Hoisin-Glazed Pork Chops with Plum Sauce

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep Time: 4 1/2 hrs
Cook Time: 10 min
Source: Weber’s Real Grilling

Ingredients
MARINADE:
½ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

4 bone-in pork rib chops, each about i inch thick

SAUCE

¼ cup plum sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons granulated suga

Directions
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
MARINATING TIME: 4 TO 6 HOURS
GRILLING TIME: 8 TO 10 MINUTES

1. To make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients.
2. Place the chops in a large, rescalable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal it tightly. Turn the bag several times to distribute the marinade, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
3. To make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients along with 2 tablespoons of water.
4. 4 Allow the chops to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Remove the chops from the bag and discard the marinade. Grill over Direct Medium heat until barely pink in the center of the meat, 9 to 10 minutes, turning once. Remove from grill and let rest 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with the sauce on the side for dipping.

Simple Fruit Salad Syrup

Servings: 8
Source: Fine Cooking June/July 2004

Ingredients
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Water

grated orange peel
grated lemon peel
grand marnier

Directions
Heat sugar and water until it simmers. Add the infusing ingredient, lower the heat, and cook for 7 minutes to let its flavor seep in the syrup.
Chill the syrup and drizzle it over the fruit just before serving.

Zabaglione (Zabaione)

Servings: 6
Source: Marcella Hazan, The Classic Italian Cook Book
Zabaione must not cook over direct heat. It is necessary to have a double boiler. Since it is desirable that the upper part have a heavy bottom, you might use an enameled cast-iron saucepan or other heavy ware and hold it over water simmering in any other kind of pot. Be sure to choose a large enough pot-the mixture increases greatly in volume as you beat.

Ingredients
4 egg yolks
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup dry marsala
Put the egg yolks and the sugar in your heavy-bottomed pot and whip them with a wire whisk (or an electric mixer) until they are pale yellow and creamy.
In a slightly larger second pot, bring water to the brink of a simmer, not a boil.
Place the pot with the whipped-up egg yolks over the second pot. Add the marsala and continue beating. The mixture, which will begin to foam, and then swell into a light, soft mass, is ready when it forms soft mounds.
Spoon it into goblets, cups, or champagne glasses and serve immediately.

Directions
Alternate recipe (Strawberry Zabaglione, Capriccio)

In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water combine 2 large egg yolks, 1/3 cup sweet Marsala, and 3 tablespoons sugar and with an electric mixer beat the mixture at high speed for 5 minutes, or until.it is fluffy and almost triple in volume. Transfer the mixture to a bowl set in a bowl of cracked ice and stir it until it is cold. In a chilled bowl beat 1 cup heavy cream with 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla until it holds stiff peaks and fold it into the mixture. Divide 3 cups strawberries, hulled and halved if necessary, among 6 Champagne glasses, spoon the zabaglione over them, and sprinkle it with pulverized amaretti (Italian almond macaroons, available at specialty foods shops). Serves 6. +

Hoisin Barbeque Sauce

Servings: —
Source: Jim Lee’s Chinese Cook Book
Can be used as a marinade for chicken to be broiled or for a sauce on the grill.

Ingredients
1+ Tbs hoisin sauce (or to taste)
1/2 Cup ketchup
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs sherry
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 tsp Tabasco (optional)

Directions

Gujarati Wilted Cabbage Salad

Servings: 6
Source: From “The Vegetarian Table India” by Yamuna Devi
Called bandgobhi kachambar, this Gujarati salad is served in small portions at room temperature as a relish, or hot, in vegetable-sized portions, as a side dish. Peanuts are widely used in Gujarat. Here the toasted nuts glisten among the fine shreds of wilted cabbage. This so-simple, so-good salad is slightly hot and sweet, the cast of Gujarati flavors including ginger, chilies, mustard seeds, curry leaves, sugar, and lime juice.

Ingredients
1½ pounds Savoy or green cabbage
1-inch piece fresh ginger
1 or 2 jalapeño chilies
1½ tablespoons ghee or peanut oil
2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
10 to 15 fre5h curry leaves
2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
½ tablespoon sugar
1 cup peanuts, toasted
julienned zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
salt and cracked black Malabar pepper

Directions
Core and very finely shred the cabbage. Peel and cut the ginger into paper-thin matchsticks. Halve, seed, and cut the jalapeño into a thin julienne.

Heat the ghee or oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat; add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the ginger, chilies, and curry leaves and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the cabbage, carrots, and sugar. Stir-fry until the cabbage begins to wilt and turns bright green; 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a salad bowl. Mix in the peanuts, lime zest and juice, cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled Whole Fish with Lemongrass and Graprao Basil

Servings: 6
NOTE: To prepare this dish in the traditional way, buy a 2- to 3-pound whole fish and have it cleaned and slit open from head to tail, leaving the bones intact. (Asian markets usually have excellent fresh fish and the staff to prepare them this way.) Rub the fish sauce mixture in the fish and then stuff it with the lemongrass and basil. Wrap in banana leaf and aluminum foil and grill for 15 to 20 minutes on each side.

