Fall is in the air, or so I’ve been told. In the Northeast, fall makes a spectacular entrance.  The days grow short, the nights are crisp, and the maple trees put on a show of color that rivals a Fourth of July fireworks display. Kansas has more cottonwoods than maples, and I’ve missed the loud display of color that always signaled the start of sweater, fuzzy blanket and hot cocoa season. But life has a way of reminding us that there are two sides to every coin.

On the spur of the moment, we went for a random, meandering drive this past weekend, which we do quite often. Some of the best times we have had as a family have been on these spontaneous little day trips to nowhere in particular.

We found ourselves at El Dorado Lake and State Park, about half an hour from Wichita. It was sunny and the perfect kind of warm; not too cold and not too hot.

There was a gentle breeze that smelled fresh and green, and everywhere we looked, Kansas was in bloom. Wild sunflowers of a half dozen varieties covered the landscape with pools of vibrant yellow that stood out against the bright blue sky.

Butterflies were dancing above the flowers, adding sprinkles of orange to the canvas.  Grasshoppers were singing, and bees were buzzing all around us, and little living ‘somethings’ hopped out of our way with every step we took. We spent the whole day taking pictures and exploring, soaking in the life that was all around us.

And I found myself on the receiving end one of those unexpected little life lessons; even though I still miss the fall maple forest of Canada, I have my sunflowers and butterflies to remind me that there is color and beauty to be found in all places and in every season.

So while my friends up north are winterizing their cars, raking up leaves and trying to remember where they put the hats and mittens last spring, I’ll be out in my backyard, grilling up steaks and burgers until sometime in November.

Maybe I melt in the triple digit summers, and maybe I don’t see a maple tree in every yard, but two full months of fall weather every year is not too shabby as far as compensation goes. I’d stick out my tongue right now, but I’m waaaaaay to mature for that kind of behavior. Yes indeedy.

The first time I made this, I blended everything in the blender and drizzled in the oil.  Tastes great, not very attractive. It’s best to just stir in the oil at the end to keep the gorgeous, vibrant green color of the herbs.

KC strip steaks don’t need any help from a marinade to come out tender and juicy when cooked to a perfect medium rare on the grill. But a little drizzle of Argentinean chimichurri sauce adds a tangy zip that enhances the flavor without drowning out the meaty goodness.

 Strip Steak and Chimichurri Sauce

2 lbs KC strip steaks (about 4)
Chimichurri Sauce (recipe follows)

Allow steaks to come to room temperature before grilling. Preheat grill to high. Season steaks generously with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat for 10-12 minutes, turning once, for medium rare.  Internal temperature will be 130°F to 135°F. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with chimichurri sauce and serve with additional sauce on the side.

Chimichurri Sauce

1 1/2 cups fresh, flat-leafed parsley
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 shallot
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a small food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Add the olive oil and mix well with a spoon. Can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for 1 week.

(Printable Recipe)

You might also enjoy:<:

1. Moroccan Chicken Brochettes with Chermoula Sauce
2. Bollito Di Manzo – Italian Boiled Beef with Tomato, Anchovy and Caper Sauce
3. Fish and Noodles with Lemon Ginger Sauce

©EclecticCook.com, 2009. | Permalink toStrip Steak and Chimichurri Sauce | 15 comments |

Pork is not just the other white meat; it’s the better white meat. It’s almost as economical as chicken, and definitely more so than beef. You have to work pretty darn hard to make it dry and tough, unlike beef and chicken. It seems to soak up the flavor of marinades like a sponge, and you can bake, fry, broil, grill or cook it just about any way you like.

What about dessert, you say? Back in the olden days, before people became terrified of any fat that is solid at room temperature, comes from an actual (formerly) living creature, and was not created and/or processed in a lab by people in pristine white lab coats, donuts were fried in pork fat. How ‘bout them apple fritters?

Now that I think about it, if I had to pick a food animal to take with me to a desert island, it would be a pig. Of course I would probably make friends with it, name it Wilson, and we would both live happily ever after, subsisting on a diet of grass and coconut husks.

And so in celebration of the humble porcine, I offer you this ridiculously simple recipe for sweet and hot grilled chops that’ll make you at least think about skipping the poultry section on your next shopping trip and heading straight for the Wilson…er…pork section instead.

