Fresh Grilled Fish

Jesse and Sam enjoy some refreshments after a big day on the water

Each summer, we look forward to a visit from our friends from Sackville, N.B.  When Owen, Sam and Jesse came to Wolfe Island this year, they brought perfect fishing weather.  So, armed with a box of dew worms and a lot of enthusiasm, we set out for a day on the water.  We hit a lot of the Schumacher boys "secret spots", but had the most luck just off the cottage point, drifting past the lighthouse. By the end of the day, Jesse had hooked the most fish, but it was Sam’s smallmouth bass that became dinner that night!

Sam and Owen worked hard to land this beauty!

Grilled Bass

We filleted the bass and rubbed it with a paste of olive oil, orange zest and fresh herbs.  We placed the bass in the refrigerator for half an hour, then grilled it for 5 minutes per side, with the closed barbecue set at MEDIUM. Using a grilling basket made especially for fish helps preserve the shape and makes turning the finely fleshed fish a lot easier. You do not want to lose a single morsel of this hard-earned feast!!

Maddy raids the garden

The only way that we could make this feast any better was by raiding the garden. The garden is bursting with everything “green” these days. We are eating peas and beans everyday, and the lettuce, kale and herbs are so plentiful that we dream of recipes that include them.  This is a very hardy salad that has a lovely fresh, piquant flavour, thanks to the apple and fresh herbs. It travels very well and stands up for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, so would be a good choice to take to a pot luck, on a picnic, or if you are invited to a friends cottage for the weekend.  It was perfect to bring along on our fishing trip!!

Quinoa and Kale Salad with Green Apple and Herb Vinaigrette

I cup quinoa

1 cup kale, remove tough spine and finely chop the leaves, pack into the cup

1 granny smith apple, diced

2 green onions, chopped

¼ cup toasted pumpkinseeds

1 lemon, zest for salad and juice for vinaigrette

Lemon and Herb  Vinaigrette:

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh Lemon juice

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp salt

½ tsp red chili pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare quinoa:  Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil in a large, covered saucepan. Add quinoa, cover, stir and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, remove lid and fluff quinoa with a fork. Set aside to cool.

Vinaigrette:  Combine olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, basil, Dijon mustard, red chili pepper flakes,  salt and pepper in a blender and blend for 15 seconds.

Combine the cooled quinoa, finely chopped kale, green apple, green onions and lemon zest in a large bowl. Toss with Lemon and Herb Vinaigrette and garnish with toasted pumpkinseeds.

 Salad:  Combine quinoa, kale, green apple, green onions and lemon zest  in a large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.

We stopped to visit our friend, Mike, the boat-builder, on Horseshoe Island

Kebabs

Happy Birthday, Nancy!

We’ve been experimenting this summer with grilling all kinds of fish and meat on a stick.  It is a practice that is found in cultures all over the world and has some great advantages:  they are easy to serve and quick to cook, can be seasoned and prepared ahead, and a little goes a long way.   They make excellent appetizers and can also star as the main dish.  They are extremely versatile as there are many flavour profiles that fit for the meat and the sauces.  These recipes come directly from this month’s issue of Fine Cooking. 

Turkish Lamb Köfte

For the Spice Mix

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons dried mint

1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon hot paprika

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Pomegranate Yogurt Sauce

½ cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For the Köfte

1 pound ground lamb

1 medium plum tomato, seeded and minced

¼ cup finely grated red onion

1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses

1 medium clove garlic, minced

pinch kosher salt

wooden skewers, cut in half

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Combine all ingredients for the spice mix in a small bowl.

In another small bowl, mix together the yogurt sauce ingredients and set aside.

Place the lamb, tomato, onion, pomegranate molasses, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the spice mix and salt in a large bowl.  Mix thoroughly with clean hands.  Shape the lamb portions into small sausage shapes, and insert two skewers side by side.  This prevents the meat from spinning around as it would with a single skewer.  Transfer the skewers to a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1-24 hours. 

Preheat the grill on MEDIUM HIGH for 10 minutes.  Generously coat the grids with vegetable oil to prevent sticking, and reduce the heat to MEDIUM.  Grill the lamb until no longer pink in the center, about  6 minutes, turning for perfect grill marks. 

Arrange the cooked skewers on a platter, drizzle with the yogurt sauce and garnish with pomegranate seeds.  Serve with more sauce.

Japanese Chicken Kebabs

For the marinade:

1/3 cup tamari

¼ cup sake

3 tablespoons mirin

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½” pieces

12 medium green onions, but into 1 ½” pieces

36 small shiitake mushrooms, stemmed

For the garnish:

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

chopped green stems of scallions

Combine the marinade ingredients in a glass dish and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the prepared chicken thighs and let stand ½ hour.  Thread the chicken, mushrooms and green onion pieces on skewers in alternating patterns. 

Preheat the grill on MEDIUM HIGH.  Brush the grids generously with vegetable oil to prevent sticking.  Reduce the heat to MEDIUM.  Place the skewers on the barbecue and cook for a total of about 8 minutes, turning and basting with a small amount of the marinade. 