If you can’t easily find fresh Asian herbs, use the freshly grated zest of 3 limes or lemons instead of lemongrass, and citantro, dill, mint, or any other fresh herb instead of the basil.

Like most Thai sauces, the chili sauce is served on the side, so you can add a plate of lime wedges or a quick sauce of lemon and melted butter for those who prefer a milder taste. The banana leaves enclosing the fish are wrapped in foil for grilling, so you can omit them if they’re difficult to find.

Ingredients
Chili-Garlic Sauce (see below)
¼ cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
Banana leaves and aluminum foil for wrapping
3 stalks fresh lemongrass
2 bunches graprao basil or other fresh basil (about 1½ cups leaves)
6 boneless small trout or 3 pounds meaty fish fillet, divided into 6 equal portions

Chili-Garlic Sauce for Fish

Serve this feisty sauce with Grilled Whole Fish with Lemongrass and Graprao Basil or any grilled or steamed fish or seafood.

1 1/3 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
2 teaspoons coarsely ground dried red chili

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the fish sauce, water, and palm sugar. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice, garlic, green onion, and chili, mixing well. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Makes about ½ cup.

‘Real Thai’ cookbook (paper back). pg 131

Directions
Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill. Prepare the Chili-Garlic Sauce and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, pepper, and sugar. Stir well and set aside. Prepare six 8-by-14inch sheets of aluminum foil and six 8-by-11-inch pieces of banana leaf. Place the 6 aluminum foil sheets on a flat work surface in front of you. Arrange 1 banana leaf piece in the center of each piece of aluminum foil.

Trim the lemongrass stalks. Cut away and discard the grassy tops of each stalk, leaving a stalk about 6 inches long. Cut away any hard root section to leave a clean, smooth, flat base at the root end below the bulb. Remove and discard tough outer leaves. Using the blunt edge of a cleaver or large knife, whack the stalk firmly at 2-inch intervals, rolling it over to bruise it on all sides. Slice each stalk on the diagonal into 2-inch lengths and set aside.

Place a whole fish or fish fillet on each banana leaf. Divide the fish sauce mixture among them, spooning it evenly over the fish to cover completely. Tuck several chunks of lemongrass and sprigs of basil inside each whole fish or alongside the fillets. Fold the long edges of each banana leaf toward the center and tuck in to enclose the fish securely. Fold all sides of the foil in toward the center to make a well-sealed packet.

Arrange the pockets on the grill rack and grill over hot coals for 8 to 10 minutes on each side. Transfer the packets to plates and serve at once with the Chili-Garlic Sauce.

Grilled Vegetable Sauce For Ravioli

Servings:

Source: Fine Cooking, August/September 1999 pg 25
This sauce recipe will cover two pounds of pasta, so you can freeze half to enjoy later. The sauce is also delicious over tortellini, gnocchi, or even polenta.

Ingredients
Yields 4 cup sauce; serves four with sauce left over.
1 med red onion, halved (skin on)
3 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
1/2 hot fresh green chile, such as jalapeño
1 portabelia mushroom (4 to 5 inches in diameter), wiped clean, stem removed
½ med eggplant, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick
2 cup (1 lb) chopped tomatoes, preferably fresh plum tomatoes or Early Girls
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup heavy cream
1 lb cheese ravioli
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or heat a gas grill for 20 min. on high. Put the onion, peppers, chile, mushroom, and eggplant slices on the grill. Grill the onion until it can be easily pierced by a skewer (about 45 min.), the peppers and chile until charred black and the skins are blistering (about 20 min.), the mushroom until soft and golden brown (about 20 min.), and the eggplant until branded with grill marks (about 15 min.). When the peppers and chile are cool enough to handle, peel them and remove their seeds. Peel the onion. Put the onion, peppers, chile, eggplant, mushroom, chopped tomatoes, and garlic in a food processor. Process until the vegetables are a pureé. Pass through a food mill or a strainer and transfer to a saucepan; stir in the olive oil and cream. Turn the heat to medium, bring to a gentle boil, and then simmer until the sauce is dense, smooth, and reduced to about 4 cups, 30 to 40 min.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a vigorous boil and add the ravioli. Cook until the ravioli are puffy and bobbing on top of the water, pushing them down occasionally (if using frozen ravioli, follow the directions on the package). Test one to be sure it’s fully cooked; drain and then cover with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if you like.

Grilled Tuna Marinade

Servings: —
Source: Bon Appétit, August 2005

Ingredients
Recipe #1

Marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup lemon juice
1 clove crushed garlic (for each steak)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
small amount of sea salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a shallow 9 X 13 inch glass dish, prepare all of the marinade ingredients. Remember, if you have more than 2 8-oz tuna steaks, you might need to adjust the ingredients to marinate. Marinate both sides (dredge steaks and get marinade on both sides). Let sit in refrigerator for 30 minutes before grilling.

*Soy sauce will overpower tuna if you marinate for too long!

Light the grill while tuna is marinating. Once coals are white (30 minutes) spread them and clean the grill, then wipe with oil so steaks don’t stick.

