Eye for a Recipe

This recipe from the July 2011 issue of Food and Wine is fast, easy and perfect for a warm evening when you don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen or over the grill. The capers and lemon add great tangy flavour to the oregano.  I only soaked the capers for a few minutes, instead of an hour, and they were fine.

Toss shrimp with oil, salt, pepper and oregano and place on skewers

This sauce would also be great spooned over grilled fish. If you use bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them for at least 30 minutes so they don’t disintegrate on the grill.

Grilled shrimp with oregano and lemon

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use capers without sodium benzoate, such as Unico brand, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Ingredients:

½ cup salted capers—rinsed, soaked for 1 hour and drained

½ cup oregano leaves

1 garlic clove, minced

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Freshly ground pepper

2 ½ pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined

Salt

Preparation:

On a cutting board, finely chop the drained capers with the oregano leaves and garlic. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, along with the lemon zest and lemon juice. Season the sauce with pepper.

Light a grill. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper (and some chopped oregano, if you wish). Thread the shrimp onto metal skewers and grill over high heat, turning once, until the shrimp are lightly charred and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the skewers and transfer them to a platter.

Spoon the sauce on top and serve. Serves 8. The sauce can be refrigerated overnight.

From the July 2011 issue of Food and Wine

This recipe from the Summer 2011 issue of the LCBO’s Food and Drink is a new favourite. Chicken breasts are marinated in soy sauce, oil and ginger root, grilled and then glazed with honey during the last few minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, vegetables, eggs and noodles are stir fried with garlic, ginger, curry paste, soy sauce and hot chili sauce.

I used angel hair pasta instead of rice vermicelli

Stir-fry egg until just set

Combine noodles, vegetables and spices and top with grilled chicken

To serve, place slices of the grilled chicken over the noodle mixture. You can make the chicken ahead of time, so this would be a great party/buffet dish. I used angel hair pasta instead of rice noodles and it worked fine; I also substituted asparagus and a hot banana pepper for the carrots and celery.

Singapore Noodles with Burnished Barbecue Chicken

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use tamari sauce instead of soy, curry paste that is all-natural (I use Thai Kitchen brand) and a hot sauce that is free of colour and chemicals (I use Tabasco original flavour sauce).

Ingredients:

Chicken

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp pureed ginger root

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each about 8 oz.

¼ cup liquid honey

Noodles

12 oz. rice vermicelli or angel hair pasta

Hot water (if using rice noodles)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

6 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal

4 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal

2 onions, thinly sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 sweet red peppers, thinly sliced

2 tbsp minced ginger root

1/3 cup Indian yellow curry paste

2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari

1 tbsp Asian hot chili sauce

Chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

Preparation:

For the chicken, combine soy sauce, oil and ginger in a shallow dish or sealable plastic bag Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover or seal bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or for up to 1 day.

Preheat barbecue to medium

Remove chicken from marinade, discarding any excess. Grill, covered and turning once, 5 to 6 minutes per side or until no longer pink inside. Brush 1 side with honey, turn and grill for 1 minute. Brush remaining side with honey, turn and grill for 1 minute or until well glazed. Transfer to a bowl or cutting board, tent with foil, and cool slightly. Shred chicken into large pieces or slice thinly.

Soak rice vermicelli in a large bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes until softened or according to package directions. Drain and set aside (if using angel hair pasta, cook in boiling salted water until tender but still firm).

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil over high heat in a large wok or pan and swirl to coat. Pour in eggs and fry without stirring until almost set. Stir to break up eggs slightly and fry until just set, than transfer to a plate. Add half of remaining oil to wok. In 2 batches, stir-fry carrots, celery and onions for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions are softened. Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining oil between batches. Add garlic, red peppers, ginger and curry paste to wok and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until peppers are tender.

Return carrot mixture to wok and add noodles, soy sauce and chili sauce. Fry, stirring gently, but thoroughly, with 2 large spatulas, until noodles are well coated in spices and steaming. Add eggs and stir just to combine. Arrange noodles on a platter and add chicken. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. Serve with extra chili sauce on the side. Serves 10 to 12.

From the Summer 2011 issue of Food and Drink

This new find from the Summer 2011 issue of Food and Drink is a great accompaniment to any grilled meat. Small red potatoes are tossed with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice, placed in a pan, covered and grilled on the barbecue.

Toss potatoes, oil, lemon juice and garlic in metal or disposable foil pan

The cooked potatoes are then tossed with Parmesan cheese and chopped basil. The potatoes are delicious, and, if you use a disposable foil pan, as I did, there is no clean-up. Toss the potatoes a few times during cooking to make sure they brown evenly.

