wanted more there was just a pile of bones left. My bad - the Big Guy eats at the speed of light and me much less so, particularly with that broken crown I'm nursing.

All it means is that we'll have to enjoy them again in the very near future. Wouldn't that be a terrible thing?

Baby Back Ribs on the Grill

One thing about renting a place for a month that you've never seen before is you learn very quickly the difference between "needs" and "wants". Point in fact, the Big Guy cooked ribs yesterday on a charcoal grill that did the trick and got the job done; however, he really wanted his weber, or the double barreled smoker or even the beast to do the job right.

I'm not sure what he was complaining about because as usual, the end result was moist, perfectly tender and delectably spiced ribs. My man can cook!

We only have one iddy biddy little problem; he doesn't share his grillin' secrets and since I contributed not one thing from the kitchen yesterday (again), all I can say is "neener, neener, you're a weiner". Aren't I lucky?

Grilled Steak with Chimichurri

Doesn't the word "chimichurri" make you want to start singing a song from Mary Poppins? Gotcha -  now you'll be singing "chim chim churri all day". We, perfect beings that we are, were singing only one note last night when we tasted this sauce on our steak and that would be "yum"!

Simply made from minced onion, red bell pepper, garlic and parsley with a touch of red pepper flakes and dried oregano in equal parts olive oil and red wine vinegar, this sauce by any other name could be a vinaigrette. It needs a couple of hours at room temperature to mellow but honestly it was mighty fine as the dressing for our steak topped salad greens and makes an incredible marindade too.

It made for a wonderful early summer dinner on what is traditionally America's national grillin' day! Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and took a minute to think about the true reason of the holiday.

Chimichurri Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon sea salt

Whisk ingredients together and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve as a marinade or sauce for meat or poultry.

A year ago - Frozen Buttertart Cheesecake Bars

 


 

Pesto Topped Salmon Grilled on a Plank

Cooking food on a hunka' wood is a common practice in First Nation and Native American cultures on both the East and West coasts of North America and provides moist, tender and flavorful results.

Last night the Big Guy coated a lovely piece of wild sockeye salmon with pesto, slapped it on a hunk of alder on the charcoal grill and voilà dinner was served. I know I made it sound really easy and believe me it isn't rocket science providing the plank of wood has been prepped properly. If it hasn't been you'll have a fire of gargantuan proportions and be heading off to Sonic for dinner when you could have been dining fine at home.

We're lucky enough to have been "regifted" with a good supply of alder, apple, cedar and maple all of which has been cut, planed, sanded and kiln dried. Soaked for a while in water then slapped on the barbecue, it imparts a nutty woodsy flavor to any food and thanks to inspiration and instructions from "Plank Cooking - The Essence of Natural Wood" by Scott and Tiffany Haugen, the Big Guy's got the method down pat.

We had our pesto topped fish along with assorted steamed vegetables (mini potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and pearl onions) in a creamy tarragon flavored sauce. It was a great combination, ready in about 40 minutes total prep and cooking time, and definitely company worthy.  Note - for more instructions in the art of plank cooking, see link below.

Plank Grilled Pesto Topped Salmon (adapted from Plank Cooking)

1 – 1 pound salmon filet with skin on

Pesto:

1-1/2 cups loosely packed basil

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Place basil, garlic, pine nuts and parmesan in a blender or food processor and process until coarsely chopped. With motor running add olive oil and process until a paste forms. Season with salt and pepper.

Wash and dry fish leaving skin intact. Check for pin bones and remove as required. Season fish with salt and pepper and top with a liberal amount of pesto. Grill on prepared plank for 15 to 20 minutes.  Note – may substitute cod, sea bass or halibut for the salmon.

Serves 2 to 3.

See - Plank Grilled Cod here

 

 

 

A Six Sided Burger

A 6 sided burger - I bet you're askin' yourself "how they do that?". If you're at all like us, you like a lot of meat in your burger so usually you make one that's really thick, right? Well, not this time.

Last night's burger was just the opposite - made up of 3 really thin beef patties and grilled on the flat top, each burger had 6 sides of caramelized goodness when they hit that soft squishy grilled bun. Loaded with caramelized onion, ooey gooey yummy melted gruyere cheese, some chopped up crispy bacon pieces from our most recent bacon makin' exercise, believe me the fixin's were all good. The final topper...ice cold tomato slices and some of the avocado cream we enjoyed on our fish tacos the other night.

It was amazing. Not only did the thin burger patties cook a lot faster than a thick one does, the flavor was simply incredible with the crusty finish on the outside and juicy moist interior.  To be honest, it  reminded me of the old fashioned diner style burgers from the days before everything had to be super sized.  Says a lot for the premise that everything old is new again, doesn't it.

Next time you're cookin' a burger, try doing it this way and see what I mean, OK. Oh, by the way, I'm sure you could grill the burgers on the barby instead of using a flat top, but the Big Guy cooked 'em outside on his big flat top grill along side the onions and bacon so the flavors could kind of run together and believe you me, it was a joy to behold. To save calories, we had our burgers with a nice fresh salad instead of french fries and onion rings. Yes, I agree - it was rather like having a diet beverage on top of a mountain of calories to appease the conscience. In other words, it was pointless, totally pointless, but we enjoyed every bite none-the-less.

