Grilled Eggplant Dip

Sometimes it is nice to grill something that isnt a meat, or the main part of the meal.  Instead of being the star of the show, Grilled Eggplant Dip was one of the components of a veggie night. 

This recipe came from How to Grill by Steven Raichlen.  As I have mentioned before, Steven is an expert when it comes to grilling.  In the past, however, I havent used his book so much for recipes as for inspiration/grilling instruction.  But, with another winner, I may have to rethink this.

Think Baba Ganoush  but smokier with the garlic being more mellow from grilled garlic.   Fabulous with a crusty whole grain bread you can also serve this with vegetables or pita chips.  We had it as a part of a vegetarian dinner, but it would also be great as a starter to an equally fabulous grilled meal.

Grilled Eggplant Dip (Steven Raichlen) 

2 Cylindrical Eggplants (about 1 pound each)

6 cloves Garlic, cut lenghtwise into 3 or 4 lengthwise wedges

3 tablespoons Almond Butter

1 1/2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons fresh Lemon juice, or more to taste, plus lemon wedges for serving

1/2 teaspoon Coarse Salt (Kosher or Sea), or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper, or more to taste

Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.

Make slits in each eggplant and insert the garlic wedges.

When ready to cook, place eggplants on the hot grate and grill until the skins are charred all over and the flesh is very soft 20 to 30 minutes in all, turning with tongs. Transfer the grilled eggplants to a plate to cool.

Peel the burnt skin off the eggplants. Coarsely puree the grilled eggplants and their garlic in a food processor.

Add the almond butter, olive oil, and the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Taste for seasoning, adding salt or lemon juice as necessary; the mixture should be very flavorful.

Saffron-Grilled Chicken

Now that spring has officially arrived here in the south, How to Grill by Steven Raichlen has been pulled out of mothballs. Even though I don't always refer to this book for the recipes, I do use it religiously as a reference tool for grilling meats and vegetables.

With this week being busy, and spending hours perusing my cookbooks wasn't an option, I decided to let this book be my all - recipe and reference.


I have had good luck in the past with yogurt-based marinades for both tenderness and flavor so I decided to try Saffron-Grilled Chicken. A quick marinade was made and poured over the chicken. In the evening while the meat grilled I made the butter baste to brush on during the last few minutes.

It did not disappoint! Tender, juicy and alive with flavor it was a perfect accompaniment to a spicy caesar salad, a crisp white rioja, and soft folk music in the background.


Saffron-Grilled Chicken (Adapted from Steven Raichlen)

For the chicken and marinade:
2 chickens, (3 1/2 to 4 pounds each), cut into pieces, skin removed
½ teaspoon saffron threads
1 tablespoon hot water
⅔ cup lemon juice
⅔ cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced crosswise

For the saffron-herb butter baste:
¼ teaspoon saffron threads
1 tablespoon hot water
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Black pepper to taste

Use your fingers to crumble the saffron into a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Add the water and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, yogurt, oil, salt, pepper and stir until the salt is dissolved.

Arrange the chicken pieces in a large nonreactive baking dish and top with the onion. Spoon, the marinade over the chicken and let marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 4 hours or as long a 8, turning several times.

Prepare the butter baste: Crush the saffron threads into a saucepan (tilt it slightly), add the water and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter, lemon juice, chives, and pepper and cook over medium heat until the butter melts.

Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the chicken drumsticks and thighs skin-side down on the hot grate. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the breast pieces skin-side down. Cook all for 5 to 6 minutes, then turn all pieces over. Continue grilling for 6 to 8 minutes more; you may need to turn the chicken pieces several times to keep them from burning. The last 2 minutes or so, start basting the chicken with the saffron-herb butter.

Transfer the chicken pieces to plates or a platter and garnish with the parsley sprigs. Serve with lemon wedges and sliced red onion.

Churrasco with Chimichurri

I have always thought the title of this dish, Churrasco with Chimichurri, sounded sooo exotic. And difficult. Plus having never been a huge steak eater, it never really crossed my mind to make it.

I am now married to a beef eater. Not major, mind you, but once a month or so Bo loves steak. And I am learning to love it too. With the help of recipes like this one. Which by the way, was very easy!

Daisy Martinez can do no wrong. I swear! Every one of her recipes I make turns to gold - or as Bo says Honey, you've outdone yourself!" If only he knew I have no special powers. I just know how to read a recipe.

I am jealous of Daisy - she and her family travel to a different Latin country every Christmas to sample the cuisine, collect recipes and talk to the locals. I want a job like that!

Enough of my longings. On to the recipe. Full the richness of garlic paired with the tang of parsley, chimichurri complements flank or skirt steak, cuts that usually need added flavor.

So, this weeks lesson is this: Dont wait 10 years to make a dish because it sounds hard. Chances are it isn't.

