Mixed Grills

In New York we went directly from too cold to go outside and grill, to too hot to go outside and grill!

Still, the scathing heat wave that has been grilling us for the last ten days, will not deter this new yorker from exercising her right to fire up the grill and spend the afternoon on the deck in the back yard, sipping drinks and waiting for the meat to cook. Luckily last Sunday, the weather gave us a nice break, and instead of the usual 105 degrees that has been keeping us all inside hugging the air conditioners, we were basking in a cool 90 degrees or so. What made the day much more enjoyable is that we had the children to help with the grilling. Yes, I marinated the chicken, made the burgers and the salads and just gave instructions to the men who, as usual, performed their manly duties at the grill.

GRILLED CHICKEN

I made three kinds of grilled chicken: drumsticks, thighs and chicken kebab; each with a different marinade. They are all very easy and give you the best results without any effort. So, we'll start with the drumsticks. You'll need:

10 drumsticks, skin on
2 tbsp onion/garlic mixture
3 rosemary stems
6 to 7 thyme stems
1 tsp lemon zest + 2 to 3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil (I used extra light olive oil)
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove the leaves of the rosemary and thyme from the stems and finely chop them. If you cannot do that with the knife, don't worry, use a small chop-chop like I do. Also, if you don't have the usual onion/garlic frozen mixture I usually keep in my freezer, it's time to go ahead and start with one onion and 3to 4 garlic cloves before you chop the herbs. After you liquefy the onion and garlic, remove the mixture to a bowl, and chop the herbs. Rinse and pat dry the chicken drumsticks. In a different bowl mix all the ingredients to coat the chicken pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least for 3 hours, to overnight. 

For the chicken thighs, you'll need:

10 thighs, boneless and skinless

3 tbsp plain yogurt (I used regular, not Greek which I think is too creamy for this recipe)

2 tsp sumac (found in Oriental groceries)

1 tsp sweet paprika

2 tbsp onion/garlic mixture

Salt and pepper

Remove all the visible fat from the thighs and put them in a bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

For the chicken kebab, you'll need:

2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless

2 tbsp plain yogurt

1 tbsp onion/garlic mixture

1 tsp sumac

1 tsp paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the chicken breasts in 1 1/2 inch cubes and put them in a bowl. Mix the chicken cubes with all the other ingredients , cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, until ready to grill. You can then put 4 pieces of chicken in each skewer and put them on the grill when all the other dishes are almost done. The kebab cooks faster than the drumsticks.

EASY DELICIOUS BURGERS

I hope you kept the rest of the onion/garlic mixture that you just made. It will help you with this easy recipe for burgers. You'll need:

4 lb ground beef
3 tbsp onion/garlic mixture (about 1/2  large onion and 3 garlic cloves)
1 small bunch each flat leaf parsley and dill
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

Chop the parsley and dill in the small processor. In a bowl mix all the ingredients. Take a piece of the mixture a little bigger than a golf ball. Work it between your hands to form a perfect ball without seams. Press the meat ball between your palms to form a patty 1/2 inch thick. Grill for 3 minutes on each side without disturbing the burgers too much.

TORTELLINI SALAD

                                                          

This is an easy side dish that you can prepare also in advance and assemble it just before dinner. You'll need:

3 cups tortellini (frozen)
1/2 small red onion
1to 2 garlic cloves
1/2 bunch parsley
1 1/2 cup baby carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1 heart of celery (about 3to 4 stalks with the leaves)
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 to 3 tbsp lemon juice

In the small chop-chop pulverize the onion, garlic, carrot and parsley. Chop the celery a little bit bigger to have some crunch in the salad. In the mean time, boil some water to cook the tortellini. When they are almost done, they rise to the surface, add the peas and let boil for a couple of minutes. Drain the tortellini and rinse them under cold running water. Drain. In a bowl, combine the onion/garlic, the carrots, parsley and celery. Add the tortellini when they are cooled. Fold in the mayo and yogurt, sprinkle with lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss and refrigerate for 1/2 to 1 hour before serving.