Hot and Sweet Glazed Pork Chops

2 lbs bone-in pork loin chops, about ½ inch think
4 tbsp honey
4 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup unsweetened apple juice

Combine all the ingredients except the pork in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Simmer until the glaze is reduced by half. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Let cool completely. Reserve half of the glaze for a dipping sauce.

Preheat grill to medium high. Season the chops with salt and pepper.  Brush the glaze on one side of the chop and place glaze side down on the grill. Brush more glaze on the top side. Cook for 4 minutes, then turn.  Add more glaze to the top, and cook for another 4 minutes. Continue glazing and turning the chops frequently, for a total cooking time of 15-20 minutes. The chops should read about 145°F to 150°F on an instant read thermometer. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving with the reserved glaze for dipping.

(Printable Recipe)

You might also enjoy:<:

1. Pork and Apple Stew
2. Mom, Memories and Souvlaki
3. Moroccan Chicken Brochettes with Chermoula Sauce

©EclecticCook.com, 2009. | Permalink toHot and Sweet Glazed Pork Chops | 13 comments |

Tomorrow is August 17th, 2009, which means that today, August 16th, 2009, is almost done and gone forever and ever and ever. Never to be recaptured. Gone, like a puff of smoke in the breeze….

*cue violins…..or maybe a whole string quartet*

I think that maybe I’m feeling a little melancholy because my rug monkeys are back to school tomorrow, going into grades 4 and 6. Summer just dried up and blew away before I even had a chance to take it in. Yeah, it’s still hot out, bug season is still in full swing, and people are still grilling in their backyards. But the beginning of the school year is a huge red star on the calendar that tells me that the boys of summer are almost gone, and it’s time to get back on some sort of a schedule, stock up on pencils, and make sure the kids aren’t “secretly” reading the book they can’t put down with a flashlight under the covers, after the call for lights out. I know there is good stuff coming up to look forward to, like holidays and family gatherings, school plays and recitals, puberty and boys….ok, not so much the last two, but you know what I’m saying. Still, I think that I will finish this post, put away the dishes in the dishwasher, get lunches ready for the morning, and then sit out on the back patio and take in the summer night sky just one more time. The bugs can keep me company.

Yesterday I found myself with a loaf of focaccia I hadn’t even opened yet, a slab of top round roast, and some carrots that really needed to get used up before they sprouted or mummified, whichever came first.

I thought maybe a sandwich, my favorite summer meal. But what to do with the carrots?

This is the sandwich I came up with, very loosely inspired by that Vietnamese sandwich that seems to be all the rage these days. A soy marinated, grilled, and thinly sliced top round roast, served on a loaf of focaccia slathered with a ginger-wasabi mayo and topped with shaved carrots and cucumbers that were briefly pickled in sweetened rice vinegar.

Turned out pretty darn good, thankyouverymuch.

Asian Beef Sandwich with Ginger Wasabi Mayo

2 lbs top round steak
½ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 chopped scallions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1 loaf of dense bread. I used focaccia, but you can used whatever bread you prefer
Pickled Carrots and cucumbers (recipe follows)
2 tbsp ginger wasabi mayo or to taste (recipe follows)

Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, scallions, garlic, ginger, honey, and sesame oil in a bowl. Place the top round in a plastic freezer bag and pour the marinade over the top. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible.Marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Prepare the wasabi mayo at this time as well. Preheat the grill to medium, and cook the beef turning once, for 7-10 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 135°F. Set aside to cool.
While the steak is cooling, prepare the pickled carrots and cucumber according to the recipe below.
When the beef has cooled and the pickled vegetables are ready, slice the beef as thinly as possible. Slice the loaf of bread in half, lengthwise. Spread about a tablespoon of the mayo on each cut side of the bread. Layer the beef on the bottom slice and top with a generous amount of the pickled veggies. Cover with the top slice and cut into individual servings.

Pickled Carrots and Cucumber

2 large carrots, peeled
1 medium cucumber, peeled
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
¼ cup rice vinegar

Using a potato peeler, shave thin slices of the carrots and cucumbers. Add the remaining ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the carrots and cucumbers, and stir to coat with the vinegar mixture. Let sit for 20 minutes, stirring a few times to redistribute the vinegar mixture. The veggies will be tender, but still have a bit of crunch when they are ready.

