Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Grilled To Perfection

 Hail storm last week aside, it is still in the mid-70's and mid-80's here, which means it's still grilling weather.  This weekend my husband and I have plans to co-create some gourmet burgers, but until then I thought I'd go ahead and share some of the recipes off the grill that I promised back in August!

To the left is a succulent rib-eye steak with accompanying skewered shrimp and grilled asparagus.  Below, tasty lamb riblets with Panko-breaded Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes.  The key to both of the meat portions of these meals (aside from my husband's grill-master skills) is my mom's famous Teriyaki Marinade.  I honestly pondered whether I should even share this amazing family secret or just horde it all to myself.  Heck, maybe I could bottle the stuff and become a millionaire someday (I'd give you a cut mom :))  But here goes:

Mom's Teriyaki Marinade:

Olive Oil
Soy Sauce
Ketchup
Garlic
Worchestershire Sauce
Pepper
Fresh Rosemary (optional)

I do not know the measurements for these ingredients, so you'll have to figure that one out on your own!  I use approximately equal parts olive oil and soy sauce, a nice amount of fresh chopped or minced garlic, or garlic powder in a pinch.  Enough ketchup to get the right consistency and maybe a couple tablespoons of Worchestershire Sauce.  I just keep adding things until it smells right to me. :)

This marinade is excellent on steaks, ribs, lamb, shrimp, pork...pretty much anything.

For the sides:

Asparagus was simply oiled, salted, peppered and grilled.   

Brussels sprouts I shake up in a bag with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Panko bread crumbs.  Then I throw them on a baking sheet and toss them with chopped bacon.  I roast these in the over at 425 until they are starting to brown and the bacon is crispy.

When I make mashed potatoes I always leave the skins on-I know this is freaky for some people but all the nutrients are in the skin!  Plus I think it adds that homemade charm, so do a few lumps so I never go to as much trouble as to put potatoes through a ricer or anything like that.  I do add a lot of not-so-healthy fatty goodness to my taters, but everyone needs a little fat in their diet!

Halve 6-8 red potatoes. Add to pot of salted water and bring to a boil.  Boil approximately 20 minutes or until soft.  Add 2 tbsp. cream cheese, 2 tbsp. butter, 1/4 cup sour cream, salt and pepper to taste, and a couple tablespoons of milk (enough to get the right consistency).  Whip together in your stand mixer, done!

With garlic:  If I have time I will roast a bulb of garlic in the oven and squeeze the roasted cloves into the mixer with the potatoes.  If I'm in a pinch for time a little garlic powder will do the trick as well (though not as yummy or fancy as the roasted garlic)!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Smoky Chipotle Cheeseburgers with Avacado and Tomatillo

Another Gourmet Magazine recipe winner: Smoky Chipotle Pork Cheeseburgers with Avacado and Tomatillo....yum.  I have to admit, I'm a newbie to ground pork.  A few weeks ago a friend's husband shared a delicious ground pork/turkey combination burger with me and I said "Ground pork?  Really?  Where did you find that?"  Honestly, I'd never even looked for it before.  Then I came across this recipe in Gourmet and I found that ground pork is surprisingly easy to find, wouldn't ya' know, tastes amazing, and has plenty of nutritional value (although ground pork is admittedly fattier than a lot of other lean cuts, but what the hay).

Here's the recipe:

  • 1 lb ground pork (not lean)
  • 2 teaspoons minced chipotle in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (Oops! Forgot this at the store!  used ground chipotle chili pepper instead)
  • 2 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press
  • 4 slices Muenster cheese
  • 4 hamburger buns, toasted
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 large tomatillo (1/4 lb), husked and rinsed, then sliced
  • 1/2 small avocado, sliced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro sprigs (we omitted because hubby doesn't like but kinda wished I'd bought some just for myself!) 


We grilled these babies over charcoal on our Weber Performer, melted the Muenster on top and served on a whole wheat bun spread with mayo and topped with avocado slices and tomatillo.  This was also our first experience with tomatillos and we gave them the thumbs up all around (including the kids).