TIP: While the tortellini were cooking, I made the sauce, meaning I mixed all the other ingredients to have a kind of "aioli". Reserve some of it to use as condiment for your burgers. Spread it on one side of the toasted buns before you assemble your sandwiches.

                                         

                                               

                                         

BY SPECIAL REQUEST

A dear friend of mine called the other day, after she saw the no-cooking day recipes, and reminded me of a dish I had brought years ago to the office party. I remember that day, when the organizer told us to prepare something vegetarian since many of the colleagues did not eat meat, so I came up with this dish. It can be served as a dip or as a meal, also it is easily transported and can be served at room temperature, which makes it the perfect addition to this kind of parties. So this one is for you Lotf.

LENTILS AND FETA DIP

                                                          

This is a very easy dish to make, it's perfect for a hot summer day, and has all the vitamins and healthy stuff you want in a meal. It can be made with different kind of beans. I've tried it with foul medammes, with black beans from a can and with lentils. Today I made it with green lentils. You'll need:

2 cups green lentils
1 (6 oz) black olives (pitted)
3 scallions + 2 more
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice (more to taste)
2 tsp cumin
2 to 3 tbsp canola oil (or any oil you prefer in your salad)
2 cups feta cheese (I use French feta)
1 to 2 tbsp sour cream or cream cheese
1 hard boiled egg
Salt and pepper to taste

Pick the lentils, rinse them several times and cook them in 3 cups of water. You'll need to keep adding water to the lentils until they are fully cooked. But don't start with too much water or they will get soupy. They need to be tender but in very little liquid. You'll notice that when they start to cook, the liquid will become thicker.

In the mean time finely chop the black olives and 3 scallions, white part and some green. Put them in a bowl. When the lentils are done (they'll turn brown) wait until they are cooled enough, and then add them to the bowl. Add the cumin, salt and pepper, oil and lemon juice. Toss to mix. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Set aside.

In a food processor blend the feta cheese with the sour cream until smooth. Depending on the brand of feta you are using, you may add some more sour cream. It should be like a very thick cream, so add 1 tbsp of sour cream at a time. Arrange the cheese in a circle around the serving dish. Pour the lentils in the middle of the dish, making sure that you have a ring of feta around it. Chop the remaining 2 scallions and the boiled egg. Sprinkle them over the lentils. Serve with toasted pita triangles.

EASY TABBOULEH

                                                            

Since we are going Middleastern, I thought I should serve the lentils with a side of salad, and what better salad than tabbouleh for such an occasion! Actually, I had some bulgur that my husband had bought by mistake, instead of the freek I asked for, so it was the perfect solution to the situation I had at hand. 

This is a very simple way to make tabbouleh. I hear it is more complicated than that, but this recipe will give you the same delicious result. You'll need:

3/4 cup bulgur very fine cut

2 bunches of flat leaf parsley

1 bunch of dill

1 large tomato or 2 medium

4 to 5 scallions

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (optional)

1tsp garlic powder (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup (or less) oil

Put the bulgur in a small bowl and pour 3/4 cup of boiling water over it. Set aside. Coarsely chop the parsley, dill and scallions. Put them in the small processor and pulsate until they are finely chopped. If you are using the mint, put several leaves together and chop them in very fine strips. Add to the other herbs. By now the bulgur has absorbed all the liquid. Work it with a fork to make sure that there are no grains left uncooked. Add it to the chopped herbs. Finely chop the tomato, and add it to the bowl. Season your salad with salt, pepper, garlic powder (if using it), lime juice and oil. Toss and serve.                                                   

                                      

End of the month recipes.

