Final Thoughts on 2010

The final days of December are always good for reflection, and a popular trend is to construct a Top Ten.  Not one to buck the system, here is my Top Ten of what I learned to make from Weber in 2010.  I know I didn't do anything in December, but I was thoroughly busy and it was ridiculously cold this last month. 

(10) Seared Ahi With Thai Dipping Sauce on page 305

This recipe helped me appreciate the "steak of the sea" and has the dual benefit of being both quick and delicious.  I had proven to myself that I had learned to cook this fish properly, which bolstered my confidence.  

(9) Kansas City-Style Spareribs on page 163

This recipe was a lot of fun because of the giveaway involved, and that it almost came close to rivaling my own recipe for ribs.  This is a must-have recipe for BBQ lovers.

(8) Clams Provencal on page 323 and Gingered Mussels, also on page 323

This was a tie because I cooked both of these on the same night, and enjoyed both equally well.  They are two very different foods, regionally-speaking, but utilized the same technique.  These recipes taught me that you can easily cook shellfish on the grill, something I will use often in the future.

(7) Lemon Halibut With Caper Sauce on page 306

 

What I really loved about this was the caper sauce.  We've already established that I've really learned to enjoy fish this year, which was a big step for me.  Weber is to thank for that.  Everyone should learn to make this sauce, it will serve them well.

(6) Caribbean Tenderloin With Black Bean Salsa on page 180

Pork tenderloin is awesome because it is leaner than boneless, skinless chicken breast, and tastes significantly better that boneless, skinless chicken breast.  The Bride loved this recipe, and it gave me that Jamaican fix that I need every now and again. 

 (5) Southwest Sirloin With Corn Salad on page 112

 

 

Not only was this recipe saturated with flavor, but can be done rather quickly.  It is a fantastic way to have fajitas when you don't have time for long marinades.

 

(4) Oak-Grilled Salmon on page 295

The sheer volume of times this recipe has resurfaced in the Bogdan household should indicate our fondness for it.  Granted, it is not something you can make on a whim, as it requires a long marinade time, but if you have the forethought, you will have something amazing!

(3) New York Strips With Roasted Garlic Butter on page 100

 

 

The first of the beef trifecta that rounds out my Top Ten showed me how a simple steak can be dramatically enhanced with something as simple as a compound butter.  There are few other ways to better enjoy a simple steak.

 

 (2) Dry-Rubbed Porterhouse With Barbecue Steak Sauce on page 103

 

 

 This was my first Porterhouse, and it will not be my last.  What a way to be introduced to such a manly cut of beef!  I needed to treat myself, and I was thoroughly pleased with this.

 

(1)  Spiral Steaks with Pesto, Olives, and Tomatoes on page 115

 

What can I say?  I loved this recipe for so many reasons.  First, it was my initial cookout with a guest chef, something I truly enjoy.  Second, it gave me a completely new respect for olives, which up to this point I had loathed.  Third, it taught me a new technique, the roulade.  Fourth, it was so delicious that I used the recipe in my end-of-summer celebration meal.  

Well, 2010 is now in the books.  In all, I cooked 87 Weber recipes this year!  Not bad, considering that I didn't start until April, and have slacked off considerably these last couple of months.  With that, I hereby make my first New Year's resolution: I will cook at least 100 Weber recipes this in 2011.  Keep me on task!

Good Fish And Thoughts On A New Blog

Tonight was simple and quick.  I stopped by Findlay to pick up something to grill, knowing in the back of my mind that I was in the mood for fish.  I had left The Guide at home, so I didn't have a recipe in mind.  I remembered that I still had one or two swordfish recipes to go, and they looked tasty at Luken's Fish Market.  I picked up two "steaks" and headed home, looked at the guide, wrote down what I needed, headed to Meijer, and came home ready to make the Swordfish Kabobs With Pasta Provencal on page 289.

Following protocol, I doubled the marinade and put everything in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag.

I also got to use my kabob skewers again.

I started the sauce and the pasta.

It was here that Weber taught me something.  The directions called for adding the basil chiffonade to the pasta immediately after draining.

Then I was supposed to give them a gentle toss to incorporate the basil into the noodles.

I really dig this technique!  It is something that will stick with me for many years to come.  It is a simple and effective way to add amazing depth of flavor to the noodles.  As the noodles are still very hot after draining, the steam that they release cooks the herbs which releases their essential oils and coats the noodles with their flavor compounds (this is all my theory, based on previous knowledge).   I then pulled the kabobs from The Forge.

I plated and dinner was complete, and all in less than an hour!

This is a recipe to keep in mind if we need something quick.  I think that with a little experience I could trim the total cook time a little bit to make it even more of an efficient meal.  In the last couple of weeks I've cooked a fair amount of "Provencal" meals, enjoying every single one of them.  I dig this style of cooking quite a bit, and the wine from this region just as much (Corey LOVES Bandol wine...hint, hint).  I remember coming across a cookbook on Provencal cooking one time when The Bride and I were at Half-Price Books.  I think I'll pick it up sometime with the intention of making that the basis of my next blog (whenever I finish this one, that is, which based on the pace I am at will be in about two or three years).  I'll also add visiting this region of the world to my bucket list as well.  One of my favorite Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations is when he visited this part of France.  

