An Improvised Birthday

The Bride and I were all set to have fish again for dinner tonight.  As work came to a close, I received an email from her, indicating that today was her father's birthday, and that he would be coming over for dinner.  Knowing that he does not enjoy fish, we had to alter our plans.  I've been to Red Lobster with the man before, so I know that while he does not like fish, the guy can throw down some serious shrimp.  This would be close enough for our diets, and please him at the same time.  To add to his birthday meal, I picked up a VERY nice filet mignon (shout-out goes to Mackie Meats at Findlay) so that he could have a surf 'n turf dinner.  While he was the only one to enjoy red meat tonight, all three of us would be dining on the Shrimp and Onions with Cocktail Sauce on page 311.

The cocktail sauce calls for prepared horseradish, but the stuff you find at the grocery store just doesn't have the kick that I would like.  Years ago I learned how to make my own from scratch, and it is SO much better and ridiculously easy to do.  Start by peeling the horseradish root.

I prefer to use a microplaner, but I broke mine on Thanksgiving.  I used a box grater instead.

All you need to do is add enough plain vinegar to moisten the pulp to the consistency you like, and season it lightly with salt and sugar (I used Splenda) to taste.

As a warning, during this process your eyeballs will start burning.  This is your indication that you are making something truly awesome, and you will never go back to the store-bought stuff.  This took all of a minute or two to accomplish, and is vastly superior.

The horseradish was added into the other cocktail sauce ingredients.

Some gentle stirring later, I had a nice cocktail sauce.  I covered it with plastic wrap and set it in the fridge while I prepared the shrimp.

It does take some time to shell and de-vein the shrimp (by the way, that's no vein you are removing), and I actually prefer to grill shrimp with their shells still on to save moisture, but I also like to follow a recipe as best as I can the first time so that I can see what was truly intended.   Thus, I removed the shells for tonight.

I skewered them up, alternating onion slice and shrimp.

We needed a vegetable, so I improvised a ratatouille, grilling the vegetables first and then finishing them off on the stove.

As the only seasoning in the recipe was salt and pepper, the shrimp came off the grill looking rather plain.  The point, I supposed, was to let the cocktail sauce be the star.

I plated, and called everyone in to dinner.  Not pictured, of course, is the wonderful filet on my father-in-law's plate.

The cocktail sauce takes all of five minutes, and will make you a stud at your next party.  Seriously, this stuff is terrific.  The shrimp acted as a canvas for which to adorn with flavor from the sauce, instead of the other way around.  Friends WILL see this sauce if we ever have a need for shrimp appetizers at a gathering.  The onions didn't seem to serve much purpose, though.  I didn't even plate them, especially since I had other (and more interesting) vegetables.  I couldn't imagine anyone just eating leaves of plain grilled onions.  Otherwise, this meal was a happy success.

Continuing The Trend

Unbelievably, I grilled two days in a row!  I would have to go back MANY moons to find the last time that happened.  It was actually much nicer today than yesterday, and the weather is supposed to get even nicer over the next couple of days.  Thus, I just may even grill out a couple of more times this week!  Last night, The Bride requested pork tenderloin.  As I perused The Guide this morning, I realized that I was down to my last recipe for this cut of meat, so that made the decision easy.  After work, I picked up what I needed for the Butterflied Tenderloin with Rice Salad on page 181.

I started the marinade as soon as I got home, as I wanted this to have as much flavor as possible.  With The Bride having an anticipated arrival time of only about three hours, every minute would count.  On a sad note, I used up the last of the honey that I had picked up last summer at the farmer's market my parents took me to in Virginia.

What I was eager to investigate about this recipe was that although I have a fair amount of experience with pork tenderloin, I have yet to try the technique of butterflying them.  After removing silverskin and fat, I made my incision and opened up the meat.

 

Taking care to lay down Saran Wrap beforehand, I used my rolling pin (in a hammering motion, not a rolling one) to flatten out the tenderloin to an even thickness.  

With both of the tenderloins now prepared, I put them in a jellyroll pan so that I could pour the marinade over them and not have it leak all over my fridge.

So in went the marinade, and I did my best to make sure that both sides of the meat were coated.  I covered the pan with plastic wrap and set it in the fridge.  To kill time while The Bride was still away, I removed the Christmas lights from our tree, before taking it out to the curb.

