Category Archives: Summer Grilling

Shish kebab with Eggplant Hash and Tzatziki Sauce

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Shish kebab with eggplant hash and Tzaziki sauceO.K., this may not be the most authentic Shish kebab recipe. I got inspired by a traditional Turkey dish, and tried to re-create the combination I experienced few years ago in Greece. I hope it’s not a sin to take the best from each cuisines, combine it together and make your own twist on it – as long as you love the result, what do you think?

During my research I found out that the secret of moist and tender shish kebab is to mix the ground meat with diced lamb-tail fat. I didn’t want to go that far – and used Crème Fraîche instead. It supported the rich flavors of lamb meat and was absolutely melting in our mouth!

Shish kebab with Eggplant Hash and Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground lamb
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoon Crème Fraîche
4 large shallots – peeled, halved lengthwise, root ends trimmed but kept intact
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 roasted pepper (optional)

For eggplant hash:
1 small eggplant
1/2 finely chopped red onion
1 garlic clove diced
1 can of whole tomatoes
4 small bay leaves
4-5 whole allspice
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cup of white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

For Tzatziki sauce:
1 Greek yogurt
3 scallions finely chopped
2/3 English cucumber – peeled, seeded and diced or grated (squeezed in hand for an excess liquid)
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tablespoon of champagne vinegar
2 garlic cloves diced
dill or fresh oregano (optional) – mix together

Start with eggplant hash – it needs to cook through to get the right texture. Slice your eggplant into thick slices, skin attached. Spread slices over paper towel and season with salt. Let it sweat for few minutes, than pat dry with paper towel. Chop into similar size cubes.

In large heavy skillet heat the oil and stir in chopped onion on medium heat. Cook for a minute and add garlic and red pepper flakes, stir and let cook for few seconds (be careful, garlic can quickly turn brown and bitter). Bring up the heat and add all eggplant cubes. Season with salt and pepper and mix to coat all eggplant pieces with oil.

Add white wine and stir. Let wine almost evaporate on high heat and add whole tomatoes with a juice, crushing them carefully with your hand or spatula. Add bay leaves and allspice and stir into mixture. Turn down the heat, cover the pan and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft, on low heat. Finish with generous amount of chopped parsley.

In a medium bowl, gently mix the Crème Fraîche, seasoning, garlic, sliced roasted pepper and parsley into the ground lamb. Roll the mixture into similar size balls. Place all your meatballs on metal skewers and the onions together on separate one.

(I have done the mistake to mix it together – the meat took only few minutes to grill, and I ended up with undone onions, so trust me on this one.) Light a grill and let meatballs sit in room temperature for a few minutes, so the flavors can combine.

Grill kebabs over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned on the outside. depends on the size of your balls – but it only took about 3 minutes on each side and they were done. You don’t want to dry them through. Transfer to plates, and serve with eggplant hash and dipping Tzatziki sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Wine pairing suggestions:
I was just tasting a new Spanish red from Priorat when making this dish. It worked great with the rich taste of the lamb and spicy eggplant hash. Priorat wines are usually priced over $20.00 a bottle, but this one could be just a pleasant exception to the rule.

Bodegas La Cartuja is a modern, sexy blend of Garnacha, Mazuelo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah that just received 90 points from R. Parker. It’s my pleasure to recommend it with this week’s dish.

Bison Burgers with Cabernet Onions and Wisconsin Cheddar

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Photo: K.J.Koskin

This recipe was send to me by one of my friends, food and wine lover Ken. I have yet to make it, but the recipe sounds delicious. If you make it first, please let me know how you liked it!

BISON BURGERS WITH CABERNET ONIONS AND WISCONSIN CHEDDAR

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cups sliced onions (about 2)
3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine
1 pound ground bison (buffalo)
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 organic hamburger buns
6 ounces sliced Wisconsin white cheddar cheese
Dijon mustard
1 small head of escarole, leaves separated

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium skillet over medium- high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt, and sauté until tender and golden brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to sauté until very tender and well browned, about 15 minutes longer. Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool, cover, and chill.
Preheat broiler. Gently mix meat and next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle burgers with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Cook until well browned, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Open buns and arrange, cut side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Place cheese slices on bun tops. Broil until cheese melts and bottom halves are lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Spread bottom halves with mustard. Top each with a few escarole leaves, then burger. Spoon onions atop burgers, dividing equally. Cover with bun tops; press lightly.

