Barbecue For Real

I thought you'd like to meet Roxy. She's the puppy of our next-door neighbor's dog, and she recently came to our house for a visit. She likes to hang out under the grill---apparently, she knows where the action is.

I've mentioned that we're up to our knees in tomatoes; we have several varieties, including Romas (plum tomatoes), Yellow Pears, and cherry tomatoes. We can only eat so many fresh in salads and such, so I came up with a quick and easy Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe.

Roasted Tomato Sauce (about 4 servings; total cook time 60 minutes)

1 Pound assorted, ripe tomatoes, washed and thoroughly dried

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

about 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Line a heavy, oven-proof pan (I use a 10-inch cast iron skillet) with aluminum foil. Add about 1 tablespoom olive oil, and spread it around to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Add the tomatoes to the pan, allowing them to stack up on each other if necessary. Drizzle remaining olive oil over tomatoes, and toss to coat.

Roast tomatoes for 20 minutes; remove pan from oven, and gently stir to redistribute tomatoes and oil. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes, then remove and stir again. Return to the oven, and immediately lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Cook for another 20 minutes, to allow much of the moisture to evaporate.

So far, I've used this sauce as a pizza topping, and I've tossed it with pasta. I'll be posting my Grilled Pizza recipe shortly!

Here's another recipe I originally posted on the old blog, way back in 2005. It looks complicated, but it really isn't...it's just that I use way too many words!

Grilled Tuna with Wasabi Mayonnaise
(serves 2; recipe can easily be multiplied)

(the sauce)

1 tsp wasabi powder
1 tsp water
1 TBS rice vinegar (cider vinegar or white vinegar will do, in a pinch)
2 TBS mayonnaise
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
about 4-5 drops pepper-flavored sesame oil (optional)

(the tuna dressing)

2 yellowfin tuna steaks, about 1/2-pound each
1 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS vegetable oil
1/2 tsp wasabi powder
another 4-5 drops pepper-flavored sesame oil (optional)

(To make the sauce)

In a small bowl, mix the wasabi powder with the water. Make sure to mix thoroughly, to form a thin paste. In a larger bowl, mix the remaining sauce ingredients, then add the wasabi/water paste. When everything's incorporated, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Allow 30 minutes or so for the flavors to blend. After about 30 minutes, light up your grill.

(To make the tuna steaks)

In a small bowl, combine all tuna dressing ingredients (except for the tuna itself). Brush the prepared dressing liberally onto both sides of each tuna steak.

Put the steaks onto a hot grill (medium-low to medium heat), and allow them to took on one side for at least 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, flip the steaks and cook for another 2 minutes. Check for doneness by gently pulling apart the tuna with a fork; it should appear deep red in the center, and a pale beige toward the outside. If the tuna steaks are of high quality, I recommend leaving them a little rare on the inside. If you prefer yours well-done, then allow up to one or two additional minutes. But please don't allow the tuna to dry out!

When done, plate the tuna steaks, and drizzle each one with the wasabi mayonnaise. Serve with a green salad, or some other light fare such as steamed vegetables. Oh, boy...good stuff!

The other day, I told you I was going to post a recipe for Stuffed Grilled Figs. I then deleted the post, because it was only 2 sentences long---and it was pretty boring, too.

Anyway, here's what I came up with:

Grilled Stuffed Figs
(makes 2 appetizers; recipe can be easily multiplied)

2 fresh figs

2 tablespoons Feta cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced

about 2 teaspoons honey

fresh mint leaves, for garnish (optional)

Cut an "X" in the top of each fig, cutting down about halfway into the figs. Using your fingers, spread the figs open to form a cavity.

Thoroughly mix together the Feta and the basil; spoon half of mixture into each fig. Grill on medium-high heat (lid closed) until Feta is melted and slight grill marks appear on the figs, 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon on honey onto each fig, and garnish with mint leaves, if desired.

Each Friday throughout the summer (starting the week after Memorial Day, and ending in October), there is a Farmers' Market down town. Although I'm not in need of many fruits or vegetables, I try to make it every week. There are plenty of peripheral products, such as crafts, homemade jams and jellies (and fudge!), and even all-natural soaps. I usually end up spending a few dollars every week, usually on Whoopie Pies or some other sweet treat. The image at left is a Whoopie Pie, for those of you who may be unfamiliar.

One of the "anchors" at the Farmers' Market is Moser's Garden Produce. Their farm is located in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania. Their produce and plants are among the best---always fresh and very reasonably priced. I've been buying fresh produce from them for a number of years, but it wasn't until this year that I bought actual plants.

