Rack of Lamb and Other Summer Pleasures

Once again we were inspired by our bountiful summer vegetable gardens. 

This week there seemed to be one happy occasion after another, all shared with friends and family.  On Tuesday we had an impromptu tailgate party in High Park before once again seeing Teddy’s production, The Taming of the Shrew.  Ted had smoked a pork shoulder the night before and we enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches and lots of fresh garden vegetables with hummus.  Adam filled in the rest of the menu with pasta salad and coleslaw as well as some treats from Sabletine.  

Simple crudites cups with hummus to hold everything upright

On Friday our friend Mary Ann whipped up a delicious bean salad to accompany some perfectly grilled flank steak, and we did our best to replicate it for our rack of lamb dinner on Saturday.  This weekend marked the beginning of what will hopefully be a steady crop of zucchini, and Ted prepared it in a simple grilled dish garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese. 

On Sunday we were treated to a lovely dinner with Gord and Nancy.  Nancy created some simple, fresh appetizers, which we enjoyed with friends on their charming cottage porch.

Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Olives

1 ½ pounds green and /or yellow beans, blanched

assorted cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on the size

kalamata olives

for the vinaigrette:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Arrange the prepared beans on a platter an scatter with cherry tomatoes and olives.  Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together and spoon in over the vegetables.  Serve at room temperature

Grilled Rack of Lamb

2-3 racks of lamb, frenched

for the marinade:

2 cloves garlic, pressed

zest of 1 lemon

2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, chopped finely

small bunch thyme leaves, removed from stems and chopped finely

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.  Brush the mixture generously over the lamb racks.  Set them in a glass dish, cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for 6-24 hours.  Bring to room temperature for ½ hour before grilling.

Preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM-HIGH for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to LOW, and place the lamb racks on the grill, fat-side down on a 45° angle.  Close the lid, but do not leave the barbecue unattended, as the fat may cause some flare-ups.  Cook for 5 minutes, then flip to the other side on the same 45° angle.  After 5 minutes, flip to the other side on the opposite 45°.  After another 5 minutes, turn to the other side on the same 45°.  Remove to a platter and tent with foil for 10 minutes before carving. 

 

Nancy’s Caesar Crisps

6-10 leaves of Romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces

your favourite commercially prepared Caesar Salad Dressing

Shavings of Parmesan Reggiano

Mary’s Gone Crackers

Toss the lettuce leaves with the dressing and arrange 1-2 leaves on each cracker.  Garnish with shavings of cheese.  Serve immediately.

Calm after the Storm

 

When you are hit with the intense extremes of weather that we experienced in Ontario last week, there is not much that you can do but stay calm and try to stay cool. By the time the weekend rolled around, the temperatures had dropped and the tornado warnings had been cancelled. We finally felt like eating a hearty meal!!

Everyone was happy to pitch in and help, even with the never ending job of picking the prolific green beans!

In our family, we always seem to have at least 2 proteins on the barbecue, to fit all of the different food cravings and aversions. This weekend, it was pork ribs and shrimp skewers on the Broil King Keg.  Follow the links where we recently posted some really great recipes.

We then decided to round out the meal with a super simple watermelon and feta salad, along with a deliciously refreshing green bean salad with a citrus dressing.

The real highlight of the week was definitely not food! We spent a beautiful evening in High Park in Toronto, watching Ted Witzels production of Shakespeare’sTaming of the Shrew at the Canadian Stage Amphitheatre.  It was a real delight.  He made such great use of the outdoor stage- it was clever, contemporary and thought provoking-we laughed and we cried!  What more can you ask from a performance? It runs until the end of August. Go see it!

Watermelon and Feta salad

1 small seedless watermelon, cut in ¾ inch cubes

1 seedless English cucumber, chopped

½ red onion, diced finely

3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

½ cup greek feta cheese, crumbled

Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large salad bowl and pour vinaigrette over top.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

 

Vinaigrette:

3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp honey

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar. Shake vigorously to combine.

  

Green Beans with Citrus Dressing

2 lbs green beans, trimmed

3 green onions, chopped

Dressing:

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh  basil, finely chopped

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

 Salt & pepper to taste

Combine lemon juice, dijon mustard, herbs, olive oil, salt & pepper in a jar and shake to combine.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add beans and blanch for 2 minutes, drain, then immerse in cold water for 2 minutes. Drain and place in a large salad bowl. Top with chopped green onions.Pour the dressing over the beans, adjust seasoning and serve.

Summer Fish

 

When the summer weather finally arrives we find we are craving some lighter dishes.  Fish fits the bill nicely, whether purchased or caught off your dock.   Here are some recipes for different techniques and flavours to compliment them. 

Sablefish with Tequila Lime Marinade

2 large sablefish filets

for the marinade:

1/2 cup lime juice

2 tablespoons tequila

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon hot sauce

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

½ cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large glass flat-bottomed dish.  Add the fish and turn to coat well.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM.  Brush the grids with a wire brush, then coat well with vegetable oil.  Lay the fish on the grill, skin side down, and brush the fish with more vegetable oil.  Close lid and cook for 3-5 minutes.  The skin will stick to the grids, but wiggle a large metal spatula between the loosened skin and the flesh, lift the fish off and flip it on to well-oiled grids.  Brush more of the marinade over the fish, and cook for 3 more minutes.  Carefully turn the fish again, brushing with the marinade and cook for about 4 minutes, depending on the thickness.  The flesh should just flake.  Do not over cook. 