Flashing forward a few hours now, The Bride is home and on the couch recovering from a long day's work.  It was time for me to get the ball rolling!  I fired up The Forge, and while it was getting nice and hot, I started in on the rice salad.  The first step is to get the dressing ready.

The salad calls for a cup of peeled and seeded cucumber, which after you do so, doesn't leave you with too much of that fruit left.

Okay, I admit it, I cheated...you are supposed to use a wild rice, which would take over an hour to cook.  Let's just say that I wasn't "feeling it."  So I used microwaveable brown rice, which was ready in two and a half minutes.

The mint and celery were diced as well, and the salad was starting to come together.

The whisk was actually a terrific tool for stirring and incorporating all of the ingredients.

The tenderloins looked and smelled amazing.

 While those rested, I went about plating.  I dug out my PVC rings, which are still a super-cheap and fun way to plate!

The key is to press down on whatever it is that you are putting inside the rings, and then to let it sit there for a minute to set.

Once you remove the ring, the rice salad will sit all nice and pretty on your plate!

From there, top it with your main course and call it a day!

So, I learned a new technique today (butterflying a tenderloin), and I will declare it a success.  Three hours proved to not quite be enough marinade time, but the pork was still quite tasty.  I would have liked it a little more if it was given more time to absorb the more subtle flavors of the marinade.   Still, this technique will be remembered and reused.  

For the second day in a row, I was less than impressed with the mint.  Maybe it is because I am used to the mint that I grow in my herb garden, which is currently unavailable for the next several months.  I was apprehensive about flavors clashing (mint and cucumber in the rice salad, sesame oil and ginger in the pork), but they seemed to mellow and get along just fine.  The pork was juicy, which was another concern I initially had when reading that the tenderloins would be butterflied.  I did shorten the recommended cooking time by a few minutes, which was a good call.  Otherwise, this rather lean cut of meat would have dried out too quickly.

Well, let's see what the rest of the week has in store!

New Year's Resolutions

First of all, I don't like making resolutions for New Year's.  Making them implies that I am somehow flawed.  Well, in looking at the volume of posts I created in 2011, I suppose there is room for improvement.  Thus, I am going to start 2012 with my earliest grilling session to date, even though it is only one recipe, the Northern African Marinade on page 52.

The Bride requested fish, and I figured that would be an incentive to get back into grilling as I do not enjoy still smelling fish three days after cooking it.  I can't exactly open the windows for ventilation, either.  In case  you aren't from Cincinnati, here is what is going on right now (in Fahrenheit, for those of you abroad):

 I actually forgot the cookbook on the way to work, so I took a guess at the fishmonger, figuring that I probably still had at least one salmon recipe left.  When I got home, salmon in hand, I learned that I really did not.  Well, one recipe is for a different cut of salmon than what I had, and another is for a whole salmon.  Thus, I flipped back to the rub/marinade section to see what I could make.  Most of what was left there were for chicken, pork, or beef.  The only remaining for fish was the Northern African marinade, but I'm moderately confident that the fine citizens of Northern Africa do not encounter much salmon, so I wasn't terribly sure this recipe would match up well with my fish.  Regardless, I forged ahead.

 

While at Kroger, picking up a couple of ingredients for the marinade, I decided to pick up some asparagus as a vegetable.  I knew that I had one or two carrots left over as well in the fridge.  I used my mandolin to slice the carrots into nice planks for grilling.

I used the same marinade for both, but put them in separate bags as fish tends to be somewhat tender, and I wanted to keep the fillet as intact as possible while coating.

I decided a long time ago to always use the indirect method of grilling for salmon, so I was able to cook the fish and the vegetables simultaneously.  When it came to plating, I wanted to be a little fancy.  I began with the carrot planks.

I then placed the asparagus perpendicular to the planks.

Plating was finished by orienting the salmon at a bisecting angle.  In retrospect, I should have made a sauce for this, but hey, I have to get back into the groove of things.  I haven't done much cooking in the last couple of months, so I really should just ease back into it.