More Grillin' (and chillin')

Back again.

Last evening, I grilled some of my zucchini. I'm not even going to bother with a recipe, because it was just a procedure, really: I peeled a medium-sized zucchini, and sliced it lengthwise (as pictured). I put it into a shallow plastic food container---you know, the kind you store leftovers in---and unceremoniously dumped in about a quarter-cup of bottled Italian dressing. I let it sort of hang out in the fridge for ninety minutes or so, then grilled it (high heat, about 3 to 4 minutes per side). It really couldn't have been easier, and it tasted fresh and delicious.

What else is new? I've decided to combine my two blogs into one humongous "superblog" (my other blog is located at http://240brick.blogspot.com). Here are some recipes that I'd posted in the past couple of years.

John's Barbecue Sauce
1 (one) 8-ounce can "no salt added" tomato sauce
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup bourbon (I use Jim Beam Black Label)
1 TBS Sriracha (or any favorite chile sauce)
1 TBS balsamic vinegar*
1-2 TBS honey (depending on your sweet tooth)
1/2 tsp smoke liquid (about a capful)
1 TBS garlic powder
anywhere between 2 tsp-3 TBS John's Barbecue Rub* (depending on how much you like it)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
(*for added "zing", substitute 1 TBS vinegar solution from pickled jalapenos for the balsamic vinegar)
In a small saucepan over medium heat, use a whisk to combine the tomato sauce and molasses. When the molasses has thinned-down a bit, REMOVE THE PAN FROM THE STOVE and add the bourbon. Stir for about 30 seconds, then return the pan to the stove.
Add the remaining ingredients, stirring after each addition. [ Add only 1 TBS of honey to begin with; taste the sauce. If you like it even sweeter, add another TBS. ]
Reduce heat to lowest setting, and allow the mixture to simmer (uncovered) very slowly until the volume is reduced by about half (15-30 minutes...keep checking!).
Yields about 1 cup of sauce.

This stuff is thick, sweet, and oh-so-much better than anything you can buy in a plastic bottle.

John's Barbecue Rub
(note: all ingredients are of the "dried" variety)
2 TBS rosemary leaves
1.5 TBS Kosher salt
1 TBS paprika
2 tsp thyme leaves
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper*
1 tsp ground white pepper*
3/4 tsp celery seed
(* the amount of black/white pepper can be adjusted upward, to suit your taste)
Using a mortar & pestle (an electric spice mill will work, too), grind the rosemary leaves and the thyme together with the salt (the salt will aid in the grinding of the herbs). When the mixture resembles fine sand, add the remaining ingredients and continue to grind, to incorporate. There will be a few larger bits of rosemary leaves...this is a good thing!
This recipe produces enough rub to cover 3-6 pounds of meat (depending on how heavy-handed you are). Any leftover amount can be stored indefinitely (covered container) in the fridge.
Originally intended as a rub for pork, but this stuff can be used on chicken or salmon with great results.

Fresh Veggies!

Yep, it's that time of the year again. In my case, of course, it's the first time ever. I was never much of a gardener before this Spring/Summer, but I was always looking for the freshest ingredients. This year, I sort of lucked into a garden plot---one that my next-door neighbor was no longer using.

So, my friend Scott and I proceeded to till, weed, and nourish the existing plot. We even extended it by about 16 square feet, to accommodate our melon plants. Those things take up SPACE.

In the picture at left, you can see most of the garden, anyway (the picture was taken just a couple of days ago). That big, flat stone is a giant slab of limestone (quite plentiful around here), which we found under an old spruce tree. We've converted it into a headstone, and we're telling people that Jimmy Hoffa is buried underneath. I planted some Solcito zinnias in front of the stone, out of respect for Mr. Hoffa.

To the right of the headstone, you can see six Brussels sprout plants, which are quite easily the most massive plants in the garden. To the right of the sprouts: that's my shadow. Off to the left, you can see some of the melon plants; in this view, those are cantaloupes. There are also some honeydews, as you move further to the left.

And yes, that IS a swimming-pool ladder in the center of the garden. To be honest, we ran out of ground spikes, and the ladder provides excellent support for the tomatoes and cucumbers. Aside from melons, cukes, sprouts and tomatoes, we've also got several types of chili peppers, eggplant, peas, and an assortment of herbs. In fact, I just threw in some dill weed tops that had gone to seed; I'm hoping for a late Fall harvest.

At right, you can see one of our growing cantaloupes. Yes, it's in a Styrofoam bowl. We're told that the bowl (with holes punched in the bottom, for drainage) will allow the fruit to mature without bruising or rotting. So far, so good!