Shrimp and Avocado in Tamarind Sauce

Let's get something straight. This is the kind of dinner that is so good you'll eat until you're uncomfortable. It nails an Asian flavor so thoroughly you'll be amazed that you made it. And I had those thoughts about Shrimp and Avocado in Tamarind Sauce using a substitute for real tamarind paste. So tamarind paste is made from the prune-like pods of a tropical Asian tree. The paste is reconstituted in boiling water. After reading a bit about the product and possible substitutes online, I settled on a 1/4 cup of mixed dried fruit, including a few prunes, soaked in a 1/2 cup of boiling water and then poured the fruit and liquid through a sieve mashing the fruit to draw any liquid that I could get to pass through. This then was mixed with the sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, and when it was blended, I tasted it and knew that I was in for something special. Really the whole dish was out of sight; the shrimp, the avocado, the fried shallot rings, the dry-roasted peanuts... just killer. I served it over jasmine rice.

Sautéed Chicken Paillards with Artichoke Hearts

When I set out to make this recipe I had every intention of using fresh artichokes. Granted, they're a pain in the neck to prepare but the flavor is fantastic and they add a nice wow factor to the meal. Alas, none to be found in two supermarkets and when I looked and saw that my recipe for Sautéed Chicken Paillards with Artichoke Hearts came from the April, Bon Appetit I realized I was out of season and so settled on canned...and I mean settled. Not being sure what a Paillard is, I went searching and found out that it refers to a cut of meat pounded thin, in this case a chicken pounded to about 1/4 inch thickness. I like doing this although it sends our dog into the bathroom, her refuge from thunder, pounding chicken breasts, and pitting olives by whacking them with the side of a knife. The breasts were then dredged in flour and sauteed and since they were rendered of a uniform thickness, they cooked quickly and evenly. Some adjusting of the recipe had to occur since I was no longer cooking the artichokes, and it all came together nicely. I served it with Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) that I cooked in a mix of vegetable and chicken stock, both on hand I was introduced to Quinoa on one of my favorite cooking blogs called 101 Cookbooks and I've cooked it a few times. We think of it as a grain but it is actually a grass and I love to inform people that it was cultivated in South America 6,000 years ago. I recommend that you use it as a component in a recipe (such as this one for Double Broccoli Quinoa which I've tried and loved) and not just as a side.

Sea Scallops alla Caprese

Still in Mario Batali's Italian Grill, I had planned an entire week of outdoor cooking but the weather didn't cooperate and in fact it got down right cold so this one I moved indoors with no ill effect. Sea Scallops Caprese was the menu. "Caprese" means, in the style of Capri, an island in the Gulf of Naples. What you can expect from something "Caprese" is that it will have tomatoes and basil as in this recipe. For much of the grilling in Italian Grill, Batali uses a piastra which is a flat griddle over a hot fire. Sometimes I take a ridged iron griddle out to the grill and use that to toss around peppers and potatoes. For this recipe I heated the griddle up indoors and used it for the onions and the scallops. So all your doing here is making a tomato, basil and grilled onion salad and tossing it with olive oil, salt and pepper. Next, set the seared scallops on top and serve. Classic, simple Italian food that will knock your socks off!
I did serve this with a Chickpea Salad with Provencal Herbs and Olives. Nicoise Olives, red onion and chickpeas; great combination. It ended up being a salad and a salad but we survived.

Cornish Game Hens with Artichoke Hearts Vinaigrette

I have Mario Batali's, Italian Grill home from the library and I've really connected with it. This strikes me as a cookbook well worth owning. Since there have been nice artichokes in the supermarket I gave his Quail with Artichoke Hearts Vinaigrette a try only instead of quail, I made the recipe with Cornish game hens, my new favorite poultry for the grill. The hens marinated all day in a zip-lock bag the result was stunning. There they are on the grill looking like two plump sunbathers.

The artichoke's presented a bit of a challenge and I was thrown off by the photo of the recipe which seemed to show 4-5 leaves of thickness on the artichoke quarters. Those outer leaves were really to tough to eat and you had to cut them off to get to the 1-2 leaves that were tender. The heart and stem were tender and tasty nonetheless.