The marriage between the marinade and species of fish turned out to be harmonious.  The Bride was especially pleased.  I really didn't pick up on the mint in the recipe, but the brightness from the sherry vinegar broke though, as did the smokiness from the paprika.  The parsley added a gentle bitterness, rounded out by the olive oil.  Through all of this, however, the salmon flavor was preserved and was allowed to be the main attraction.  The crunchiness from the vegetables contrasted beautifully with the flakiness of the fish, adding depth of texture.  In all, a surprising success.  I still believe that this marinade is better suited for white-fleshed fish, but it is good to know just how versatile it can be!

Slowly Getting Back In The Game?

The porch project (I need to come up with a more clever name for that fiasco) has continued to absorb most of my time, so cooking has gone out the window.  Recognizing that tonight was going to be the last nice night of the year (below freezing temperatures arriving this week) I mandated myself to grill.  The Bride requested a "nice piece of fish" last night, so on the way home from work I stopped by Hyde Park Fish Market where I was informed that they no longer carried Sea Bass, the fish I wanted to cook for her.  Thus, I headed off to Fresh Market, the place the fishmonger recommended I could acquire such a fish now.  I was a little (read: a lot) disappointed that it was previously frozen, but at this stage in the game I was getting frustrated enough and just settled.  I quick stop by my herb garden completed what I needed for the Mediterranean Sea Bass on page 303.

Similar to making a rub first, as in most of the recipes here, I began by making the paste.  It was interesting to use the dried lavender that I had been sitting on since using some to make lavender-infused honey earlier in the summer.  This certainly had a Provencal feel to it.

I had the idea to just toss the fish in the bowl instead of trying to smear the paste on the fish.  This also saved a dish later when it came to washing up after dinner.

While The Forge was heating up, I gathered the little I needed for the super easy Grilled Asparagus With Prosciutto And Orange Mayonnaise on page 373.

The recipe called for both 1 tablespoon of orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest, so I just bought one orange to take care of both, as I don't keep orange juice at home.  

I added in both parts of the orange, some lemon juice, and some cayenne before whisking.  If you look closely, you can see the flecks of cayenne.

Asparagus essentially has three parts: the tip, the fleshy stalk, and the woody stalk.  The fleshy stalk and woody stalk will naturally split from each other in the right spot if you take each end of the spear and bend it in the middle.

From there you can line up this piece with the others to see where to cut them.

You can now quickly trim all of your spears to the right length in very little time!

I'm glad I separated the pieces of prosciutto ahead of time, as they were a pain to peel apart.  I would not have been happy standing over a grill trying take them all apart, watching one piece burn before I even had the other pieces separated.

The fish was oddly cut by the amateur person behind the counter at Fresh Market (I've ranted about this before, but was left without a choice today), but I managed to cook it to temperature without scorching or drying the fish.  

The asparagus and prosciutto cooked up rather nicely, and were even done before the fish started to get cold.

This all plated quickly as well, so we were eating in no time at all.

I'll go ahead and say it myself...this looked pretty.  Even better, it smelled heavenly.  Sea Bass, with its high fat content, is naturally tasty; but with the addition of fresh herbs that have a southern French feel to them it becomes exquisite.  The fresh squeeze of lemon adds an acidity that cuts through the fats to create a melded and broad set of flavors.  

The asparagus was good, but I wasn't thrilled with it.  In theory it should have been superb.  I mean, what's not to like?  There's grilled cured pork, mayonnaise-based sauce spiked with cayenne, and my favorite citrus fruit.  Together, they offer a variety of textures and flavors, from sweet to spicy to vegetal.  I appreciated all that they had to offer, but it just didn't float my boat. 

A Trifecta So I Can Finally Catch Up!

With these three entries, I am finally caught up with this blog!  Someone at work even mentioned to me this week that I haven't been very diligent about posting.  Well, my porch (see an earlier entry) has kept me plenty occupied, especially with my local city hall making things "interesting."  But you don't care about that!  On to the recipes!  Earlier last week I needed a quick chicken recipe, and settled on the Magical Mediterranean Marinade on page 51 for two reasons:  First, it was a quick marinade time.  Second, I had almost all of the ingredients in my herb garden and the weather would be turning cold soon. 

This basically consisted of making the rub/marinade and placing in a chicken.  It wasn't exactly rocket science.

Reserving a little of the marinade for a later use, I coated the chicken and went off to run some errands.

 I wanted some veggies with my meal, but they would require far less marination time.  They actually only take about fifteen minutes, so i didn't even start these until after the charcoal had been lit.  I used the reserved marinade that I mentioned earlier.