This page is coming a bit late. Usually at the end of every month it's good to check out your freezer and pantry. You may have some leftover meat, chicken or other frozen ingredients in your freezer that you need to use soon, or something in the pantry that should be used ASAP. You may also have thought of some new dishes, or got new ideas, while cooking as usual during the month. During the last week end of the month, I thought of checking out my kitchen to get some ideas and use whatever was lingering there for a while. Here's what I found:

TORTELLINI PRIMAVERA 

First I have a confession to make: for all the years I've had Italian food, in Italy or in real Italian homes, I was never served any "pasta primavera". It may be the parts of Italy that I visited, or the original provinces my friends came from, but this "primavera" thing never came up. Don't get me wrong, we had a lot of pasta with different kinds of vegetables, but they were not called "primavera". I think it's a concept created here in the States simply to differentiate between the "regular" pasta with meat sauce, or simply tomato sauce, and this kind of pasta that comes with different flavorful and colorful vegetables. The proof is that there is no definition or rule to what vegetables you can add to your pasta to make it "primavera". The possibilities are endless. And not only for the veggies. I apply the same "rule" to the pasta: I use any kind of pasta I have on hand. Today is tortellini.

                                                             

After the cold days of winter where I like to make an easy soup "tortellini in brodo", I found in my freezer a 1/3 of a bag of tortellini. So armed with my find, I checked my fridge and came up with some asparagus and carrots. All the ingredients for a delicious and easy meal. Since we were expecting some family, I asked my husband: "We have two possibilities, either a hot dish or a cold dish". Of course he opted for the hot dish. The salad will come later, he suggested. So, hot dish it is. You'll need:

About 3 cups cheese tortellini

1 lb asparagus

2 cups baby carrots or 2 large carrots

2 cups skim milk

3 tbsp flour

1 1/2 to 2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

In a 5 qt pot boil water to cook the tortellini. Cut the carrots in 1/2 inch pieces (closer to the size of the tortellini). Chop the asparagus in the same size, a little less than 1 inch. When the water comes to a boil, add the carrots and the tortellini. When they are almost done add the asparagus. In the mean time dissolve the flour in the 2 cups of milk (I use skim milk, pasta and cheese are enough fat in the dish). Pour the milk mixture into a sauce pan and cook over high heat stirring frequently, so you don't get any lumps. When the mixture starts to get thicker, lower the heat and continue cooking until you get the consistency of the regular white sauce. (To check that, your sauce should stick to the back of a wooden spoon when you pass your finger in its middle). Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of grated cheese. Taste the sauce and add some more cheese if it needs. Reserve some cheese. Drain the tortellini and veggies and put them in a bowl. Add the sauce and toss to coat. Add the reserved cheese, check the seasoning, and toss again.  Serve immediately. 
NOTE: I usually sautee the veggies in oil until they are barely tender. I cook the pasta until it's tender, then add it to the veggies and toss the whole thing with maybe a cup or less of the cooking pasta water, so that they continue cooking together to enhance the flavors. I don't like it when the pasta "primavera" is made with heavy cream or sauce, I think it kills all freshness in the dish, which is completely contrary to the term "primavera".  This is why when it comes to tortellini I opted for boiling the veggies with the pasta, to avoid adding more fat to the dish.                                                       

Blast from the past.

Sometimes you feel that you are in a rut, you're cooking and eating almost the same things.. they may be your favorites, but you feel that there's something missing. You need something new, and strangely enough this something new can be something you ate once, maybe a long time ago, and you want to have it again.

Well, this is exactly what happened to me last week. I asked my family the same old question: "What are we going to eat today?", and of course I got the same answer: "Anyting you do is OK." Not very encouraging!

So I looked into my pantry and freezer, and here is what I came up with.

BEEF STEW WITH PRUNES

I first had this dish many, many years ago, more than I care to remember. I was just starting my career as an interpreter, and was on my first trip to Algeria for a conference. A dear colleague invited me to his home for dinner, and his wife had prepared this delicious beef stew. At the time, I just enjoyed it. I didn't think to ask her how it was made. Why should I? I was only concentrating on my career and my studies.