Six Sided Burgers  

1 pound lean ground beef

4 slices bacon, diced

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

Montreal Grill Seasoning

Course ground black pepper

Slices of gruyere cheese

2 large burger buns (we used foccacia rolls)

Sliced tomatoes

Avocado Cream (see recipe below)

Divide lean ground beef into 6 identical sized pieces and press into flat, very thin bun sized discs each approximately 1/8 inch in thickness. Season each disc well on both sides with grill seasoning and pepper. On flat top grill or in a large pan, cook bacon until crisp. Set aside. Grill onions using leftover bacon fat until onions are soft and caramelized.

Meanwhile place meat patties on very hot grill and cook for 2 minutes per side until caramelized on each side. Place slices of gruyere cheese on 4 of the 6 patties and cover with a lid to melt cheese quickly.

Grill buns until golden then build burgers, layering onions and bacon between each patty. Top with sliced tomatoes and garnish with avocado cream. Makes 2 large burgers.

Avocado Cream (adapted from John Conley, Salsa Brava Cochina)

1 cup sour cream

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 avocado, pit and skin removed

Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Store covered in an airtight container in refrigerator.  

Oregon Trail Barbecued Lamb

Don't ask me why the title of this recipe is "Oregon Trail Barbecued Lamb". It makes no sense particularly since it's from my favorite Idaho a la CArte cookbook and our lamb is the Arizona variety from the U of A meat's lab. Whatever, it is a fabulous method of preparing a boned and butterflied leg of lamb no matter what the moniker.

Of course had I really been with it, I'd have taken pictures of the Big Guy boning the darn thing so you'd see how it's done but "with it" wouldn't exactly describe my frame of mind at this time...and please, no comments from the peanut gallery. Marinated in dry red wine, garlic, and worchestershire sauce as well as a bunch of other herbs, it languished in the refrigerator for over 24 hours before it hit the barbecue. It proves that Trader Joe's Two Buck Chuck's suitable for more than just giving the embiber a stinkin' good headache. A cheap Cabernet will do that to ya' won't it?

The Big Guy seared the meat first over hot coals then it was moved to the side away from the direct fire and cooked, covered for about 25 minutes to a medium rare. It was slightly more well done than we normally have lamb in this house but tender and certainly no less flavorful.

Served with some fresh corn and a little mint sauce on top, it was the personification of an early summer meal. Hey, I know it's not official yet, but we're getting there.

Oregon Trail Barbecued Lamb (adapted from Idaho a la Carte)

1 – 6 pound leg of lamb, boned and butterflied

Marinade:

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce

1 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup olive oil

3 green onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over lamb, turning meat to coat all sides. Cover and refrigerate for minimum 24 hours, turning frequently. Just before cooking, return meat to room temperature and remove from marinade. Discard marinade.  Sear lamb over hot coals on both sides for 3 minutes per side. Move lamb to side of barbecue away from direct heat and cook, covered for 20 to 25 minutes or until done to taste. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 8. Download Oregon Trail Barbecued Lamb

A year ago...                                  Two years ago...

Makin Whoopie                                Tortellini Salad 

Plank Grilled Cod on Bruschetta - Episode 2 in the "Just Gotta' Have It Series"

• Take an alder plank;
• Soak it for a couple of hours;
• Slap plank on grill until there's grill marks on one side
• Flip plank over;
• Add an olive oil brushed piece of cod;
• Season with salt and pepper
• Close grill cover and let rip for 11 minutes;
• Set table;
• Pour wine;
• Plate on hunk of grilled artisan bread, all crispy and crunchy;
• Cover with fresh heirloom tomato bruschetta;
• Ring dinner bell!

Sounds easy doesn't it? Well it is when you've got the JBug's Kitchen duo working in tandem.The result - an impressive, fresh, relatively low calorie, delicious, garlic laden incredibly moist summer flavored plate of colorful goodness.

Plank cooking is perfect for those of us who love the smokey taste in food but don't have the patience to wait the time it takes to smoke meat or fish in the traditional way. It's also an ideal method of adding more flavor into food cooked over a gas barbecue - you know how you sometimes miss that good old "charcoal" flavor? The real bonus is how incredibly moist the finished product becomes. The fish was really "swimming" in juices and it was evenly cooked all the way through. In fact, one piece was slightly thicker than the other and they were equally cooked throughout. Now how does one account for that?

Once again our source for the wood - Cost Plus World Market, and no they're not paying me to say this; however, check the internet under "grilling planks for barbecue" and/or your local barbecue speciality store for your nearest source.

Plank Grilled Cod on Bruschetta (adapted from  Bon Appetit)

2 alder wood planks, soaked in water for 3 hours

Olive oil

1 pound cod fillets about 1 inch thick

Salt and pepper

 

Place soaked planks on medium hot to hot grill, indirect method until planks are grill marked on one side. Flip over and brush with olive oil. Brush cod with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place fillets directly onto wood planks, cover grill and cook for 11 minutes. When done, remove fish from plank and plate onto prepared artisan bread, topped with bruschetta. Serves 2.

Bruschetta:

1/2 pound mini assorted heirloom tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

3 anchovy fillets, minced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

2 half inch slices of artisan bread, coated in olive oil and grilled until crisp

Combine tomatoes, onion, anchovy, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and basil in a small bowl and let rest at room temperature for half an hour to allow flavors to develop.  Download Plank Grilled Cod on Bruschetta