Makes 4 servings

Note:
Bison meat is very lean and is best served rare or medium-rare.

Wine pairing suggestion:
Time for a big, juicy red, the caramelized onions in wine, I would even pick some more fruity reds, like Grenache, Shiraz, Mouvedre – all of it above combined in GSM blends like Cotes du Rhône’s wines. A great example is Domaine de la Solitude Cotes du Rhône – one of the oldest family in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

But also their “entry” red wine, called simply Solitude de Cotes du Rhône, is a great bottle of rich, Grenache based fruity blend, for much less money than the King of the Rhône wines.

Flank steak with shitakee sauce

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Flank steak with shitakee sauce

Flank steak was so easy to make and came out so tender and moist, it didn’t really need any sauce at all. But, adding the rich shitakee mushroom’s sauce to it, brought the dining experience to the next level. It became a gourmet….By all means, if you don’t feel like spending time making the sauce, skip it. It’s delicious anyway.

Flank steak with shitakee sauce

Ingredients:

11/4 lb. beef flank steak, trimmed of fat
1 lb. finger potatoes (or baby red)
1 box of fresh shitakee mushrooms (I prefer to slice them myself, but you can buy already sliced ones)
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
half a shallot finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup heavy cream (for skim version milk is OK)
freshly ground black pepper
salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup cold water
2 tablespoon Arrosto Italiano Italian Roast seasoning

Clean your flan steak and trim excess fat if needed. generously season with Arrosto Italiano seasoning and seal the spice in with sprinkle olive oil. Use your hands and rub the seasoning into the meat on both sides. Let’s sit aside in room temperature for a few minutes.

Heat up the grill. Cut potatoes long wise (skin on) and place them in grill prove dish (cast iron or heavy duty pan). Sprinkle with remaining seasoning and olive oil. Mix well together. Place on grill and let cook, mixing with wooden spoon on medium heat.

Clean shitakee mushrooms (I only used heads) and slice it to similar size slices. In a pan heat butter with olive oil and add finely chopped onion and garlic. Cook for a minute on medium heat and add all mushrooms. Season with salt and cook for 2 minutes or until soft.

Add cream (or milk) and keep cooking in medium heat. Add Dijon mustard and mix. To thicken the sauce, mix corn starch in cold water until dissolved and stir it to the boiling sauce (optional). Cook for a minute to thicken. Add freshly ground pepper (I used a lot), taste and add more salt if needed.

When your potatoes are almost done, place the dish on the top to keep it warm and place your steak directly on the grill. Let cook for 8 minutes and turn around once for an additional 5 minutes for medium rare (recommended). Let sit aside for 5 minutes before you slice it.

Pour the sauce over sliced steak and serve with baked potatoes and your favorite vegetables. Bon Apetito!

Wine pairing suggestions:

This yummy dish deserve some nice red to go with. Keep in mind that I am always trying to pair wines that are available and bargain for our Sunday cooking wines. First wine I paired this dish with was Steltzner Claret from Napa Valley. The second was a crazy-value wine, organic Malbec from Argentina, called Yellow+Blue.

Yes, the only wine in Tetra Pak that I ever recommended to my fellow wine lovers. Before you navigate from this page and start screaming something about how you would never, ever…. try it first. I did the same thing. And if you have a psychological block to drink wine out of the box, just pour it into decanter. It’s worth it!

Grilled trout

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Grilled trout
Trout is such a delicate, tasty fish yet we don’t eat it often enough. One of my reasons was that I didn’t want to bother with those tiny little bones. But when I last time came to my favorite City Fish, I found out that they had a fresh, nice size trouts, completely de-boned. I couldn’t resist to grab few and trow them on the grill. The simple preparation only took few minutes and before you can decide what wine to open, the fish was ready to serve.

