Archive for the 'on the grill' Category
Now, it could have been the appetite I worked up at the gym, intensified by then not nibbling at all between the time I got home and managed to get dinner on the table. (Which was, to be honest, only about 20 minutes.) But this was really good. And easy. A bag of slaw would have streamlined it even further, but at this moment we have no fewer than 4 full-sized cabbages hogging a good quarter of our fridge space, begging to be used. This week’s theme just may be slaw. (More possibilities than colcannon.)
This particular slaw is sweet and gingery, with no oil. (You could add some, if you like.) The original requested red jalapenos, which I don’t expect many to have on hand (nor make a special trip for), and because the comments unanimously reported it to be too hot, I, being of wimpy palate, demoted the jalapenos to a pinch of dried red pepper flakes. Easy, sufficient, and it made removing my contacts later this evening that much less painful.
This is a keeper. If I was the sort to plan a dinner rotation, with pork chops on Mondays and chicken on Thursdays and pizza on Fridays, this might just snag the Tuesday spot.
Grilled Asian Steak with Sweet Ginger Slaw
adapted from Bon Appétit, June 2008
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger, divided
2 garlic cloves, crushed or sliced
1 1 1/2 lb flat iron or flank steak
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
pinch red pepper flakes
4-5 cups thinly sliced cabbage (or half a bag of prepared coleslaw)
a few green onions, chopped
Stir together the soy sauce, canola oil, sesame oil, half the ginger and garlic in a zip-lock bag or bowl; add the steaks and turn to coat. Let them sit for at least half an hour, or refrigerate overnight.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the rice vinegar and sugar and bring to a simmer; add the ginger and red pepper flakes and remove from heat. In a medium bowl, toss together the cabbage and green onions. Drizzle the warm vinegar mixture overtop and toss to coat.
Preheat your grill and grill the steaks to your desired doneness – 4-5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain and serving atop (or alongside) the slaw. Serves 4.
September 16 2011 | beef and on the grill | 10 Comments »
I’ve mentioned before how nice it is to have a chef living next door.
I was out pilfering the Nanking cherries that line our street – oddly some of the bushes have been stripped by birds, but others are heavy with ripe fruit. Wade comes out and casually mentions that he has some maple whisky and Nanking cherry barbecue sauce in his fridge. Of course he does.
There’s nothing wrong with Nanking cherry jelly, of course. Or cherry lemonade. But I had never considered Nanking cherries as a vehicle for barbecue sauce, in place of tomatoes. Brilliant.
My mom declared this the best rib sauce she’d ever had. It’s flavourful but not overly sweet, and it doesn’t have that harsh smokiness so many barbecue sauces come with.
Good news! Wade offered up his recipe. Which is probably smart, since he likely doesn’t have enough jars in his fridge to go around. Thanks Wade! If you can’t get your hands on some maple whisky, I’m sure regular whisky and a hit of pure maple syrup (say 1/4 cup?) would do the trick.
Maple Whisky & Nanking Cherry Barbecue Sauce
Recipe by Wade!
8 cups Nanking cherries, washed and stemmed
½ cup sugar
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp mustard powder (or 1 Tbsp grainy mustard)
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups maple whiskey (from Highwood Distillers in Alberta)
In a large saucepan combine cherries and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until cherries have given up their juice. Remove from heat and push through a sieve to remove skins and pits. Return cherry juice to saucepan over medium heat, add all the dry ingredients, stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add 1 cup maple whiskey. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the final 1/2 cup whiskey. Cool and refrigerate in a sealed container.
August 16 2011 | on the grill and pork | 5 Comments »
I know, right? This makes perfect use of all that mint growing behind my garage.
This morning we had a corn dog contest at the CBC pancake breakfast to kick off the Stampede. Tonight I’m at the Bessborough in Saskatoon, scheduled to visit canola growers and processors early tomorrow morning, having just square danced (that’s right, envision it if you can) at a ranch after a dinner of pitchfork fondue. I’ll explain exactly what that is, with pictures, tomorrow. When I have the gumption to dump all the photos off my camera and sort through them.
So I got permission to share this recipe from a brand new cookbook I’ve been anticipating – Bal’s Quick & Healthy Indian, by Bal Arneson, author of Everyday Indian and host of Spice Goddess on the Cooking Channel. I have a lot of cookbooks, and Everyday Indian is one I actually use, and flip through for inspiration, and is not gathering dust in the basement on my third surplus cookbook shelf.
Bal’s Quick & Healthy Indian is sure to be as well used, starting with these mint and ginger chicken kabobs. Perfect for summer grilling, no?
Mint and Ginger Chicken Kabobs with Spicy Raita
reprinted with permission from Bal’s Quick & Healthy Indian by Bal Arneson (Whitecap)
1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped mint
2 Tbsp (30 mL) tamarind pulp
2 Tbsp (30 mL) grapeseed oil
1 Tbsp (15 mL) freshly grated ginger
1 Tbsp (15 mL) garam masala
1 Tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar
salt to taste
1 lb (500 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1½-inch pieces
6 metal or wooden skewers
In a large bowl, combine the mint, tamarind pulp, oil, ginger, garam masala, brown sugar, and salt and mix well. Stir in the chicken. Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Preheat the barbecue to medium heat. (If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before using.)
Thread the chicken onto skewers. Grill the kabobs on the preheated barbecue for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently to make sure all sides are cooked through. Serve with Spicy Raita. Serves 4.