Ginger-Wasabi Mayo
Adapted from Chef Duncan Gott

1 tbsp wasabi powder
1 tbsp water
1 cup mayo
¼ cup pickled ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Refrigerate overnight before using.

(Printable Recipe)

You might also enjoy:<:

1. Fish and Noodles with Lemon Ginger Sauce
2. Asian Noodle Salad
3. Affordable Beef Stroganoff

©EclecticCook.com, 2009. | Permalink toAsian Beef Sandwich with Ginger Wasabi Mayo | 20 comments |

Warning: Boring historical content. May not be suitable for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

If you hated history and geography in high school, you may want to skip the next couple of paragraphs and head straight for the recipe. For the rest of you, try to follow along, but if your eyes glaze over and you start to drool, run, don’t walk, to nearest recipe.

Culturally and linguistically, my home province of Québec is unique in North America.  The official language is French, and ensuring the continued existence of this island of Québécois French culture in the sea of English-dominated North America, is the defining factor in much of Québec’s policy and politics. A long drop off of a steep cliff in the birth rate among Québecers in the 1960’s led to some changes in Québec’s immigration policy that gave preference to native or fluent French speaking immigrants. Where would these French speakers come from, you ask? France and the rest of Europe, you say? Well it might surprise you to learn that the largest number of people who speak French as a first, or fluent second language is found in Africa, not Europe; over 115 million people in 31 countries. Right up until the 1960’s, France had been giving Britain a run for its colonial money in creating a global empire with colonies or protectorates on almost every continent, including a huge swath of Northwest Africa. So learning to ask “Where is the bathroom?” in French would come in handy in way more places than you had thought possible.

Morocco is located on the Northwest coast of Africa, in the heart of formerly French controlled territory, and it is home to the oldest monarchy on the continent. The country regained its independence in 1956, but the French language continues to be the primary language of business and government and is spoken fluently by most urban Moroccans. Moroccan cuisine has been heavily influenced by the many outside cultures this ancient civilization has had contact with throughout its history, and it is considered one of the most diversified in the world.  It’s also one of the more under-represented cuisines in North America.

Further reading on the global distribution of the French language can be found here, if you are fascinated by the topic, or if you are so bored you’ve thought about braiding your dog’s tail hair.

Lesson concluded, thank you for your patience. Class dismissed.

Why, oh why, did I subject you to all of this historical rambling? Basically in order to be able to say that, not surprisingly, there is a thriving Moroccan community in Montreal, Québec (where I was born and bred, in case you missed it) which means you can find good Moroccan markets and restaurants all over the city.

I find history fascinating, and I sometimes wonder if I should have been a historian and not a scientist. I think Historians dress better, which would count as a plus.

Since Wichita is a tad more Morocco-deficient than Montreal, and since I had a craving, I decided to cook up a Moroccan inspired dish using a Chermoula sauce as both the marinade and the dipping sauce for grilled chicken skewers.

Moroccan Chicken Brochettes

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Chermoula sauce for marinade and serving (recipe follows)

Cut the chicken into 1 ½ inch cubes.  Pour about half of the chermoula over the chicken and marinade in a covered glass bowl or freezer bag in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. 
Thread the chicken onto skewers, about 5 pieces per skewer.  If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about an hour before using. Preheat the grill to medium. Grill the chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until cooked through (165°F). Serve with some couscous and the reserved chermoula sauce for dipping.

Chermoula Sauce
Adapted from Gourmet, April 2001 via Epicurious

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup olive oil

Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with blender running. Chermoula can be stored in refrigerator for at least a few days. 

(Printable Recipe)

You might also enjoy:<:

1. Mom, Memories and Souvlaki
2. Strip Steak and Chimichurri Sauce
3. Couscous with Raisins and Toasted Almonds

©EclecticCook.com, 2009. | Permalink toMoroccan Chicken Brochettes with Chermoula Sauce | 13 comments |

You know that dish that everyone always begs you to bring to the backyard BBQ even when you really really (really) want to bring something different for once, so you end up making both, and then they barely touch the new dish that took you *forever* to prepare and that you were so excited about bringing, but completely devour your regularly requested one?

(Pause to let punctuation catch up)

Souvlaki Pita is that dish for me, the dish I will never escape.  Good thing it’s pretty darn tasty. I could probably eat it every week without going crazy. I may or may not be speaking from personal experience.