A little color was added to this monochromatic meal with a Cabbage and Beet Salad from Mark Bittman's, The Best Recipes in the World. This consisted of grated cabbage, carrots and raw beets mixed with a mustard vinaigrette. A burst of color and flavor.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Rosemary-Orange Dressing

And another from Bon Appetit's Ultimate Summer Menu Guide. I really like olives so I gave Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Rosemary-Orange Dressing a try. Didn't know what to make of the combination of olive and orange and was happy to see that it all worked out quite nicely. The recipe calls for boneless breast of chicken, skin-on. The chicken breast was to be "stuffed" under the skin. Never seen that cut of chicken in my supermarket so opted for boneless, skinless breast. I made a deep cut into the thickest part of the breast and stuffed it. The thin layer of stuffing required nothing to secure the breast, it all stayed put. This all looked great on the grill; especially the orange sections which grilled up beautifully and provided a nice burst of color but little else.
As a side I prepared the Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad, also from BA. My supermarket sells a small bag of tri-colored baby potatoes that were perfect for this salad. The mustard vinaigrette dressing and hard-boiled egg made for a nice rich flavor.

Grilled Shrimp and Sausage Skewers

I've gotten my money's worth in the last Bon Appetit. I'm still working my way through The Ultimate Summer Menu Guide and tonight's dinner was a good example of what you can find in there. For the main course I did the Grilled Shrimp and Sausage Skewers with Smoky Paprika Glaze. Very easy prep using frozen shrimp. I like the 21-25/lb, peeled de-veined, tail on. I thaw them under running water and then take off the tail for convenience. I used a smoked chicken sausage instead of pork. It was an Aidell's product and I can't remember which one; in cases like this if I can't find Andouille I'll look for something a little spicy. The glaze has a great, truly smoky flavor and I coated the skewers liberally. The recipe says to soak bamboo skewers, I didn't and never do. They burn a bit at the ends but no big deal. I did serve with the extra glaze but nobody bothered with it; the skewers were flavorful enough.
I served the shrimp and sausage with Arugula, Fennel, and Apricot Salad, also from The Ultimate Summer Menu Guide. I used four small apricots and that was too much. Slices from 2 large would be fine or even 2-3 small. I also used dry roasted, salted pistachios and that was decadent.

Jerked Chicken

OK, I did it again, I cooked out of Boy Meets Grill with mixed results. This time it was Jerked Chicken with Mango Cilantro Relish. So jerk chicken sounds like a fun thing to prepare and the recipe for the marinade is a pretty incredible concoction. I did mine with two Cornish game hens and let it marinade for 24 hours, something I've never done before. As I was making the marinade I was struck by the number (16) and variety of ingredients and I remember thinking, "if this doesn't impart a flavor, nothing will." So, into a zip-lock bag and into the fridge. Not having a clear idea of what to serve with this I went somewhat caribbean and I decided on a Black Bean and Yellow Rice Salad. The salad came together easily and I liked the turmeric and cumin flavoring and color. The Mango Cilantro relish is a keeper. That combination is killer. The hens cooked up nicely but the marinade left little to no flavor on the chicken. I don't know what to say, I'm determined to try a few more jerk recipes to see if I can get something that pops. As for Bobby Flay, I'm putting this cookbook away.

More From Mario Batali

With Mario Batali's Italian Grilling home from the library I've been working through it and generally I like it. I'm a huge grilled shrimp fan and so I gave the Warm Shrimp Salad w/ Green Beans and Chiles a try. I think that there are great frozen shrimp to be found at supermarkets and if you stick with the 21-25/lb size they are easy to handle and especially easy to grill with no unique equipment. I buy the peeled de-veined shrimps and then I remove the tail shell; they defrost in a colander with cold running water. I line them up on the grill like troops massed at the border. They really give you the best of grilling; they soak up smoke flavor and marinades caramelize nicely on them for great taste and color. Go out and get some shrimp to grill! This meal came together quickly and we ate it solo. I didn't include toasted hazelnuts because I forgot to buy them but I bet they would have been great in this.

Grilled Calamari?

Who'd have thought? I borrowed Mario Batali's, Italian Grilling on a whim and found a few things to try. Grilled Calamari appealed to me because I've never tried it before. Pretty simple, a pound of squid rinsed and patted dry, tubes cut into thirds. Marinated in thinly sliced green onions, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ground black pepper, thinly sliced garlic, and marjoram for an hour. Thread the calamari on skewers alternating with lemon slices and fresh bay leaves (Mario calls for lemon leaves.) Onto the grill for about 6 minutes a side and then onto your plate. I served it with Israeli Couscous with Asparagus, Peas and Sugar Snaps. I really liked the flavor of the grilled calamari but it gets a bit monotonous as a main course. I think it would be best grilled in this manner and then added to a calamari salad.

