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

Because bacon usually contains nitrites and other artificial preservatives, we don’t eat it (an exception is the nitrite-free bacon available at Whole Foods). A good substitute is prosciutto, which is cured with salt. In this recipe, thin slices of prosciutto are sautéed until crisp, torn into strips and used to garnish a delicious pasta dish. This is a good weeknight meal for both meat eaters and vegetarians, as the latter can simply omit the garnish.

Saute thin slices of prosciutto until crisp, then tear into strips

Stir spinach or arugula into sauce until it just wilts

Add cooked pasta to the sauce and heat through before serving

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, make sure the prosciutto ingredients are simply pork and salt, that the tomatoes are all-natural and the parmesan does not contain colour.

Ingredients:

3 cups (750 mL) penne pasta (8 ounces/225 g)

2 thin slices prosciutto

1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 sweet yellow or red pepper, coarsely chopped

8 ounces (225 g) white button or brown cremini mushrooms (or mixture of both), sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) hot pepper flakes, or to taste

One 19-ounce (540-mL) can seasoned chunky tomatoes (for pasta)

3 cups (750 mL) fresh baby spinach, or baby arugula

1/4 cup (50 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. When boiling, cook pasta 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender but firm.

Meanwhile, heat Dutch oven or large deep saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. Cook prosciutto in a single layer until crisp, about 30 seconds per side. Remove to paper towel and pat off excess fat. Let cool; cut into thin strips.

Add oil to same pan. Add onion, sweet pepper and mushrooms; cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions and pepper soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and pepper flakes; cook about 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer briskly 3 minutes. Stir in spinach or arugula until wilted, about 30 seconds.

Drain pasta and toss with sauce. To serve, sprinkle with prosciutto strips and cheese. Serves 4.

From Foodland Ontario, published in the February 8, 2006 issue of the Ottawa Citizen

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