I’ve searched high, low and even under a few beds, but I just can’t find good pita bread in Wichita. I can find “pita pockets”, which are small thickish pita’s that you can cut in half and split open to make a pocket, or “pita bread” which is a small, thick and dry thing with no pocket inside. Pita bread for souvlaki should be soft and thin enough to be able to wrap around the filling, similar to how you would wrap a soft shelled taco. Yes, I realize that I should simply make my own pita bread. I haven’t yet found the motivation (or a recipe that doesn’t scare me; I’m not a baker) to go that route, so I use the pita pockets.

Souvlaki Pita

The Meat
2 lbs grilled souvlaki. Use chicken, pork or both.

Traditional Toppings
2 tomatoes, cut into cubes
¼ tsp oregano
1 yellow onion, sliced fine
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp olive oil plus more for drizzling
Tzatziki

Mix the tomatoes with the oregano and 1 tsp olive oil. To remove some of the bite from the onions, soak then in cold water and the vinegar for about 10 minutes. Drain, then soak them again in fresh, cold water for an additional 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Drizzle the onions with a bit of olive oil before serving.
Fill the pita with souvlaki, top with tomatoes, onions, any additional toppings you choose, and plenty of tzatziki. Get a napkin ready, then take a big bite and enjoy!

If you want to mix things up a bit, you can also use shredded lettuce, feta cheese and/or some chopped olives for toppings.

(Printable Recipe)

You might also enjoy:<:

1. Mom, Memories and Souvlaki
2. Tzatziki
3. Moroccan Chicken Brochettes with Chermoula Sauce

©EclecticCook.com, 2009. | Permalink toSouvlaki Pita | 6 comments |

My mother was a feisty little Greek woman from Thessalonica; short in stature, with a big, warm, giving heart.  She was a naturally talented cook who never wrote down a single recipe. She passed away when I was a teenager, before I had the chance to really learn from her in the kitchen.  Dad was a set-in-his ways, meat and potatoes Irish fireman who couldn’t really appreciate many of the Greek dishes she was capable of preparing.  Mom would reserve those dishes for when Dad worked nights and it was just her and I for dinner. I have so many wonderful memories of those special nights; picking dandelion greens from the side of the road and taking them home to cook up for just the two of us,  watching mom make phyllo from scratch for her spanakopita. I treasure those memories today as I treasured those moments spent together, just her and I.

One dish Dad would devour without complaint was souvlaki, which she made quite often during the summer grilling season. I recreated this recipe from my memory of its taste many, many years ago. It isn’t a recipe my mother handed down to me, but I don’t suppose that really matters in the end. I think of my mother, and all of our special moments, every time I make this for my family, and that means so much more to me than authenticity or accuracy.

I use pork loin in my recipe, but pork butt or shoulder will also work well. Just be sure to trim it well to remove the excess fat before marinading.  Pork butt/shoulder may also take a bit longer to cook on the grill.

I have also used chicken breast for this recipe. Dark meat would also work fine, but I prefer the breast meat.

Souvlaki
Serves 4-6

2 lbs pork loin and/or chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice (the juice of about 1½ lemons)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Whisk together garlic, oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Combine the marinade with the pork in a large freezer bag. Marinade in the refrigerator for at least 24 and up to 48 hours. Rotate the bag to redistribute the marinade at least twice during this time.
Preheat the grill to medium high heat. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water before using, or use metal skewers. Thread about 5 pieces of meat onto each skewer, enough for one serving. Grill the skewers for about 15 minutes, turning two or three times. The chicken will take less time to cook than the pork, so start checking for doneness at about 10 minutes. The meat should register about 150°F for the pork and 160°F for the chicken when you take them off the grill. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Because of the marinade ingredients, the meat (both the pork and the chicken) may still be slightly pinkish inside even when fully cooked. 

(Printable Recipe)

You can serve the souvlaki skewers as they are with a side of rice pilaf or a Greek salad and tzatziki sauce for dipping, or you can make a souvlaki pita sandwich, which is my personal favorite way to eat them.

You might also enjoy:<:

1. Souvlaki Pita
2. Hot and Sweet Glazed Pork Chops
3. Moroccan Chicken Brochettes with Chermoula Sauce

©EclecticCook.com, 2009. | Permalink toMom, Memories and Souvlaki | 2 comments |