Grill for 4 minutes or less per side for 1 inch steaks, depending on how you like them. Steaks should be firm with pink in the middle. If you prefer steaks to be rarer, grilling time should be 2½ minutes on each side.

Grilled Potatoes

Servings: 4
Source: Fine Cooking 7/2000 pg 47
By par-cooking your potatoes before they go on the grill, they’ll have a soft, almost cakey texture on the inside when they’re done, but they’ll still have that terrific grilled flavor. However you choose to season the potatoes (see the sidebar at left), be sure to include some kind of fat and salt. Serves four as a side dish.

Ingredients
1 lb potatoes
Your choice of seasonings (see below)

Directions
Wash and cut the potatoes. I like to cut red- and yellow-skinned potatoes into 3/8-inch slices, as they par-cook a little more evenly, but wedges or quarters certainly work too. For Idaho “”fries,”” cut small Idahoes into six wedges, lengthwise. Cover the potatoes with cold water and 1 Tbsp salt per pound of potatoes in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower to a gentle simmer (you don’t want them to break up), and cook until they’re almost but not quite fully cooked, 4 to 6 min.

The potatoes will still be a little hard in the center, but the outer edges will look opaque. Drain in a large colander and rinse with cold water until they’re cool; handle them gently. Spread them out on clean dishtowels and let them sit at room temperature (for up to an hour) until you’re ready to grill them.

Light a charcoal grill and allow the fire to reach a medium-hot temperature (the top of the coals should be 5 to 6 inches from the grill grate, and you’ll be able to hold your hand over the fire for no more than 3 to 4 seconds when it’s medium hot).

Alternatively, heat the entire surface of a gas grill until it reaches medium hot. Toss the potato pieces with the desired seasoning, making sure that all the pieces are coated well. Put the potatoes, cut side down, on the grill grate in one layer, directly over the coals. Cook for 3 to 6 min. or just until deep golden brown and crisp. With tongs, turn the pieces over (to the other side, if you’re using slices, to the other cut side if you’re using wedges, and to the skin side if you’re using halves). Cook until that side is deep golden brown and crisp, another 3 to 6 min. Remove and serve immediately.

Seasoning potatoes for the grill

Use the seasoning mixes below to flavor 1 pound of potatoes before they go on the grill (12 to 14 baby potatoes, 6 medium red- or yellow-skinned potatoes, 2 large red- or yellow-skinned potatoes, or 2 small ldahoes make a pound). Cut baby potatoes in half, others into 3/8-inch slices or wedges or quarters. If par-cooking potatoes (see technique #1, p. 45), season them after simmering and cooling but before they go on the grill.

Extra-Virgin Olive oil & Fresh Herbs: Toss the potatoes with enough olive oil to coat well (2 to 3 Tbs.) and season with coarse salt, freshly ground pepper or a few hot red pepper flakes, and 2 to 3 tsp chopped hardy herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, or sage.

Mustard, Mayonnaise, & Herbs: Combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard and 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary. Coat the potatoes with this mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Mustard & Olive Oil. Combine 3 Tbsp olive oil with 1 ‘/2 Tbsp savory mustard and toss together with potatoes. Or replace the mustard with 1 Tbsp black olive tapenade or sun-dried-tomato pesto. Season well with salt and pepper.

Spicy “”Dipping”” Oil: Dip small potato halves or wedges in hot chile oil (use about ‘/4 cup) and then into a combination of fine sea salt and sugar (about 1 1/2 tsp each).

Dry Spice Rub: Coat the potatoes well with 2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil and then sprinkle your favorite dried spice rub over all the cut edges. Be sure to include a lot of salt in the spice rub. A good rub recipe: combine about 1/2 tsp each of ground cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, allspice, freshly ground black pepper, and dried thyme with about 1 1/2 tsp salt and a little sugar, if you like.

Mediterranean Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Servings: —
Source: Bobbie Werner
his can be made without chicken or you can use tofu instead.

Ingredients
3-1/2 lb chicken roasted at 350; rub with olive oil and herbs de Provence.
Cool, skin, and cut into cubes, or pull off bones in clumps.
You can also go to your local market a buy a roasted chicken.
1 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp herbs de Provence
salt and black pepper
1 lb new potatoes
1 lb eggpant
2 red bell peppers
1 red or yellow onion (I use shallots)
8 oz green beans
1 whole head garlic, separated and peeled (I added one sm pkg of baby carrots)

6 oz drained jar of artichoke hearts(packed in water)
1 cup pitted calamata olives
1/2 cup chopped basil
8 oz feta, cubed

Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
I tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp each salt and freshly ground peper
2/3 cup olive oil

Directions
Cut the veggies into 1 “” cubes and put in roasting pan. (Veggies are potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, green beans, carrots, and garlic) Drizzle some oil and all the herbs, salt and pepper. Roast approximately 30 minutes at 350°. When the potatoes are done, it will be the time.

Add basil, olives, artichoke hearts, chicken and feta. Toss with the vinaigrette and serve at room temperature. (I used about 2/3 of the vinaigrette. I would taste after using 1/2)