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, this recipe was quite nice.  The swordfish cubes were cooked to perfection (The Bride used expletives to describe how much she enjoyed them), and the quick marinade helped tremendously, especially given the short length of time that was allowed.  The sauce was simple and delicious with just a hint of heat from the red pepper flakes, which is always welcome in the Bogdan household.  Still, my favorite part of it all was the basil-infused pasta noodles, all thanks to the new technique that I learned from Weber!

A Rare Monday Night Off

For the first time in many, many moons I have a Monday night off.  It's Steelers/Bengals, beautiful weather this week, and grad school isn't pressing down on my style, so I knew that I had better take advantage of this rare alignment of fortunes.  The Bride declared that we need to start eating better before the holidays take over, so I picked out the Three Lemon Chicken on page 233. 

The first step was to create the paste that would be rubbed both inside and outside the chicken.  I'd roasted garlic in a previous post, so I followed that procedure to achieve the same results.  

The paste came together well, and when I snuck a taste, it was surprisingly bitter and pungent, but promised to deliver a lot of flavor to the chicken.  

The paste needed to be rubbed inside the bird, just under the skin.  I won't lie, this always creeps me out.  The Bride likes to mess with me on Thanksgiving, knowing that I don't handle it well when she runs her hand under the turkey's skin and shows it to me.

Ew.  Once the paste was rubbed both inside and outside the chicken, I then followed the recipe by stuffing rosemary sprigs and white wine inside the cavity of the bird.

Calling on my experience with trussing a whole chicken, I was able to tie up the bird significantly faster (and better) than the previous attempt.

 The chicken went on the grill, and I went back to watching TV.  When the time to pull the chicken off the grill grew closer, I prepared the side for the evening, the Tomato, Cucumber, & Onion Salad on page 367.

I got to try a new toy!  For our Five Year Anniversary, The Bride gave me a mandolin!

Ooooh!  Aaaaah!  This thing is sweet!  My first food item to play with was the cucumber, which was supposed to be cut into one-eighth inch slices.  I set the mandolin to that measurement and started slicing.
 

Ridiculous!  There is no way I could have done this with my chef's knife.  I love the consistency and ease that the mandolin affords the preparation process.  It's hard to believe that this pile of slices all came from one medium-sized cucumber.  The tomatoes were next.

The onion went third and I then began plating the salad.

 I mixed up the dressing and went to retrieve the chicken.

Gorgeous!  I am starting to really dig grilling whole chickens.  It's very easy and the taste is a significant upgrade from grilling individual pieces.  While the chicken rested I chopped up the herbs to sprinkle on the salad, and informed The Bride that we were almost ready.

I plated our dinners and got ready to watch some Monday Night Football!

I really enjoyed the chicken recipe.  For not having any sort of marinade or brine there was a tremendous amount of flavor in this recipe.  It's quick and easy to prepare, and a great way to have a healthy meal that's tasty on a weekday night.  The salad is refreshing and the herbs play a large role in the flavor profile of the dish.  The Bride figured out that if you combined the chicken with the dressing for the salad that it would make a delicious chicken gyro.  Noted.  Otherwise, the onion needs to be cut back in the salad.  An hour later, I'm still tasting them.  The bitter paste that I was concerned about earlier completely mellowed and delivered as promised.  I'm actually looking forward to leftovers tomorrow for lunch!

Scaring Up a Winner

Tonight was Halloween, and it was also the time to pick a winner.  I thought long and hard about how to do this, and settled on just declaring the winner later in this post.  Start skimming!

The Bride and I went down to Findlay this morning to pick up the ingredients for two recipes.  Our main course would be the Greek Pita Pockets on page 116 and the side/appetizer was the  Tapenade on page 49.

 The first thing to do (before football started) was to marinate the flank steak.  This can be a rather tough cut of meat, and the long marinade time would help tenderize it.  I put everything in the Ziploc bag and in it went to the fridge!

Later in the evening, as trick-or-treating was winding down,  I started up the coals and then started the tapenade. 

I used the immersion blender from this point to create the paste-like consistency that tapenade requires.  I then cut up the bread for a quick toasting session.

The slices toasted up quickly, and that recipe was done and ready for serving.

Here we have the flank steak after about 7 hours of marinating, before heading to The Forge.

While the flank steak was grilling I assembled the "salad" portion of the "gyro."

Overall, I liked the salad by itself.  Meanwhile, the flank steak was ready!

After the proper resting time, I began slicing up the meat for the gyros.

I notified The Bride that the meal was ready, and it was just in time for Sunday Night Football.

 

The winner of the haiku was Bru.  Not only was her haiku the first, but her request was granted and she was kind enough to stop me in the hallway and inform me that her one-year-old son approved of my Mac and Cheese.  

I liked this recipe for its simple and honest flavors.  The gyros were tasty, although I was nervous as I was plating them.  I happened to sneak a taste of the steak, and it was aggressively peppery.  I was concerned when the marinade called for the amount of pepper that it did, and those fears were confirmed when I tasted the steak for the first time.  However, when paired with the salad and bread, that strong pepper flavor was absorbed by the other ingredients.  The tapenade was a big hit with me.  I'm still learning to appreciate olives, but this spread is amazing on bread.  Great depth of flavor, and terrific bright saltiness make it rather appealing.  The toasted bread is a nice touch as well.   Because of the long marinade time, along with the fact that I have so many other long-marinade recipes to cover, it will be a while before I make this again.  Still, I recommend it for others to try!