Now years have gone by, and every time I am handling the big sirloin tip I sometimes buy, I remember this stew, and say to myself :"I have to make it someday." A few months ago, I remembered to ask a Moroccan friend if they had it in their cuisine. He confirmed that indeed it was a famous dish, served mainly on festive occasions (weddings or an important visitor, hence my very belated gratitude to my Algerian friend!). He couldn't give me any specifics, but suggested that I add the prunes at the very end of the process, and that I sprinkle the dish with some sesame seeds (the dish I had didn't have any sesame seeds, or did it? I honestly can't remember). So, basically I'm on my own on this one. But I think I managed to recreat it, or at least come up with something equally delicious. You'll need:

2 lbs beef cut in cubes (I used top round)

2 tbsp onion/garlic frozen mixture

2 tbsp flour

1tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/4 tsp (or a pinch) of nutmeg

1 1/2 cup dried pitted prunes or plums

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Make sure that you trim all the fat from the beef cubes (about 1 inch). Mix them with the onion/garlic mixture, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and all the spices. Set aside to marinate, about 1/2 an hour. Sprinkle the meat cubes with flour and toss to coat all the pieces. Chose a nonstick skillet large enough to hold the beef cubes in one layer. Start cooking the beef cubes on high heat, stirring to make sure that they all brown on all sides. Don't worry about the bits sticking to your skillet, they will make the sauce delicious. When the beef is all browned, reduce the heat and add 1 cup of water and stir. Make sure to scrape off all the bits in your skillet. Keep cooking, covered, until the meat is fork tender. You may need to add some more water, depending on the cut of beef you are using. (You can use the cheapest cut, and it will not make a difference in taste, only in cooking time). When the meat is done, fold in the dried prunes and stir to incorporate. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and stir for the last time. Cover and let simmer for 3 more minutes or so, then remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes before you serve it to allow all the flavors to come together.

                                           

DON'T MESS WITH MEAT LOAF!!

How can one create something new from this classic? We all had several versions of this dish, and seen hundreds of recipes, many of them claiming to be the best. But are they?

I don't claim to be the best cook, and you may have noticed, by now, that my husband doesn't consider ground meat as being "real meat". On the other hand, my mother loves ground meat in different forms, because it's easier for her to chew. Also, if children are involved, meatballs are always a favorite. So what can an accidental cook like me do in such a situation? The best solution is to go back to the basics and simplify things. I am using a very simple recipe, with few ingredients and no fuss at all. You will notice that I don't use bread crumbs, which seem to be an essential ingredient in all meat loaf recipes. Why? you may ask..the answer is simple: I learned from a nutritionist I was seeing that bread crumbs absorb the fat and keep it in the meat. So I tested her theory: I made two batches, one with bread crumbs and one without.The result: the first one with bread crumbs came out of the oven in a "clean" pan, no juices or anything around it, the other rendered all its fat in the pan. So if you want a delicious, easy and bursting with flavor meat loaf, follow me.

  For a large baking dish, you'll need:

4 lb ground beef (the leanest you can find)

1 cup carrots, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion

6 cloves of garlic

1 bunch each:  flat leaf parsley and dill

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste 

In a food processor (or if you have the small one like mine) pulverize the carrots, followed by the onion and garlic and then the parsley and dill. Reserve some of the onion, herbs and carrots, about 1tbsp or 2, for later, plus some parsley leaves. In a big bowl mix the meat with the chopped veggies, add the 3 tbsp of sauce, the egg and salt and pepper. Transfer all to a baking dish large enough to have the meat in 1 inch layer. Press with your hand to even the meat mixture in the dish. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the meat is browned, about 25 to 30 minutes. You'll notice that the meat loaf has shrunk and that it has rendered all its fat in the pan. As soon as you can handle it (watch out the juices will be extremely hot), remove the meat loaf from the pan. If it is too big for you to handle, cut it in strips 1 inch wide, and remove to a platter. When it's rested, cut the strips in 1 inch cubes (remember it was 1 inch high in the pan to start with).