Grilled trout

Ingredients:

2 whole trouts
few thin slices of unsalted butter
4 slices of lemon
2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Garlic and herb salt free seasoning
(or any other favorite seasoning mixture)
salt and pepper if desired
1/4 cup olive oil

Open trout and sprinkle seasoning on the inside of the fish. Cut thin slices of butter and put on on half of the fish. Cover with 2 thin slices of lemon, close with the second half and secure with skewers. Place in refrigerator for at least half an hour.

When ready to grill, take out of the fridge, brush skin with an olive oil and place in grilling basket. You can also grill it directly on your grill, just use caution when turning around.

Preheat grill on medium hot. Place your basket or fish and cover. Mine were pretty big and it only took 3-4 minutes on each side and they were ready.

The lemon with butter and seasoning created a lovely combination with the delicate meat. Serve immediately with any vegetables you like.

Wine pairing suggestions:

I picked Argentinian Torrontes called Alamos to pair with this light summer dinner. It was absolutely delicious together. My other pick was Maculan Pino & Toi, long time Italian favorite that I didn’t taste for quite some time. Both wines were a great match with simply prepared trout.

Grilled summer salad

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Grilled summer saladI have seen Giada on TV once, making something like this as an Italian antipasto. I didn’t take any notes and believe it was originally combined with orzo, cheese and meat. Well, it looked delicious so I tried to create a meal based on that inspiration. It served us as a delicious light dinner with few grilled shrimps and we loved it! Use your fantasy with different veggies or serving suggestions.

Grilled summer salad

Ingredients:
2 medium green zucchini
1 small eggplant
1 green bell peppers
1 red bell pepper
1 large red onion
2 large Portabella mushrooms
1/2 lb of snow peas
1/2 cup combined of chopped basil, parsley and tarragon
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper
olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Bring water in large pan to broil. Rinse snow peas in water, then cut the tip of each snow pea and pull out the tough string that runs along its side. Add peas to boiling water and quickly blanch them for 30 – 40 seconds. Drain and let cool.

Preheat your grill. Clean all your vegetables and cut into about 1/2 inch thick slices – zucchini and eggplant lengthwise, bell peppers seeded and cut in half or quarters, red onion in thick slices and mushrooms caps leave whole.

Sprinkle with olive oil and grill on each side until soft. Take off the grill and let cool a little. Cut each veggies into small pieces (about the same size) and mix in a large salad bowl with blanched snow peas.

Add chopped herbs, sprinkle with a generous amount of good quality olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and balsamic vinegar, mix well and serve at the room temperature. As the warm flavors of veggies blend with aroma of herbs and oil, this is a mouthwatering experience.
Grilled summer salad
For a non- vegetarian version throw a few shrimps, sprinkled with olive oil and a sea salt (devained, but unpeeled) on the grill and dress up your salad with a delicious seafood. Enjoy a light, great summer dinner.

Wine pairing suggestions:
As I added grilled shrimp to this summer salad, I opted for crisp white wine to go with it. My first choice was Californian Pacific Rim Dry Riesling. The herbs and aromas of this salad went great with this super aromatic wine. The second choice was Kris Pinot Grigio from Italy. Both wines worked really well.

Lamb Burgers with Relish Mayo

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Lamb Burgers with Relish Mayo

Happy Memorial Day – it’s time to party! As many of us will be heating grills this Sunday, why not try your own, homemade burger for change? This lamb burger is super tasty, juicy and tender. Expecting company and not sure if people care for lamb? Make just few as an option to regular beef burgers – and see what will be gone first!