Meanwhile, bring the remaining marinade to a boil in a small saucepan, and cook for 5 or 6 minutes, until slightly thickened. 

To serve, sprinkle with chopped scallions and sesame seeds and drizzle with thickened sauce.

Happy Birthday, Geoff!

Grilled Prime Rib of Beef

You could not find 2 better helpers!

Expecting a large group of people for dinner? Make it as easy as possible on yourself by preparing a show-stopping main course, and fill out the rest of the meal with prepared-in-advance salads, that can be eaten hot or cold. That’s what we did this weekend when all of the Schumachers gathered at Wolfe Island- who wants to be cooking when everyone else is swimming, fishing, boating, golfing etc.? There was also a big art installation being planned.  Our feast on Saturday night featured Grilled Prime Rib of Beef, some home grown vegetables and herbs, savoury corn bread and rhubarb from Bruces garden for the Rhubarb Crisp.

Pepper guards the corn bread!

Prime Rib of Beef for 16 people

16 lb prime rib roast

4 cloves garlic

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

½ cup fresh herbs, chopped (rosemary, thyme and oregano)

Have your butcher cut out the bones and tie them back on. This makes it easier to carve while maintaining the protection and flavour that the bones add while grilling!

Multi-tasking on the grill!

Prepare the barbecue for indirect cooking over a drip pan. See Grilling Charts .  Temperatures vary according to weather conditions.  Be sure to use a meat thermometer to monitor the progress. We cooked this 16 pound prime rib roast at 250-275°F for 2 hours, then turned off the grill for an hour to let the roast rest. We relit the barbecue an 90 minutes before eating and cooked it for another hour at 250-275°F, then removed it from the barbecue and let it rest under a foil tent for another 30 minutes. The internal temperature of this perfectly cooked rare roast was 125°F!

Blueberry Vinaigrette

We raided the garden for greens, onions, fresh peas and herbs for our big green salad. The blueberries in Bruces orchard are not quite ready to eat, but watching them grow nudged Abby toward the idea for this Bluebery Vinaigrette. 

Taking a break from raiding the garden!

½ cup blueberries

¼ cup lime juice

¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp honey

2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process for 10-15 seconds, until thick and creamy.

Red Quinoa  Salad with Mangoes, Broccoli and Roasted Red Peppers

We love the healthy fresh flavours of this salad, and therefore keep the dressing very minimal and dry.

6 cups chicken stock

3 cups organic red quinoa

3 ataulfo mangoes, peeled and diced

1 cup broccoli, freshly picked, chopped

1 red pepper, roasted, peeled and diced

¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1-2 limes (1/4 cuo)

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp Tabasco sauce

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Add caption

Setting out for a moonlight cruise

Putting in the swimming raft

Getting ready to create!

Pepper gets left behind again

Grilled Rack of Venison with Roasted Garlic and Red Wine Sauce

This week's guest blog is courtesy of Jannell Lo  and Reid, who prepared this amazing dinner for us at the cottage.  We are so lucky to have kids who enjoy playing with their food as much as we do.  And Jannell's skills take it up to a whole new level.  Thanks, guys!

Grilled Rack of Venison with Roasted Garlic Red Wine Sauce

If you are looking for an alternative red meat, venison is the perfect hybrid of your standard beef and lamb - and it’s healthier too!

Marinade:

⅔ cup olive oil

⅓ cup grapefruit white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons red currant jelly

4-5 sprigs thyme

4-5 sprigs rosemary

4 cloves garlic, crushed

a dozen dried juniper berries, crushed

freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, white balsamic and red currant jelly until emulsified. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs. Crush and add garlic and juniper berries to the mixture. Add pepper to taste. Marinate the venison rack  in an airtight bag or a covered casserole dish for 2 hours.

Roasted Garlic:

1 head garlic

olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Place garlic head on tin foil (large enough to wrap it) and drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Wrap garlic head in the tin foil and bake on a sheet for 30-35 minutes.

Let cool.

Roasted Garlic Red Wine Sauce

3 shallots, sliced thinly

1 bayleaf

1/2 cup red wine

2 1/2 cups beef stock (you can use bouillon and water)

2-3 sprigs thyme

2-3 sprigs rosemary

2 tablespoons red currant jelly

1 head roasted garlic, skin removed

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Before getting this started, preheat the grill to 375F. You can cook the sauce and the meat simultaneously.

In a saucepan, saute shallots at medium heat (with the bayleaf) until translucent in colour. Deglaze the pan with red wine to lift up all those wonderful brown bits from the bottom. Let most of the alcohol evaporate before adding the beef stock. Add the rest of the ingredients (thyme, rosemary, red currant jelly, roasted garlic, salt and pepper) and let the sauce reduce to ¼ of the original volume on low heat, around 20-30 minutes. Strain. If you want a thicker sauce, you can add a cornstarch slurry and adjust to your liking.

For the venison, cook for 12 minutes (6 minutes per side) at 375-425F. Let  it rest for 6 minutes off the grill. Cook for another 12 minutes (6 minutes per side) to reach medium-rare. Take off and rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serve with classic ratatouille and your favourite mash recipe.