Today I served the meat loaf cubes with leftover Chinese rice, with the works:

cook the onion, garlic, carrots and herbs we have reserved from the meat loaf in 1 tbsp of oil in a nonstick pan. When fragrant, add 1 1/2 cups of sliced mushrooms. Stir until all veggies are done. Add the rice (about 1 1/2 containers) and stir to heat it through. Sprinkle with some chopped fresh parsley leaves.

TIP: If you have the time and energy, you can use the same recipe to make meatballs or shape the meat mixture in fingers and flatten them. Arrange the meatballs on a baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven til browned.  

TIP: You can also use the double bottom meat loaf rectangular pan. When you lift the upper part you'll leave all the fat in the bottom pan. But please note that these pans are small, so either divide the recipe in 2, or use two pans.                                            

EASY CLASSICS IV

EGYPTIAN SHEPHERD'S PIE

This is my version of an international classic. In Egypt it's commonly called "pureed potatoes in a pan". I still remember the days when as a little girl, I would come back from school to find out, with delight, that our lunch that day was this delicious "pan". Actually it was one of the few things our cook made that I really loved. For me this is comfort food at its best. In a cold winter day, it was heartwarming to come home to a hot meal, and this was the best thing I could have. Now that I'm all grown up and that I traveled the world, I discovered that this is not an exclusive dish of my native country. It seems to be also comfort food for many cultures around the world, strangely enough with very little variations.

What I'm proposing here is the Egyptian version, the one I grew up with, of course with some tweaking. It might be something I picked up along the way when eating the same dish in another country. I really can't tell, because I never knew how it is originally made in Egypt. I only know how it is presented, and how it tastes: it's basically a layer of pureed potatoes, a layer of browned ground meat, topped by another layer of potatoes. What I know for a fact is that I've tried to eliminate as much fat as I could from the dish, without of course affecting the taste or texture of the original. 

Note: for those of you who never had the Egyptian version, it is firmer than the Western shepherd's pie, this is why it can be served in square portions that tend to keep their shape.

                                                         

You'll need:
About 20 medium potatoes
1 lb ground beef
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
3 stalks of celery
2 tbsp of frozen onion/garlic mixture
1 tbsp butter, at room temperature
Skim milk
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 to 2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

The main idea here is to make mashed potatoes. You can make them they way you usually do, but try my way, and you'll see that you'll not miss the fat. So, boil the potatoes and mash them. Add some skim milk and fold in the tbsp of butter. Don't make them very soft, by adding the milk a little at a time. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and sprinkle some bread crumbs to coat it. In the mean time, in a nonstick skillet brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic mixture and salt and pepper. While the meat is browning, pulverize the carrots in a food processor (I use a very small one for these jobs, I think it's less than a cup capacity, best 9 dollars I've ever spent!!!). Then do the same to the celery stalks. Add them to the meat and stir to combine. Adjust the seasoning when all the pan liquids are fully absorbed, then add the tomato paste. Stir to fully cook the tomato paste for a couple of minutes more. Remove from the heat and let it rest before you assemble your dish. Put half of your mashed potatoes in the baking pan and spread to an even layer. Add the meat mixture, spread it to cover the potatoes. Cover the meat layer with the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle some bread crumbs over the top. Beat the egg, you may add some water to it, and brush it over the top of your dish. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it rest before you start serving it. If you cut it when it's still too hot it will be running, but when it rests, you'll be able to get beautiful layered portions.

Serve with a salad.

                                                      

Today is no cooking day.