Toss the cooked potatoes with basil and grated Parmesan

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use fresh lemon juice and Parmesan without colour.

These potatoes are delicious with any grilled meat

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs small red new potatoes, scrubbed

12 cloves garlic, peeled

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan

2 tbsp chopped basil

Preparation:

Preheat grill to high. Place potatoes in metal baking dish (or disposable foil pan). Add garlic, toss with olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Cover baking dish with foil and grill for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking pan occasionally, or until potatoes are tender and lightly browned.

Remove from heat; sprinkle with Parmesan and basil and toss until cheese is melted and well combined. Serves 4.

From the Summer 2011 issue of Food and Drink

The latest issue of Food and Drink has arrived and it includes several great summer recipes. If you like skewers, try this pork souvlaki, which is served with a delicious yogurt sauce. The pork is marinated in oil, lemon juice, oregano and garlic before grilling. If you use wooden skewers, soak them for at least 30 minutes in water so they don’t burn up on the grill.

Marinate the pork in oil, lemon juice, oregano and garlic

To thicken the yogurt for the sauce, place 2 cups of it in a sieve lined with a paper towel or coffee filter and place the sieve in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Discard the clear whey in the bowl and use the thickened yogurt.

Thicken the yogurt for the sauce for several hours or overnight

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, be sure to use fresh lemon juice, yogurt without colour or artificial ingredients and red wine vinegar that contains naturally occurring sulfites.

Pork Souvlaki

Ingredients:

Pork

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp fresh oregano

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 ½ lbs pork tenderloin, but into 1-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Yogurt Sauce

2 cups plain yogurt, drained to yield 1 cup thick yogurt

½ cup grated cucumber, liquid squeezed out

3 tbsp chopped green onion

2 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tsp chopped garlic

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

Preparation:

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and garlic in a bowl. Add pork and toss to coat. Season pork with salt and pepper. Divide pork between four skewers and set aside.

Combine yogurt, grated cucumber, green onion, coriander, garlic, vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat grill to high.

Place pork skewers on grill and grill on all four sides for 2-3 minutes per side, 8-12 minutes total, or until pork is cooked through with just a tinge of pink in the centre. Serve with warmed pita bread and yogurt sauce. Serves 4.

From the Summer 2011 issue of Food and Drink

Our butcher brought in some lovely wild salmon fillets this week, so I decided to grill them on a cedar plank, using a recipe from Canadian Living’s The Barbecue Collection. The salmon is basted with oil, lemon juice and rind, chives, Dijon and salt and pepper and placed on a cedar plank that has been soaked in water for at least an hour. Cedar planks are available at the hardware store, or wherever you buy barbecue supplies.

Soak the cedar planks for at least an hour

Oil and lemon juice are the base for this marinade

Brush half of the marinade on the salmon before grilling

The smoke from the plank infuses the salmon – or whatever you are grilling – with great flavour.

The plank provides great smoke

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use fresh lemon juice and a Dijon with no preservatives, colour or white wine.

Cedar-Planked Salmon

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. salmon fillet, cut into pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp lemon rind

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Pinch each salt and pepper

Preparation:

Soak two 12- by 7-inch untreated cedar planks in water for at least an hour or up to a day

Whisk together oil, lemon rind and juice, chives, mustard, salt and pepper; brush half over salmon. Grill, covered, over medium-high heat, brushing once with remaining lemon mixture, until fish flakes easily, 15-25 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet and type of salmon used.

From Canadian Living’s The Barbecue Collection

This refreshing salad from the July 2011 issue of Cook’s Illustrated is perfect for a warm summer evening. The steak is grilled, sliced and quickly tossed with hot chiles, shallots, mint and cilantro in a classic Thai sauce of fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. The mixture is then served over crisp slices of cucumber. The salad is also enhanced by the addition of toasted rice powder, which adds texture. Our butcher did not have flank steak, so I used a New York striploin. Whatever type of steak you used, be sure to slice it thinly, across the grain. I also used a jalapeno instead of Thai chile.

Toast rice and grind it into a powder

Chiles and shallots add heat and flavour

Mint and cilantro add fresh flavours

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use fresh lime juice and a fish sauce without MSG, such as Thai Kitchen brand.