Grilled Skirt Steak (Churrasco) with Chimichurri (Adapted from Daisy Martinez)

4 skirt or flank steaks, trimmed

Sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoon(s) onion powder

2 tablespoon(s) white wine vinegar

2 tablespoon(s) extra virgin olive oil

Oil spray

Rub, salt and pepper, onion powder on steaks. Sprinkle with vinegar and brush with olive oil. Grill to taste. Drizzle Chimichurri Sauce over steaks.

Chimichurri Sauce

4 cup(s) flat-leaf parsley leaves

6 clove(s) garlic

1/2 cup(s) (or more, as needed) extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup(s) red wine vinegar

Salt

Fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon(s) (heaping) red pepper flakes (optional)

Process parsley and garlic in processor until fine, and scrape out into a bowl. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar, and check for seasoning. Add optional red pepper flakes for a spicy chimichurri.

Chocolate-Chile Cake

It has been awhile since I reviewed a dessert and it is about time! Like most sweets I make, this one involves dark chocolate, a low sugar count, and a bit of savory to round things out.

Another Daisy recipe, this cake is very easy to make, is flourless, and with 8 eggs and 3 sticks of butter, is not low on the calorie count! Luckily it is so alive with flavor that a tiny piece will satisfy you. Cinnamon ice cream is recommended as as accompaniment, but unable to find it, I served it with a nice chunky strawberry. The contrast in color between the ice cream and cake made a beautiful picture on the plate.

Make this one quick before swimsuit season catches up with you!

Chocolate- Chile Cake (Adapted from Daisy Martinez)

1 cup strong brewed dark coffee

1 packed cup brown sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

1 scant teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

8 large eggs, beaten

Strawberry ice cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan: Cut a circle of parchment the size of the removable bottom of the pan. Fit the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan. Tear off an 18-inch length of aluminum foil. Center the pan over the sheet of foil and crumple and crimp the foil all around the sides of the pan. (The foil will prevent water from seeping into the pan during baking.) Set the pan aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the espresso, brown sugar and the cinnamon sticks to a simmer over very low heat. Simmer until the syrup is very fragrant, about 20 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted, and then stir in the cayenne pepper. Remove the cinnamon sticks and set the syrup aside.

Pulse the chocolate in the food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a deep bowl. Pour in the warm coffee syrup and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Temper the eggs by adding the warm syrup to them one teaspoon at a time, beating well as you add. When the eggs are warmed up (after about 1/2 cup warm syrup has been added), pour the eggs into the syrup mixture. Whisk in the beaten eggs until completely blended.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan in a large, deep, oven-proof skillet or a roasting pan and set on the oven rack. Pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake until center is set and barely wiggles when you shake the pan gently, 50 to 60 minutes.

Cool the cake to room temperature. Remove the foil and chill the cake in the pan at least 8 hours. Run a wet knife around the sides of the pan then pop the spring to release. Place a platter on top of the cake and flip over. Remove the bottom of the pan, and peel off the parchment. Serve with ice cream.

***I sliced this into 16 pieces, then it is easy to cut in half if desired. It also freezes beautifully!**

Grilled Smashed Potatoes

I love potatoes. I mean I REALLY love them! I cant think of many ways I dont like them, as long as they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, I am in heaven.

Except for baked or roasted, I haven't had much luck making them the way I like them. I don't deep fry them and try not to cook them in much oil, which makes it difficult to get them the way restaurants do - until I found this.

Now that spring is here, I am anxious to grill as much food as I can. And with this finding, the grill crisps the outside while cooking the inside. And it is very easy, can be prepped in advance, and would be great for a party.

Even a party for two!

Garlic Smashed Potatoes (Adapted from Epicurious)

16 small red-skinned and/or white-skinned potatoes (about 2 inches in diameter)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Chopped chives, optional

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to wax or parchment paper. Cool potatoes to lukewarm, about 20 minutes. Using another piece of wax or parchment, gently press each potato until split open and flattened to scant 1-inch thickness (don't press too flat or potatoes will break apart).

Brush a large baking sheet with oil. Transfer potatoes to prepared sheet. Brush potato tops with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Prepare the grill to medium-high heat. Place potatoes, oiled side down, on the grill or on a grill pan. Brush with oil. Cook until crisp and beginning to color, about 5 minutes per side.

Transfer to platter; sprinkle with chives if desired and serve hot.

Salmon Pasta Salad

Spring. The season of "firsts". The first time you hear a robin. The first time you have a beer on the deck. The first time you see a flower. The first time you have pasta salad.

Or maybe that's just me.

I love cold pasta. I don't know if it is a Midwest thing, or if all sectors of the U.S. partake in this particular way to eat pasta. Either way, it is part of my heritage!

Growing up pasta salad was always "swimming" in a thin mayonnaise-y sauce. Mostly pasta and sauce with very few extras. Over the years I have tweaked it to my particular liking, almost eliminating the mayonnaise and adding more elements.

Below you find my basic recipe. Feel free to add, delete and change anything you see fit.

And have it with that first beer on the deck!