Spicy Raita
This dip can be made ahead of time and it will keep well in the refrigerator for three to four days.
1 cup (250 mL) plain low-fat yogurt
1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped mint
1 Tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped chives
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) prepared grainy mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a small serving bowl and stir until well mixed.
Makes about 1 cup.
July 08 2011 | appetizers and chicken & turkey and on the grill | 15 Comments »
W has finally figured out that chicken fingers are something every kindergartener loves. He was never big on them, but their appeal has finally broken through. He has been won over.
He begged for the frozen breaded kind, and we negotiated – chicken fingers without breading, but on a stick. He totally went for it. (The trick is to not call them satay in his presence, even though he does love satay – but to refer to them as chicken fingers on a stick.) He can still dip them, even.
We picked up some chicken breasts – although skinless, boneless thighs would work as well – and although it feels weird to name a brand here, I did pick up some Maple Leaf Prime chicken, because hey – did I tell you they’re sending me on a trip on the Rocky Mountaineer? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY that they’re giving away two trips for two for the same trip? And it says so right on the front of the label, so I get all giddy each time I walk by the display? Talk about the ultimate in Free Stuff! Check it out – they even have me on their website! It would be incredibly cool to be able to go on an all-expenses paid trip with four of you, starting in Calgary, ending in Vancouver, and eating at all points between (plus on the train)! And a train trip across Western Canada is something I’ve always wanted to do. I can’t hardly wait.
I hate to say it, but the contest is only available in Western Canada, because the chicken is locally produced and only available here. Sorry.
Back to the chicken. Here’s a tip: strips of chicken, turkey or pork tenderloin can be frozen in marinade, which acts as insulation against freezer burn. The strips thaw quickly (place in a bowl of warm water to speed things up) when you need a quick meal to throw on the grill. We grilled a bunch up a couple summers ago to bring along on a picnic – perfect for those times you don’t want to bother with a knife and fork.
Chicken Fingers on a Stick
1 – 1 1/2 lb. (454-680 g) skinless, boneless chicken or turkey breasts or thighs, or pork tenderloin
1/4 cup (60 mL) plain yogurt
juice of a lemon or orange (2-4 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) canola or olive oil
1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme
2 garlic cloves, peeled
salt
special equipment: bamboo skewers
Cut the chicken into even strips and place them in a bowl or Ziploc bag; pour the yogurt, lemon juice and oil overtop. Pull the leaves off the rosemary or thyme and put them on a chopping board with the garlic and a pinch of salt; finely chop it all together and add to the chicken mixture. Stir to coat them well, or seal the bag and squish it around to combine everything. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
When you’re ready to cook, soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 10 minutes. Thread the chicken strips onto the skewers, starting at the beginning of each piece, weaving back and forth in an S shape, and skewering the opposite end. Leave the chicken on one end, so that the other can be used as a handle.
Preheat your grill to high and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, just until cooked through. Serve immediately. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen chicken fingers.
Per chicken finger: 50 calories, 1 g fat (0.2 g saturated fat, 0.6 g monounsaturated fat, 0.3 g polyunsaturated fat), 9 g protein, 0.4 g carbohydrates, 22 mg cholesterol, 0 g fibre
March 17 2011 | appetizers and chicken & turkey and on the grill | 6 Comments »
I know, lamb chops cost about as much as platinum. But they taste a whole lot better. If you’ve ever been to – or heard of – Vij’s in Vancouver, you’ll know that these lamb popsicles must be pretty sublime, being their signature dish and all. A lamb popsicle is a Frenched chop – take a rack of lamb and cut between each bone and you have wee chops on the end of long, elegant bones – perfect finger food. And if you sort of scrape the meat down the bone, nudging it all toward one end, you have a neater lamb popsicle, which you can then cook quickly on the grill or in a hot skillet. And then there’s the option to serve them with this fenugreek cream for dipping/slurping – it doesn’t get much better.
Vikram Vij’s Marinated Lamb Popsicles in Fenugreek Curry Cream
The size of the lamb popsicles will depend on the rack of lamb you buy. If the popsicles are bigger, then four per serving is usually enough; if they are slightly smaller, then go with five per serving. Adapted from Vij’s cookbooks (I can’t recall which one this is in, and it appears I’ve either loaned both copies out or been the victim of a very tasteful theft, but this recipe is all over the internet.)
Lamb:
1/4 cup sweet white wine or apple juice
1/3 cup grainy yellow mustard
1/2 tsp each salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 French-cut racks of lamb, cut into chops
Curry Sauce:
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp dried green fenugreek leaves or crushed seeds
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp canola oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp turmeric
In a bowl or zip-lock bag, combine the wine, mustard, salt and pepper. Add lamb, stirring to coat, cover or seal and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
In a medium bowl whisk together the cream, salt, paprika, cayenne, fenugreek leaves and lemon juice. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat and saute the garlic until golden. Stir in turmeric and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the cream mixture and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, or until thickened.
Preheat your grill or set a heavy cast iron skillet over high heat; remove lamb from its marinade and grill (or cook in a hot skillet drizzled with oil) for 3-4 minutes per side, until medium-rare. Serve popsicles immediately; depending on their size, place 4 to 5 lamb popsicles on each plate. Pour the cream curry over the meat or ladle it into a small bowl and use it as a dipping sauce. Serves 4-6.
March 09 2011 | lamb and on the grill | 6 Comments »
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