Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Summer Suppers 2

Holy deliciousness.  I can always count on Bobby Flay for sensational recipes, but this one is To. Die. For.   And I just love how it's so perfectly summery too.   If you've never had grilled peaches before, they are afreakinmazing, especially glazed with this luxurious, syrupy reduction of red wine vinegar and honey that comes together in just a few minutes.

Grilled Pork with Agrodolce Grilled Peaches (Click here for recipe)



We not only had rain in the forecast when we prepared this; it was pouring.  But hub wouldn't permit two consecutive non-grilled dinners, so he resorted to this arrangement.



He stood in the garage doorway, and the grill hid safely under the awning. The garage fire alarm only went off three times. A grill is NOT required for this feast though, so please let that not make you miss out on this seriously awesome dish. The pork can be roasted in the oven (look for a 135-140 internal temp), and the peaches would be fab broiled.

Our modification to the recipe was pretty much born of laziness. We used a pork tenderloin instead of a roast and didn't bother with the brine. We simply rubbed it with olive oil and generously sprinkled it with kosher salt, black pepper and chopped fresh rosemary. 



This immediately became a top 5 summer dish.   I'm in love, and I feel pretty darn confident that you will be too if you try this!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Summer Suppers

After a nutty few weeks with traveling and dinners of whatever-works, I was giddy to anticipate a relatively uneventful week at home.  This meant a Sunday afternoon sit down sesh to organize some meals for the upcoming week.  I'm the first to admit that I can deem that process a total pain and wish it - and the subsequent shopping/chopping/prep - over before it starts in favor of, oh, I don't know, a Starbucks date with Molly, a family baseball game in the front yard with pizza box cutout bases, a nap (wait, what is that again?).  But in this, the heart of summer, the vast a supply of fresh goodness had me jazzed to figure out what to cook.

This meal was actually tonight's dinner, and it was yummy enough to prompt a visit to my ever so slightly neglected blog!  This dish is tasty, satisfying, and super easy to prepare.  Try to find fresh sausage for this if you can...it's sooo good.

Sausage and Summer Squash  (Click here for recipe)



Just cook the sausage and veggies in your fave store bought Italian dressing amplified with chopped fresh garlic.  Brush the same dressing onto a sliced baguette and throw into a 400 degree oven until golden and crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.




That's it!  What a fun surprise that simple Italian dressing can make this dish so surprisingly tasty.  And whoever says the bread isn't the best part is totally lying.

The only downside of this feast was the mess factor. Do you see the splatterville around the pan?  Argh.



We've actually made this dish on the grill before, which both adds great flavor and spares the kitchen clean-up.  No doubt we would have gone that route tonight had rain not been in the forecast.  The good news is that it's awesome prepared either way!

This easy dinner is a winner. I hope to have more successful summer suppers to report soon!





Monday, July 9, 2012

BSE


I must beg your forgiveness for such an uncreative title. It stands, simply, for Best Sauce Ever.  I'm irrationally jazzed up by dishes served with dipping sauces, because they lend another chance to pile on unique layers of deliciousness.  This dipping sauce was born after I had some leftover long peppers from a tangy, incredible steak sauce recipe and just had to dream them into a thicker sauce (reminiscent of my beloved Peruvian chicken).  What is a long pepper, you ask?



These are just a zippier version of roasted red peppers, which are a totally great substitute in this recipe, by the way. In all honesty, "recipe" is an indulgent term though, since this is really just a few ingredients quickly zapped together in a food processor that elevate a simple protein like rotisserie chicken into something seriously memorable. (I identify rotisserie chicken in the category of simple since it is most typical to pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store.   It may be no surprise that my hub resides in a different category: one that prepares said rotisserie bird himself, undeterred by 103 degree temperatures, with a result that could be the juiciest and most flavorful chicken ever. But as I had zero involvement in that project, I'll just say that this sauce is darn awesome on anything from store bought rotisserie chicken to wings to frozen chicken nuggets!)

Anyway, the scoop is below...  I so wish I measured this stuff precisely.  Even after a handful of preparations, I've never taken the time to figure out whether a "glug" really equals a tablespoon.  The good news is that it can be easily adjusted to taste.  If it needs a wake up, add a wee bit more vinegar.  If it feels overly acidic, add another squeeze of honey.  Remember to always season generously with salt and pepper too!



BSE

3-4 red long peppers
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayo
1 Tbsp (glug-ish) red wine vinegar
1-2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, mini chop or blender and enjoy along with chicken, shrimp, or pork.   Don't forget the fries.