We are very fortunate to have neighbours who open their homes and kitchens to us.  The best dinners are made by many hands.  In this case, we were only called upon to grill the chicken:  all the rest was whipped up by Nora and Bev, inspired by Refresh by Ruth Tal with Jennifer Houston. 

Green Goddess Rice Bowl with Grilled Chicken

1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 2” pieces

1 bunch kale, torn

6 baby bok choy, halved

1 package baby spinach

6 cups cooked brown rice

1 batch Tahini Sauce (recipe follows)

1 batch Simple Sauce (recipe follows)

3 boneless chicken breast halves

Olive oil

Herbes de Provence

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Prepare the vegetables and cook the brown rice.  Prepare the 2 sauces.  Meanwhile preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH.    Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with herbes de Provence and salt and pepper.  Reduce the heat to MEDIUM LOW and cook according to our direct grilling charts, for a total of about 12 minutes.  Let rest before slicing.

At the same time, heat a wok over MEDIUM HIGH and add a small amount of oil.  Toss in the asparagus and the kale, add 2-3 tablespoons of water, cover with a lid and let steam for about 3 minutes.  Add the bok choy and continue to steam until all the vegetables are tender.  Add the spinach and toss until wilted.

Into each warmed bowl, spoon some rice, drizzle with a few tablespoons of the Tahini sauce, cover with vegetables, drizzle with a tablespoon of simple sauce, top with chicken and sprinkle with cilantro. 

Tahini Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup chopped parsley

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2/3  cup water

½  cup sesame butter (tahini)

In the bowl of a food processor or a blender, whiz the garlic, parsley salt and lemon juice.  Add the water and tahini and run the motor until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.

 

Simple Sauce

½ cup tamari

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1 ½ inch fresh ginger root, peeled and minced

4 tablespoons lemon juice

Beef Brisket and Smoked Summer Rolls

One of the great things about weekends is that you can always expect the unexpected. We are going to adopt that as our new motto!!

 We had planned to cook something on the smoker on Saturday, since the day was looking as though it would be wide open. The plan also included spending the afternoon in the woods, walking with the dogs and digging up a big basket of spring ramps, while the meat was cooking. Then we would prepare some very pungent scrambled eggs for Sunday brunch. Alas, it was not to be.






 
Before we went out Friday night, we organized ourselves by buying a beef brisket and pulling out the spices needed to make the rub.  The brisket was massaged with the rub and placed in the refrigerator overnight. Saturday morning arrived with a whole different series of demands, so set it aside for another day. 

We woke up Sunday morning,  turned on the Broil King Keg and set the brisket on the smoker, and the smells of hardwood smoke and grilling meat started to fill the backyard. Yummy!!  By noon, we had remembered that we had tickets to the Kitchener Rangers game in the evening, so Plan C was put into effect. We rescheduled our dinner invitation for Monday – our guests were to be family, and they understand!!!  The brisket was wrapped in foil, allowed to rest for 2 hours and put into the refrigerator. It will be tender and delicious tonight and no one will have to cook.  Here is the recipe for the brisket, and a recipe for Smoked Duck Summer Rolls that we did last week with some leftover smoked duck. We are going to try it this week with some of the leftover beef brisket.

MELT IN THE MOUTH BEEF BRISKET

• 6 lb beef brisket

• 1 cup rub, we tried this rub from Smoke and Spice, 2003, Cheryl and Bill Jamison

3/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup ground black pepper
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

• 1 cup tangy mop

1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

•  1 cup Broil King Southwest Barbecue Sauce

Rub brisket with spice rub, place in a resealable plastic freezer bag and refrigerate overnight.
Set up the Broil King Keg  with a full diffuser pan, to cook at 225F.  Meanwhile, remove brisket from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.  Place on the Keg, fat side up and allow to slowly cook for 6-7 hours. We started off with a large handful of soaked hickory chips tossed on the lump hardwood charcoals. Mop every hour with the tangy mop.
We removed the brisket from the Keg and wrapped it tightly in foil. Sliced against the grain, I tasted the brisket this morning dipped in our Southwest Barbecue Sauce. It was moist and delicious!

