June 22, 2011: Frites Recipe

When you want to serve a side dish everyone loves but call it something special try frites. These are really nothing more than glorified French fries (recipe courtesy of Relish magazine) but the name sounds a lot more exotic! These are a great accompaniment to your summertime grilled meats and veggies.

Frites

2 medium-sized russet potatoes, unpeeled
1 T. olive oil
1 t. minced garlic
½ t. garlic salt
½ t. kosher salt
Pinch of sugar
½ t. oregano or tarragon (fresh or dried)
1 t. minced parsley (fresh or dried)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut potatoes into thin matchsticks. Fill a large bowl with hot water (not boiling) and add potatoes. Soak for 15 minutes; drain. Dry the potatoes on paper towels. Dry the bowl you used for soaking the potatoes and add potatoes, garlic and oil. Toss together.

Place in a single layer on a heavy pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and golden brown, flipping once during cooking. Combine salts, sugar, oregano and parsley. Sprinkle over potatoes and toss.

Serves 2.

June 21, 2011: Asian Spiced Pork with Sugar Snap Peas Recipe

I was looking for something new to do with pork chops the other day… Yes, I enjoy grilling them in these hot summer months but that gets old, particularly when I’m feeding a very picky husband and niece. So I decided to take four pork chops and slice them to make a Chinese main dish. But I wanted something new so I consulted my Hot, Hotter, Hottest chile cookbook. I took the basics of a Thai-style sauce and gave it my Candy spin to come up with this recipe.

Asian Spiced Pork with Sugar Snap Peas

1 ½ lbs. pork chops, trimmed of fat and bones and thinly sliced
One 2” piece of cinnamon stick
1 t. fennel seeds
1 T. coriander seeds
1 T. black peppercorns
1 T. minced garlic
1 t. minced ginger
2 t. Hunan red chili sauce
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
One 1 lb. package sugar snap peas

Sauce:
1 T. cornstarch
1 t. sesame oil
2 T. soy sauce
2/3 cups chicken stock

Combine the cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat to toast the spices until fragrant. Remove from heat and crush finely.

Combine one teaspoon of the crushed spice mixture (save the rest to use in place of Chinese five spice powder) with remaining ingredients up to soy sauce; add pork slices. Marinate for at least half an hour.

Heat a wok or large skillet to medium high heat. Coat the bottom with about one tablespoon of vegetable or peanut oil. Slowly add the pork, being careful not to splash oil on yourself. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes, until the pork is browned on all sides. Add the sugar snap peas, stirring constantly. Cook for a couple minutes, until the peas are bright but not soft.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Reduce skillet or wok heat to medium low and slowly pour in the sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, for a couple more minutes until sauce is thickened.

Serve over rice.

Serves four.

June 10, 2011: Grilled Top Sirloin Sandwiches Recipe

Top sirloin is a funny kind of steak – it can be really tough or it can be pretty tender. It’s hard to tell what you’re going to get when you buy a package at the grocery store. Just to be on the safe side, I always marinate it. This recipe is for the marinated steaks and a mustard glaze that goes over the top during the last few minutes of grilling – and this combo is perfect for a hearty dinner sandwich (I served mine on pieces of a store-bought cheese loaf).

Grilled Sirloin Steak Sandwiches topped with Balsamic Caramelized Onions, Peppers, and Mushrooms and served with Parmesan Crusted Corn on the Cob

Balsamic Marinade

¼ cup balsamic
¼ cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ pounds thick cut top sirloin chops

Mix together ingredients in a nonmetallic dish. Add meat and marinade for a minimum of two hours. Remove from marinade just before grilling and sprinkle with sea salt.

Mustard Glaze

1/8 cup yellow mustard
1/8 cup Dijon mustard
1 t. citrus peel seasoning (look for it in the spice section; can substitute a mixture of freshly grated lemon and orange peel, dehydrated minced, crushed coriander seeds and sesame seeds)
1 t. minced garlic
½ t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Brush on both side of steaks during the last few minutes of grilling.

For sandwiches: Slice steak thinly and pile on top of bread. The mustard glaze is the only condiment necessary although you may wish to top the sandwiches with caramelized onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms (recipe will be posted tomorrow, June 11, 2011).

Tip: cook the sirloin steaks to medium rare then take off the grill and put on a platter. Tent with a piece of foil for five minutes so the juices don’t run off.

May 24, 2011: Chipotle Garlic Ranch Dressing Recipe

Just about everyone loves ranch dressing… but if you’re looking for a semi-homemade with a bit more zing, try this recipe.

Chipotle Garlic Ranch Dressing

1 package dry ranch dressing mix
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup 2% milk
1 t. freeze-dried garlic
1 red chile pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 t. adobo sauce

Mix all ingredients together in a jar and shake well. Refrigerate and let sit for an hour or so before using, so the flavors meld and the dressing thickens.

Tip: Freeze-dried garlic is a new product I’ve recently found at Safeway. The brand they carry is Litehouse. This stuff is fantastic – it’s got a great, very strong garlic flavor. If you wish to substitute, use one large, fresh crushed garlic clove or two teaspoons of bottled, minced garlic.