Lamb burgers with a relish mayo

Ingredients:
3 lb. ground lamb (I bought a lamb stew meat and had it grounded)
1 bag of baby spinach (optional)
3 cloves of garlic
½ cup of fresh chopped mint
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
3 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon Worchester sauce
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons of shish kabob seasoning (I used Sadaf)
Salt and pepper as needed (caution, the seasoning already contains salt)

For mayo:
1 cup of mayonnaise
3 round tablespoons of hot pepper relish
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint

Take  the meat out of the fridge and let it rest, bringing it to room temperature. In the meantime, sauté washed spinach in large frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, about 3 minutes, until soft. Season with salt and 1 sliced clove of garlic. Drain any possible excess liquid. Set aside and let cool.

Add all the seasoning, onion, pressed garlic and mint to your ground meat and mix with your hands thoroughly, until evenly combined. Add cold spinach to the meat and work it through with your hands.Form hamburger patties and grill about 3 minutes on each side (cooking time depends on the thickness of your patties).

For your super simple, but very delicious relish-mayo sauce, mix mayonnaise with pepper relish (I like the Uncle Maynard’s hot pepper relish) – taste and add more, if desired. Add pressed garlic and a tablespoon of chopped mint. Serve these juicy burgers with the relish-mayo and any sides you like, on the bun.

For a low carb version try this twist: Instead of a bun, chop all kinds of veggies you have in the fridge, 1 red onion and mix it in grill proved baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil, hot seasoning salt and freshly ground pepper and roast it on the grill, while grilling burgers.

Wine pairing suggestions:
I have paired this lamb burgers with an excellent Argentinian Malbec from Enrique Foster called Ique. If you can’t find this bargain in the wine store, grab another Malbec of your choice. But make sure you mention this name to the store owner – he might want to carry it. It’s really super value!

The other wine I paired my burgers with was Edna Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Another great quality wine for a very reasonable price.

Chicken and shrimp skewers

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Chicken and shrimp skewers

Happy 4th of July! What to suggest for America’s special day, full of parties and picnics? I am sure everybody has their own favorites to grill – burgers, hot dogs, steaks, maybe even roasts or tenderloins on the grill. Here is an inspiration for a marinated chicken thighs and shrimp that are easy and fast to grill on skewers or in flip basket.

Chicken and shrimp skewers

Ingredients:

2 lb of chicken thighs without the bone
(or how many you need)
1 lb of large shrimp – deveined, preferably not peeled

For a simple marinade:

½ cup olive oil
2 tbs Emeril’s original essence (or other chicken seasoning)
2 cloves garlic pressed
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and pepper (if the seasoning doesn’t contain salt)
1 Tbs rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

Clean your chicken thighs from excess fat and cut into similar size pieces. De-vein your shrimp (if not already done from the store) and don’t peel it.

Mix all the ingredients for a marinade together in large bowl and pour half over the meat. Pour the rest of the marinade over the shrimp in separate container. Let it marinade for at least 1 hour (the best is overnight) in air tide container, in the refrigerator.

Use skewers or grilling flip basket and grill, turning occasionally, until the meat is done. The shrimp only takes few minutes, the chicken slightly longer, depends on the size of pieces of meat.

Serve with your favorite dip and salad or grilled mixture of fresh vegetables on the grill. Here is my favorite mix of freshly cut veggies and wedges of potatoes:

I will cut all kinds of veggies I have on hand, incl. raw potatoes (skin on) into similar size pieces. Season it with salt, freshly ground pepper, mix in few strings of rosemary and sprinkle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Mix in iron pan (or other grill-save dish) and put on the grill. Mix with wooden spoon until done. The flavors and aroma are just divine.

Wine pairing suggestions:
Since I used a generous spoon of cayenne in my recipe, I paired this grilled treat with red wine without hesitation. Even the label of Garnacha de Fuego that we opened, suggest the fire of the grill – well,maybe.

This bottle is worth to open specially if you don’t stop with the chicken and move on to burgers or steaks. This truly is superior party wine and great value! It worked well with my skewers even though it is a rich and fruity red wine.

If you skipped cayenne in your marinade, you might want to grab something lighter in body – Italian Chianti or Pinot Noir. In case you prefer white, I picked really great White Burgundy from Louis Latour Chardonnay Grand Ardèche – rich, round, really tasty and wallet friendly wine.