Serve with Mango Salsa, recipe follows.

Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 peppadew peppers, minced

handful of cilantro, chopped,

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 ripe avocado, chopped

Combine all ingredients except avocado in a small bowl and let stand, covered, for an hour or so.  Add the chopped avocado just before serving to prevent it from browning.

Mark caught 3 lovely small mouthed bass just off the island while paddling around in a kayak.  He fileted one of them, dusted it with this special rub, and grilled it over the coals of the smoker for 5 minutes before serving with Mango Salsa.

Rub for Freshly Caught Fish

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon brown sugar

zest of one lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Double-Hot-Smoked Cedar Plank Salmon

1 side salmon

for the marinade:

¼ cup maple whisky

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 clove garlic, minced

2 green onions, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tim came up with this excellent technique for salmon on the Broil King Keg.  After lighting the coals, and soaking the cedar plank, he wiped the board dry and then painted some of the marinade over one side of the cedar plank.  He placed the plank on the smoker set to 350°F, and let it heat up until it started to smoke.  He lay the salmon on the board, closed the lid, and let it smoke for about 25 minutes.  It was divine!

For a fresh green side dish we chose Bonnie Sterne’s recipe for 

Edamame and Green Bean Stir-fry.

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 pound green beans, frenched

8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed

1 pound thawed shelled edamame

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Heat oil in a wok on medium-high heat.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 10 seconds, or until fragrant.

Add the green beans and sugar snaps and stir-fry for 30 seconds.  Add the edamame and stir-fry for 30 seconds. 

Add water and salt.  Bring to a boil and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until vegetables are bright green and tender.  Most of the water should have evaporated.  Add lemon peel and mint, and toss.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Stuffed Burgers

 

Stuffed burgers! When it was suggested to us that we try developing a few stuffed burger recipes, it seemed to us that it was just a trend that would burn out pretty quickly. But, we had a new  Grill Pro Burger Press to try, so we took a stab at it last weekend, and guess what??? We have been enlightened !!  The burgers were just the right combination of juiciness and flavour. Even better, they are neat and tidy to eat! Usaually, all of the toppings that are traditionally piled on top of  the burger and then covered with the bun end up dripping and falling out all over the place, resulting in a soggy bun and stains on your new jeans. BUT, when you STUFF them inside the burger, they do not slip off, rather,  they go intact, right into your mouth. Needless to say, our families were begging us for more.

The fresh baby spinach and local strawberries that we picked up at the market stand on the way to the cottage made a refreshing salad that was the perfect compliment to the burgers.

Classic Stuffed Burgers

2 lbs Medium ground beef(we suggest ground chuck)

2 tbsp onion, chopped

1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano, chopped

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt & pepper, to taste

FILLING:

6 slices bacon, chopped

½ lb mushrooms, chopped

2 tbsp onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 ½ cup old cheddar cheese, grated

2 tbsp BBQ sauce

Gently fry bacon in a large fry pan until slightly brown. Drain off the fat, but leave 1 tbsp in the pan.  Add the chopped mushrooms, onion and jalapeno pepper. Continue to sauté until the vegetables are brown, but not crispy. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Combine with grated cheese and BBQ sauce. Use 1 tbsp per burger.

Lamb Burger with Zesty Goat Cheese Stuffing

Jason managed to man the grill before running off to work

3 lbs ground lamb

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

¼ cup mint, chopped

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

1 tbsp cumin

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper

FILLING:

250 g. Chevre

½ cup chopped oil cured black olives

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp tahini

1 tsp harissa

Juice of ½ lemon

Combine above filling ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl. Use 1 tbsp filling per burger.

To prepare burgers:

Gently combine burger ingredients with your hands, being careful not to overmix. Form meat into balls slightly larger than a golf ball. Follow instructions on the Grill Pro Burger Press to create stuffed burgers. We caution that you frequently rub the press with oil, to prevent the ground meat from sticking to the plastic.

In the meantime, preheat the barbecue on HIGH, and oil the grids to prevent sticking. Place the patties on the grill and reduce heat to MEDIUM. Grill approximately 6 minutes per side, being careful not to press down on the meat

 

Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Toasted Almonds and Basil Vinaigrette

8 cups baby spinach

2 cups strawberries, sliced

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Toss baby spinach, strawberries and red onion together in a large salad bowl. Top with toasted almonds and drizzle with Basil Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Basil Vinaigrette

2 cups fresh basil, chopped finely

1 shallot, minced

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup olive oil

To make the vinaigrette:

Combine basil, shallot, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a glass jar. Add olive oil and shake vigourously to emulsify. 

Eric was a good sport and rolled up his sleeves to help stuff the burgers

Nadia and Rachel made these lovely candle lanterns