Salmon Pasta Salad

2 cups whole-wheat rotini or macaroni (6 ounces)
1/3 cup mixture of mayonnaise and low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup yellow or red bell pepper, large dice
2 cups cucumber, large dice
1 cup grated carrots (2-4 carrots)
1/2 cup chopped scallions (4 scallions)
1/3 cup slivered fresh basil
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 can Alaskan salmon, rinsed and flaked

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 6 minutes, or according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, dice the pepper and place in the colander. Drain the pasta, pouring it and the hot water over the bell pepper. Run both under cold water.

Whisk the mayonnaise, yogurt, and vinegar (or lemon juice), garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Add the pasta and bell pepper and toss to coat. Add tomatoes, carrots, scallions, basil, feta cheese and salmon; toss to coat well. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each

Corn and Poblano Empanadas

Empanadas are one of the foods I miss from Houston. You can find them in many grocery stores and bakeries, hot and fresh with many different fillings: meat, cheese or vegetables (especially pumpkin). I found a recipe that looked tasty yet easy to make, at least for someone who likes working with dough.

The key to these pastries is to not handle the dough too much or it will become tough. The chili powder lent a tiny amount of heat to the dough, but if you dont like any heat, leave it out. You wont miss it.

This is also a beautiful make ahead dish - I prepped the dough and filled it before covering with plastic wrap until I was ready to bake. I served these as a main dish, but they would make great apps for a party. Besides the make ahead component, they are great served at room temp as well as hot.

And the filling possibilities are endless - zucchini, chicken, chorizo, even pizza sauce and mushrooms - let your imagination guide you!

Have fun with them!

Corn and Poblano Empanadas (Adapted from Cooking Light)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup masa harina
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 poblano peppers
Cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 500°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, masa harina, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and chili powder in a food processor; pulse 3 times. Add water and butter; pulse until mixture forms a loose ball. Remove from processor; knead until ball completely forms. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Shape each dough portion into a ball; flatten each ball into a 3-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Cover and chill 30 minutes. (Stack dough portions between pieces of wax paper.)
Place poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 500° for 20 minutes or until brown and blistered, turning once. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel poblanos; cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes, and finely chop. Place in a medium bowl.
Reduce oven temperature to 425°.
Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and corn; sauté 3 minutes. Add to poblanos; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cheese.
Roll each dough portion into a (5-inch) circle. Working with 1 circle at a time (cover remaining circles with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon 3 level tablespoons corn filling into center of each circle. Moisten edges of dough with water; fold dough over filling. Press edges together with a fork or fingers to seal. Place empanadas on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Combine egg white and 1 tablespoon water. Lightly coat tops of empanadas with egg mixture. Pierce top of dough with a fork. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Mango and Black Bean Salad

I have to confess, this first blog post after the India trip is a blast from the past.  Well not THAT far in the past, but not from this last week either.

Looking for quick and tasty lunches that are also filling is a constant mission of mine.  Bo is fine with the same few dishes in rotation, but I think it is nice to be creative from time to time.

Mango and Black Bean Salad served as a nice diversion from the usual green salad with beans or chicken.  It is nutritious and quick, keeps well, possibly even tasting better with age.  Served over torn greens or on a bed of rice it is a complete meal in a dish.

Well, as I ease back into the land of the kitchen by doing some meal-planning, I notice there has been a change in the weather.  I see changes ahead in the foods we eat!  Stay tuned!

Mango and Black Bean Salad (Adapted from Daisy Martinez)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
Kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 mango, peeled, flesh removed from the pit and cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 generous cup)
1 large green apple -- not-peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice                        
1/2 small red onion, cut in 1/2, then into thin slivers (about 1/4 cup)

Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, and cilantro together in a large bowl until blended. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the beans, mango, jicama, and onion and toss gently to coat with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve right away or let stand at room temperature for up to 30 minutes. Toss and check the seasoning before serving.

No, I didnt forget my little blog...

Yes, I was supposed to be back from India April 9th. Yes I was supposed to be cooking and blogging by now. But a funny thing happened on the way to the U.S...

The night before we were set to leave I became very ill. Yes, I was careful. No, I didnt drink the water. No, I didnt eat raw fruits and veggies. Yes, we only ate at nice restaurants with great reputations.

Despite all this, I became quite sick and was rushed off to the hospital. Let me tell you - I received excellent care! I was prepared for a few hours in the ER with a IV to rehydrate me. Instead they immediately admitted me and I was there for three days. Out of the hospital for the 2nd day and on the mend, a flight out wasnt available until April 14, so here we still are.

And I'm thinking it may be a few days before I feel like cooking!

In the meantime, above is a photo I took from the Taj. Luckily my illness happened the night we came back, so the side trip still happened.

Look carefully at the girl hiding behind her mother on the left foreground. She has a cell phone in her right hand and is taking my picture. Oh yes. I was quite the celebrity there!

Think good cooking thoughts for me, wont you?