Today I decided to have a day off, no cooking! This doesn't mean that we are not going to eat, on the contrary, we're having a fun day with a special Egyptian treat: Foul (pronounced fool) Medammes. It's fava beans. Dried fava beans cooked to tender perfection in a special pot over very low heat from an electric plate. It is usually cooked overnight, but I cannot in all honesty go to bed knowing that there is something still cooking downstairs in the kitchen.. what if it spills over? What if it dries out? No way, this is too much stress for a dish that is supposed to be easy to make. So after I went through the trouble of getting the pot from Egypt and finding the special low heat electric plate, I never used them, and decided instead to try the slow cooker. It worked perfectly. You simply put the dried beans in it, add water to cover them, and let them cook on high for 4 hours. If you ever decide to do it, you'll be amazed at the aroma that will fill your house while the beans are cooking. As I told you, fava beans are the traditional dish in Egypt. You can have them at breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can have them on a plate or in a sandwich. You can have them any way you want. In fact, once you have them cooked, you can prepare them in so many different ways that you'll be surprised that this simple bean can be so versatile.

You can also buy the Foul already cooked in cans. I've tried several brands, and the best I found was a product of the United Arab Emirates from an American bean. If you find it, or any other brand, chose the plain one, not the cans that have already added spices or extras. You can do that yourself and to your taste.

So today no cooking, we're simply serving foul medammes.

Once you get your beans ready, either home cooked or from a can, heat them in a pan. Consider 1 cup for each person and add some more, maybe an extra cup, just in case.

BASIC RECIPE

This is a very simple recipe, we simply call it "Foul with oil and lime juice". And this says it all: you heat the beans, add some oil to them (canola, olive, corn, any oil you like) about 1 tbsp to 1 cup of beans, plus some lime juice, a pinch of salt, another pinch of cumin, all to taste. Mix and eat. Usually I don't add any pepper to cooked food. I have this idea that if added after cooking, pepper will sit in my stomach as it does for example in a pot of chicken broth. But that's just me, if you want to add pepper, go ahead, it's up to you. While mixing the beans, you may crush them a little with your fork. I do that, and also add some salad to my dish, and sometimes some crumbled feta cheese with some Kalamata olives on the side.

This basic recipe comes in another version: you'd think that oil and butter are interchangeable. Think again: with foul medammes you can add butter instead of oil, but you'll get a completely different flavor. Try it. If you add butter (also 1 tbsp to 1 cup) don't add lime juice. I don't know why, but this is the tradition: foul with oil and lime juice and foul with butter, only butter. Of course you'll add salt (and pepper) to taste.

ONION FLAVORED FOUL

This is my husband's favorite recipe. It is also very easy: for 1 cup of beans, chop 1/2 of a medium white onion in a bowl. Add salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Mix. Drizzle some oil and lime juice. Mix, then add the beans and mix while slightly mashing the beans with your fork. Don't worry about how you'll smell after eating onions, somehow this combination is not as lethal as you may think.

DOUBLE PROTEIN

                           

It's foul and eggs, poached eggs. That's how my mom eats her fava beans. Put 1 cup of foul in a nonstick skillet, and heat it on medium heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and crack one egg in the skillet to poach it in the beans liquid. When the egg is done, sprinkle salt, pepper and cumin to taste.

Another way to incorporate eggs in your beans: chop one hard boiled egg over the foul, drizzle the oil (no lime juice) and some chopped Kalamata olives. Season, mix and serve.

FLAG SALAD

I call it flag because it has the colors of the Italian flag: red, white and green. It's very easy: just slice some hearts of palm, some grape tomatoes and cube 1 or 2 avocados. Add some chopped fresh cilantro, sprinkle some lime juice and salt. Mix and serve.
As for the mixed salad it is also very simple: finely chop a romaine lettuce, some cucumbers and tomatoes, red onion is optional. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, and sprinkle some salt. Mix and serve.

NOTE: If you opt for canned foul medammes, make sure you taste it before adding any salt to it. It is usually already salted during the canning process. Also check to make sure the beans are completely tender: some brands may need to be cooked a little bit more.