Salmon on the Grill

Take a look at the June Bon Appetit magazine if you get a chance, or visit the website where you'll find all of the content and recipes for free! Their Ultimate Summer Menu Guide is a great collection of summertime "mix and match" entrees and salads. Salmon is a big favorite in my house so I'm always on the hunt for a new way to prepare this great grilling fish. Salmon with Coriander Rub and Lime Cream seemed like a nice direction to go and so it was. Salmon is an easy fish to grill. It has a strong flavor that holds up well to bold marinades, in this case a rub (more like a paste) of toasted and ground cumin and coriander seeds, olive oil, garlic, and lime peel. Salmon is forgiving on the grill, it holds together and it has a nice wide window of readiness. Even if you like it underdone you don't have to watch it like a hawk. If you are transitioning from hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill to something a little more gourmet, give salmon a try.
So this intensely seasoned and grilled salmon was paired with a "lime cream" which consisted of sour cream, lime juice and lime peel. The two went together wonderfully with the lime cream providing a summery cooling taste to the salmon.
I paired the salmon with a Dilled White Bean and Grape Tomato Salad from the same magazine. This salad came together quickly, you can easily do it while the grill is warming up. On a whim I tried a quick roasted Vidalia onion that I saw prepared on a Bobby Flay grilling show. Just a Vidalia onion, halved on the equator, insert two pressed garlic cloves and a tablespoon of butter; replace the onion "lid" like a hamburger bun and wrap tight in foil; drop it right on the coals and pull it off after everything else is finished. I chopped it up a a kind of relish for the meal, tasted like it would go well with chicken or a steak.
This was a perfect, quick, tasty weeknight meal. Oh and by the way, take a look at who visited us while we were grilling, sorry for the grainy photo but he was on the move.

I'm Jazzed About Cornish Game Hens

A long time ago someone told me that since I enjoyed grilling I had to check out the Food Network's Bobby Flay and buy his cookbook Boy Meets Grill. So, I bought the book and tried a few things and was generally unmoved. Fast-forward about 8 years and the last few months I've been on the lookout for cooking shows that might be worth a look-see and I have to say that consistently I like watching Bobby Flay's grilling shows; Grill It, and Boy Meets Grill. So what do I like about the shows? His ingredients tend to match the things I like to grill, and I like the immediacy of the show. None of this, in the oven for an hour, oh, here's the one we started before the taping... His show is real-time and he deals with the challenges of grilling as they occur: "let's move this to a cool part of the grill;" or "I see my grill is sending up smoke signals, I better take a look." Sometimes things don't go as planned but he makes it happen and it all comes together on the fly, just like when you grill at home. So while you might not like the recipe he's cooking you can learn a lot by just watching his technique.
OK, I like the show, let me take another look at Boy Meets Grill and and see what I can do. First up was Larry's Fire Roasted Chicken Skewers with a Tangerine-Cascabel Glaze, the version I found online has a pomegranate salsa which was not in the book. I made this on a hot day and neglected to read ahead to see that the glaze requires a reduction to a syrup which raised the temperature of the kitchen up above 100 for sure. It marinated for a while and then was splashed with a glaze prior to removal from the grill and I have to say the flavor was fleeting. I served it with a an Herbed Potato Salad from the 2009 Gourmet Today cookbook. My salad used a colorful mix of fingerling potatoes that looked great and tasted smashing. It was thumbs down on the chicken, it needed something much more robust.
Boy Meets Grill has a few recipes for whole butterflied chicken and since we're a small group I opted in two cases to try the recipe using Cornish game hens. What a discovery! Take your Cornish game hens and cut out the backbone so that you can lay it flat. Two hens in our house feed two adults and a picky kid or two with a bit for lunch. I I cooked Flay's Butterflied Lemon Chicken the hens are marinated in oil, lemon and rough chopped garlic. Then removed from the marinate I stuffed basil leaves and a slice of lemon under the skin of each breast. Wow, fantastic, and you can eat the lemons right along with the chicken. This one I served with an orzo, feta and cherry tomato salad. Colorful and tasty.
In my second go around with Cornish game hens I tried Bobby Flay's Indonesian Chicken with a Green Onion Yogurt Sauce. Once again, with Bobby Flay: complicated recipe; marinade tasted great; end result? So so. I loved the chicken, it cooked quickly, 5 minutes on the skin and 7 on the underside, it was juicy and tasty. The flavor of the marinade didn't quite stick. I served it with a radish salad from Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes of the World. Basically sliced radishes and finely chopped celery in a vinaigrette with cilantro and orange sections. How's that for a summer salad? So what's the verdict here? I say watch Bobby Flay grilling shows on Food Network, you'll pick up all kinds of helpful hints. I'd give his cookbook a pass or if you're really interested borrow it from the library. Finally, get out there and grill some Cornish game hens. Quick cooking; Great taste; impressive presentation; a winner for the grill.