Thai Grilled-Beef Salad

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon white rice

3 tablespoons lime juice (2 limes)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon sugar

1 ½ pound flank steak, trimmed

Salt and white pepper, coarsely ground

4 shallots, sliced thin

1 ½ cups fresh mint leaves, torn

1 ½ cups fresh cilantro leaves

1 Thai chile, stemmed and sliced thin into rounds

1 seedless English cucumber, sliced ¼ inch thick on bias

Preparation:

Heat paprika and cayenne in 8-inch skillet over medium heat; cook, shaking pan, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl. Return now-empty skillet to medium-high heat, add rice, and toast, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to second small bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Grind rice with spice grinder, mini food processor, or mortar and pestle until it resembles fine meal, 10 to 30 seconds (you should have about 1 tablespoon rice powder).

Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, water, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon toasted paprika mixture in large bowl and set aside.

For a Charcoal Grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

For a Gas Grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).

Clean and oil cooking grate. Season steak with salt and white pepper. Place steak over hot part of grill and cook until beginning to char and beads of moisture appear on outer edges of meat, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip steak and continue to cook on second side until charred and center registers 125 degrees, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes (or allow to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour).

Slice meat, against grain, on bias into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer sliced steak to bowl with fish sauce mixture. Add shallots, mint, cilantro, chile, and half of rice powder; toss to combine. Transfer to platter lined with cucumber slices. Serve, passing remaining rice powder and toasted paprika mixture separately.

Serve with steamed rice. Serves 4 to 6.

From the July 2011 issue of Cook’s Illustrated

This new find, which is great for a quick weeknight supper, is from the June 2011 issue of Everyday Food. Simply marinate steak in a mixture of oil, chile powder, brown sugar, soy sauce and lime juice, grill it with some onion slices and serve in soft tortillas with your favourite toppings. The magazine recipe suggested a tomatillo salsa, but tomatillos are not available here so I used our own homemade salsa (see my September 19, 2010 post for the recipe).

Grill slices of onion along with the steak

I used grape tomatoes and feta cheese as toppings.

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use tamari instead of soy sauce, which frequently contains sodium benzoate. Use fresh lime juice and tortillas with no artificial ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for grill

2 tablespoons chile powder, such as ancho, pasilla, or chipotle

2 tablespoons light-brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving

1-½ pounds flank steak

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 large red onion, cut into ¼-inch rounds

12 corn tortillas, warmed or lightly toasted

Salsa, for serving

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, chile powder, brown sugar, soy sauce, and lime juice. Place steak in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and cover with marinade. Turn once to coat steak, then cover dish tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip off; reserve marinade. Season steak with salt and pepper. Grill onion and steak, flipping occasionally, until onion is lightly charred and steak is medium-rare, about 10 minutes. Brush onion and steak with reserved marinade and cook 1 minute more, flipping once. Place onion on a serving plate.

Transfer steak to a cutting board, loosely tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain. Serve steak and onion with tortillas, salsa, and lime wedges. Makes 12 tacos.

From the June 2011 issue of Everyday Food

If you want to increase the amount of grains and vegetables you eat, try this great new find from the June 2011 issue of Canadian Living. Vegetables are grilled, tossed with cooked quinoa, feta cheese and cilantro, and dressed with a delicious smoky-sweet chipotle vinaigrette. I didn’t have red or yellow peppers on hand, so I substituted red onion and green pepper. I used chipotle Tabasco sauce instead of the canned chipotle and I omitted the pumpkin seeds.

Use whatever raw vegetables you like to grill

Grill vegetables until tender

I’ll be making this many times this summer. It is a wonderful accompaniment to grilled meats, and would also satisfy vegetarians and those looking for a gluten-free dish.

Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use feta cheese with no artificial ingredients added and red wine vinegar with no sulfites added, such as Eden Organic.

Ingredients:

Salad

1 cup quinoa
1 sweet red pepper, quartered
1 sweet yellow pepper, quartered
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise in 1/2-inch thick strips
12 asparagus spears, trimmed
½ cup light feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seedpumpkin seeds
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Chipotle Vinaigrette

3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
2 tsp liquid honey
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Preparation:

Soak quinoa in cold water for 3 minutes; drain in sieve. In saucepan, bring 1-½  cups salted water to boil; stir in quinoa and return to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until no liquid remains, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and fluff with fork; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Spread on small tray and let cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together oil, vinegar, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, honey, cumin, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In large bowl, toss together red and yellow peppers, zucchini, asparagus and 3 tbsp of the vinaigrette until coated. Place on greased grill over medium heat; close lid and grill until charred and tender, 4 to 6 minutes for asparagus, 10 to 12 minutes for peppers and zucchini. Cut into large chunks and return to bowl.

Add remaining dressing, quinoa, half of the feta cheese, the pumpkin seeds and cilantro; stir until incorporated. Sprinkle with remaining feta. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

From the June 2011 issue of Canadian Living