Kat on Thyme

Summer Barbecue Challenge Wrap-up Round Up

Lex Culinaria, a fellow food blogger, put out the call to cyber food junkies for fabulous summer barbecue recipes. So, last weekend I responded with a few blog entries on grilling and was excited to see links to them on her website. I was also excited to see what fabulous recipes and blog sites that other folks submitted. So, not to let a wrap-up go unappreciated, I decided to make five of the recipes at work today. Unfortunately, time got away from me and I didn’t get a chance to make the grilled pita bread (and there was tons of bread in the house already screaming to be grilled) but I did manage to make the other four, and they were all wonderful. Kudos to all who submitted recipes!

The first recipe I made was Helen’s Grilled Asparagus, Tomato, and Feta Salad. Whole Foods didn’t have organic cherry tomatoes today so I opted for Romas which I quartered, seeded, and then sliced lengthwise. I used more olive oil (I’ve never had a delicate hand with the olive oil) and a bit more balsamic vinegar than the recipe called for. I also took Helen’s suggestions of adding some basil, so I did a combination of basil and mint for the dressing. Very delicious indeed!

Also for lunch I made a salad with the Teriyaki Grilled Tempeh from McAuliflower's site.  I have to admit, I fudged a bit on this one because I didn’t want to buy both mirin and sake, and I knew I could make it work with what I had. So I substituted crisp white wine for the sake and dry sherry for the mirin. And since mirin is sweet, I upped the sugar slightly on the sauce. This recipe turned out so nicely I wondered why I don’t cook with tempeh more often! To make this into a salad, I made a simple dressing of rice vinegar and a bit of the warm sauce and tossed it with some spinach and baby Russian kale from the garden. Then I sliced mangos and fanned them on top of the greens. And then above that went the sliced tempeh, a healthy drizzle of the sauce, and a sprinkling of cilantro. Very easy and so tasty. Thanks, McAuliflower, for the recipe, and the reminder that tempeh is delicious.

And of course, to honor the host of the Barbecue Challenge, I made Lex’s recipe for Char Sui Beef Bundles. And to accompany them, I also prepared Haalo’s Grilled Potato Skewers. The people for whom I cook don’t eat much beef so I opted for pork loin that had been butterflied, pounded, and then cut in strips. Trent, my man at Whole Foods, did the butterflying for me but when it came time for pounding, it was naptime at the casa, so I skipped that step. I made the marinade as written except that I left out the Five Spice because, well, because I don’t like it. It was delicious without. I mixed up the marinade with an immersion blender which worked great. For vegetables I chose red bell pepper and snap peas, and instead of tying with green onions, I used big chives. It turned out very nicely but I think I would have preferred to use Lex’s thinly sliced beef. Next time!

And the potatoes. YUM! I chose tiny red creamer potatoes and for seasonings, I went with fennel seeds and a few sage leaves skewered between the potatoes. I didn’t want to go too Mediterranean since the bundles were decidedly Asian. I thought fennel was a nice meet in the middle. I started the bundles in the oven (400 degrees) since it was raining out and then moved them to the grill when I put the bundles on. You could do the whole thing in the oven, in fact, since they cook over indirect heat. I experimented with putting more than one skewer in a bundle, to save on foil, and that worked just fine too. The potatoes were creamy and delicious and the garlic added a nice touch, both for it’s scent and flavor. Next time, I might like to open the bundles and put them over the direct heat, once they’re cooked through. That would provide the nice grill marks and a bit of barbecue flavor as well. No complaints, however- it’s a recipe I’ll surely make again!

Thanks, everyone, for your wonderful input to my day at work! And thank you Lex for your inspiration.

Raise your hand if you like rhubarb.

Rhubarb. Just the name sounds dangerous. And as plants go, I suppose it is. The leaves of the rhubarb plant are poisonous, which is why when you see rhubarb on the produce aisle, you see only the naked stalks. So just how poisonous are rhubarb leaves, I wondered? To quell my curiosity, I did a little research and found out that rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, which is used commercially in metal polishes, stain removers, and writing inks. Yikes. So my next question of course is, “So what happens if I eat them?” Included in the list of post-ingestion symptoms are ones I would expect- abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea. And thrown in for good measure is, “death from cardiovascular collapse.” I think I’ll stick to stalks.

So a little more research reveals that rhubarb is a vegetable from Asia that is related to buckwheat and garden sorrel. It’s high in Vitamin C and fiber, and was cultivated originally for medicinal purposes. When the Brits and Americans got their hands on the tart veggie, they decided that with a healthy glop of sugar it made a fabulous pie. And because rhubarb thrives in the spring, it has a natural affinity to strawberries and raspberries. Apples and pears also compliment rhubarb’s tart flavor, much like they compliment fall’s cranberries.

I’ve been experimenting with ways to use rhubarb in more savory than sweet applications. It is a vegetable after all. I’ve found, though, that even in savory dishes, rhubarb needs some sugar to round out its sharp flavors. Its tartness adds great zest to sauces, and when paired with sweet fruits, rhubarb’s bite balances the sugar’s tendency to cloy. Today I had a glut of apples and pears that were ripe so I decided to concoct some sort of sweet and tart compote for a grilled pork tenderloin. Here’s what I came up with.

This sauce would also be great with grilled chicken or a meaty grilled fish.

Rhubarb, Apple & Pear Savory Compote

2 Tablespoons butter
3 stalks rhubarb, split down the middle and diced
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 pear, peeled, cored, and diced
1 large shallot, minced
2/3 cup tawny port
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger (more if you’d like)
Salt and pepper to taste
The meat drippings that collect after the meat has rested.

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat and when it’s foamy, add the rhubarb, apple, pear, and shallot. Stir only occasionally, as you want the fruit sugars to caramelize. When the fruit is golden brown, add the port and simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Add salt and pepper, ginger, and the brown sugar and simmer until the saucy part of the mixture is a warm brownish red color and is glaze-like. Taste again and adjust the seasonings. When your meat is rested after grilling, pour any accumulated juices into the sauce just before serving.

Makes enough for 4 portions.

The pork and sauce were served with Leek, Lemongrass, and Chèvre Risotto, and Cider Glazed Grilled Carrots.