Smoked Duck Summer Rolls

2 cups shredded and chopped smoked duck

1 red pepper,  thinly sliced

1 mango, thinly sliced

3 carrots, cut into matchsticks

4 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Handful of cilantro leaves

½ package rice vermicelli, cooked according to package directions

Juice of ½ lemon or 1 lime

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon honey

Rice papers

Hosin sauce, for dipping.

Prepare the duck and vegetables, arranging them in small bowls at your work station.  While the rice noodles are cooking, mix the lemon juice, sesame oil, ginger, fish sauce and honey in a large bowl.  Toss in the drained noodles and set aside.

Fill a large pie plate with hot water, and soak the first rice paper until pliable, about 2 minutes.  Lay it on a clean dish towel, and place the filling ingredients on the bottom third as follows:  a few cilantro leaves, some noodles, duck, then a small amount of each of the peppers, mango, carrots and onions.  Start to roll from the bottom until the filling is covered, then turn in the sides, and continue to roll to the top.  Line a platter with a damp tea towel, and place the rolls on top, folding the damp towel over it as you work.

Slice the rolls in half diagonally, and place on a clean platter with hoisin sauce for dipping.

Beef Tenderloin with Chipotle Chili Rub and Zesty Chimichurri Sauce

We recently spent a weekend in London Ontario at Samantha’s house, where we hosted a little dinner party with some old friends.  It was such fun reconnecting with them in their beautiful city.
We put together a classic make ahead menu, centred around a grilled beef tenderloin, that we rubbed with a chipotle spice mix a day ahead of time, served with a chimmichurri sauce, full of fresh herbs, that we also made ahead. That left us with a few simple tasks the day of the party: preparing a few vegetables for the grill, including the sweet potato recipe below and buying a dessert. A word about the appetizer -Ginny's Cheese and Bacon Bites.  They may seem like a "cheeesy" blast from the past dish, but believe us, they are a real crowd-pleaser and impossible to resist after you have tried one!!

Ginny’s Cheese and Bacon Bites

These are not the most healthy choice, but a few of these tasty morsels every so often is a nostalgic treat.

6 strips bacon, cooked until very crispy, and crumbled

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

3 green onions, minced

½ cup Hellman’s mayonnaise

Dash tobasco sauce

Soft sliced bread, crusts removed

Mix the prepared bacon, cheese, onions, mayonnaise and tobasco sauce in a medium bowl.  Spread the mixture on bread slices, then cut each slice into bite sized pieces (about 6 per slice).  Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350° for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly and bottoms are slightly browned and crisp.

Beef Tenderloin

1 whole beef tenderloin

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground chipotle chilies

½ teaspoon mustard powder

Olive oil

Up to one day ahead, combine all the rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix well with a fork.  Pat dry the tenderloin, and rub the spice mixture all over the meat.  Cover tightly and refrigerate until 45 minutes before cooking.

Remove from the fridge and pat the tenderloin with paper towels to remove any excess juices that have accumulated.  Brush all over with olive oil to prevent sticking to the grill.

Follow the directions for grilling Beef Tenderloin, using our fool-proof 20/20/20 method!

Chimichurri Sauce

Handful of each:  parsley, cilantro, and mint, washed and thoroughly dried (about 1 cup of each)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

½ jalapeno pepper, coarsely chopped

Juice of 1 ½ limes

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

In the bowl of a food processor, chop the herbs, garlic, pepper and lime juice.  Add the oil while the motor is running and season with cumin and kosher salt, to taste.

Can be prepare 2 days ahead, covered tightly and refrigerated.  Serve at room temperature.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Sautéed Apples

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large tart apple, peeled and cut into 16 wedges.  Halve each wedge.

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons white wine

1-2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves

In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Place them on a preheated grill on LOW, and cook until browned and tender.  Meanwhile, heat the butter in a sauté pan until hot and beginning to brown.  Add the apples in a single layer and brown both sides.  Drizzle with maple syrup and white wine.  Cook until the liquid is almost evaporated and sprinkle with sage leaves.  Toss both the grilled sweet potatoes and sautéed apples back into the large bowl and mix gently.  Serve hot.

 On another note:

 GO RANGERS GO!!






It was an exciting game last night, with the Kitchener Rangers besting the Plymouth Whalers with a 4-2 victory. This hard fought win put them into game 7 of the Western Conference semi-final series.  Good luck in Game 7!