Once again, thanks to my experience with Weber, I didn't even have to check my grilling times for whole chicken.  They came out looking gorgeous!

 The vegetables also looked rather pleasant, and I cut them into bite-sized bits for plating.

One marinade, two parts of the meal...it worked!

Overall, I liked it a lot, but The Bride was a little more indifferent.  The fresh herbs make a big difference, and the balance of oil and acidity was refreshing.  My favorite part of it all, however, was the wing portion of the chicken.  I am seriously considering filing this recipe for a wing grill out.  I think that if made as part of a variety of different wings it would stand out as something different.  Most wings are either hot and spicy, garlicky (spelling?), or have some other zesty marinade.  Most people don't think "herbal" when thinking of wings, so it could be a nice surprise.  Friends may see this later!

On Sunday The Bride requested steak, and so off to Findlay Market I went!  I had been reading about a cut of beef for years called a tri-tip, but it is hardly seen at most of your local grocery stores.  I had seen it in passing at some of the butchers at Findlay while shopping for other cuts, but this time I was making a conscious decision to finally acquire this cut and check it out.  So I gathered what I needed for the Smoked Santa Maria Tri-Tip on page 108.

Make a rub first...raise your hand if you saw that coming!

The tri-tip was already trimmed of excess fat by the fine butcher at Mackie Meats (my favorite Findlay butcher shop, so I just had to sprinkle on the rub.

I also wanted to do this recipe because I had just made my final fall harvest of heirloom tomatoes, and this recipe called for a fair amount of tomatoes for its salsa.  The chiles also came from my garden, so overall I felt pretty satisfied in how much of this part of the meal I was able to grow myself.

While this meal was coming together, I also needed to cook a chili for a potluck lunch that was going to happen the following day at work.  As I had just picked several pounds of green chiles from my garden, I opted for the tastefully named (but misspelled) Christina's Green Chile on page 167.

On a side note Weber, chile is pepper, chili is a soup-like meal.  While the tri-tip was on the grill, I threw on the tomatillos and chiles for the chili.  With everything on the grill, I cut up the meat for browning.

After ten minutes of direct heat and then twenty minutes of indirect heat, I temped the tri-tip.  It was at a perfect 135 for medium-rare.

Shortly thereafter, the chiles and tomatillos where charred nicely and ready for skin removal.

Sliced thinly across the grain the tri-tip looked simply lovely.

 I had picked up a baguette from Blue Oven Bakery at Findlay.  I sliced that thinly as well, placed on slice of tri-tip, and topped with a bit of salsa.  It's a little classy, no?

So as it turns out, I see what all the fuss is about in regards to tri-tip.  It has the flavor of flank steak, and is only slightly chewier than a NY Strip.  It is certainly a nice change of pace and something to try.  Even better, it will feed a lot of people (impressing along the way) for a rather economic price.  That big bad boy you've seen in the pictures only cost around $15.  While this made a nice dinner, I think it would be better served as an appetizer at a nice meal.  I think I'd actually like to try this cut of meat in the smoker and see what happens!

The pork shoulder cubes began to brown, which I made sure to cook in batches.

The chiles and tomatillos had their skins removed and were then moved to the blender for a bit of pulsing.  The smell was heavenly...then again, I am a sucker for roasted chiles.

After the meat was done browning, I sauteed the onions and garlic, and then added the flour and stock.  The flour thickened up the base properly, and soon it was time to add in the remaining ingredients.

I returned the browned meat to the mix.

This was quickly followed by the green sauce.

A quick stir to incorporate everything and I set it to simmer for an hour.

After that hour, I stirred in the other green ingredients: fresh oregano, lime, and cilantro.  I then loaded it into the crock pot and readied it for work the next day.  At work, it seemed pretty well-received.  Sure, a lot of people I work with can be a little conservative and be somewhat nervous about a green chili, but those who were adventurous spoke of it well.  Personally, I liked it a lot.  It could have been a little stronger in the Scoville department, but for the masses I think it had an appropriate amount of heat.  Flavor-wise, I liked it very much.  The meat was super tender from the simmering, and pork shoulder is always full of good flavor.  The roasted chiles and tomatillos offered a smokey treat, and the herbs rounded it all off.  Two thumbs up from me!