An Ode to the Chili

I absolutely LOVE chili - eating them, growing them, cooking with them, decorating with them, you name it!  Whether you're just adding a pinch or really giving some heat to your dish, chili kicks it up a notch!  There are so many different varieties of chilies and nearly every country thinks their chilies are the best in the world.

A few of my favorite dishes featuring this beautifully spicy fruit:

• Grilled Tuna and Mango Salad
• Spiced Pumpkin Soup
• Chimichurri
• Pork Skewers with Thai Dipping Sauce
• Thai-style Grilled Whole Snapper
• Roasted Squash with Chili Citrus Sauce
• Tom Yum Goong
• Grilled Pineapple Skewers
• Gingered Apple-Squash Soup

 Must stop... my mouth is watering...

Find these and many more chili recipes on http://www.therecipediva.com/!

Chilli Grilled Kingfish

Kingfish, or Yellowtail Kingfish, is found off the south east coast of Australia.  It may be served cooked or raw if proper care is taken, but the most popular preparation method is probably on the barbeque.  Because the flesh tends to dry out a bit, be careful not to overcook it.  I made sure to use citrus and garlic in my marinade to help retain as much moisture as possible while it cooked.  This is a very simple recipe but the results are fantastic. 

Chilli Grilled Kingfish

Ingredients

4 kingfish fillets
3 chillis, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, minced
1/4 cup oregano, minced
salt and pepper
olive oil

Directions

1. For marinade, add chillis, garlic, zest, herbs, and seasoning to a mortar and mash with pestle.  Add just enough olive oil to make a liquidy paste.

2. Marinate the fillets in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

3. Prepare grill for cooking over medium high heat.  Grill fish for 3 minutes on each side or until almost cooked through.  Serve immediately.

Thai-style Whole Snapper

Cooking a fish whole is probably the best way to get all of the flavor that you can out of the fish.  As with most meats, cooking the flesh on the bone makes it very juicy and flavorful.  It also makes for a very dramatic presentation as long as your guests are comfortable seeing the whole fish, head and all.  Make sure your fishmonger has scaled and cleaned the fish as this is a task I doubt you have much interest in.

Tell me this little guy isn't just aching to get doused in a spicy marinade, thrown on a sizzling grill, and devoured by 2 hungry mouths love that love a bit of spice.  I hope he likes chili...

Using some pretty typical ingredients in Asian cooking, I made a fresh, yet quite spicy marinade to give our tasty friend a little kick.  You can really use whatever you like - add different herbs, less chili, MORE chili, skip the coconut, add more lime if you want it zingier.  Whatever goes!  A lesson learned on my part... next time I need to more heavily oil the grill, or better yet, use a fish basket.  I had some issues with the skin sticking to grill.  Despite looking a little rough, it was absolutely delicious.  I served the fish with plain steamed rice to balance the spiciness.

Thai-style Grilled Snapper

Ingredients

1 whole snapper (mine was just over 1 lb)

olive oil

1 tbsp cilantro (coriander) leaves, to garnish

1 lime, cut into rounds, to garnish

Marinade:

1 cup cilantro (coriander) leaves
1/2 cup thai basil leaves

6 garlic cloves

3 shallots

3 chilis

2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp white pepper

 2 tbsp lime juice

1/4 cup coconut cream
2 tbsp fish sauce

Directions

1. Cut incisions diagonally along both sides of fish using sharp knife.  Incisions should be about 1/2 inch apart.

2. For marinade, blend all ingredients in food processor and pour over fish.  Reserve about 1/4 of the marinade for brushing over the fish once it has been grilled.

3. Thoroughly oil grill by soaking a paper towel in oil and using tongs to rub oiled town onto grates. This is an important step, I did not oil my grill well enough which caused the skin to stick a bit.  If you have a fish basket, use it!

4. Grill on each side for about 6 minutes or until cooked through.  Make sure to flip your fish carefully using a large spatula. 

5. Remove fish from grill, pour over remaining marinade and garnish with cilantro.  Now... dig in!!!

Miso-glazed Eggplant

Miso-based marinades are fantastic on fish.  That was the original purpose for this marinade, but I had plenty leftover so I decided to use it for these japaenese eggplants.  The marinade can also be used as a base for sauces or dressings.  It will keep in the fridge for up to a month and or may be freezed so feel free to make this in large quantities.  I wish I had made more!

Miso Marinade

Ingredients

2 cups miso paste

1 cup mirin

1/2 cup honey

Directions

1. Combine the ingredients in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 

2. Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Use as marinade.

Miso-glazed Eggplant

Ingredients

4 japanese eggplants, halved lengthwise

1/2 cup Miso Marinade (see above)

Directions

1. Brush eggplants with half of the marinade and allow to infuse for 30 minutes. 

2. Prepare grill for high heat cooking.  Place eggplants flesh side down and cook for 2 minutes until marinade has caramelized.  Turn over and cook for another 3 minutes until soft.

3. Remove and brush with a little more marinade.

Grilled Pineapple Skewers

These are the perfect ending to a nice dinner on the grill.  A no-fuss dessert with a surprising kick.  As you take each bite, you get subtle hints of the marinade - the lemon, the ginger, the chili.  Feel free to play around with the marinade to suit your personal tastes!

Ingredients

1 pineapple, skin removed and cut into 1/8's, lengthwise

3/4 cup water (about 175 mL)

1/2 cups sugar (about 100g)

1 in piece of ginger sliced (about 2 1/2 centimeters)

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 hot chili, sliced

Directions

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil then simmer until it is almost the consistency of a syrup, remove from heat and cool.

2. Strain and cover pineapple stick.  Marinate in refrigerator overnight.

3. Before grilling, soak wooden skewers for 20 minutes. 

4. Skewer pineapples lengthwise and cook on grill over medium-high heat until they caramelize on the outside.  Cool and serve.

One of those burger days...

Something about a Sunday spent getting things done around the house just calls for an early dinner of burgers on the grill!  Served with some crispy potatoes and charred corn, it's a perfectly satisfying meal.

Since I always like to a little bit of originality, I made a quick-cooking tomato relish to replace ketchup and added some chili and lime to the butter to give the corn a kick! 

All-American Burgers

Ingredients

3 slices white bread
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 1/2 1bs beef mince
1 1b pork mince
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp parsley, chopped
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
S&P

Directions

1.  Remove crusts, tear bread, and toss in a bowl with the milk.  Let break soak up the milk as you combine the rest of the ingredients for the burgers.

2.  In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, onion, garlic, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, and eggs.  Squeeze excess milk from bread and add to mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Thoroughly combine but do not overwork mixture.

3.  Form into patties of equal size and refrigerate until you are ready to grill. 

4.  Make sure your grill is prepared for cooking at high heat.  Brush patties with oil and grill on cooked as desired - approximately 4 minutes per side depending on size.  Add your favorite fixins and enjoy your juicy burger! 

 

While I generally like to make tomato relish using all fresh ingredients, vinegar, and sugar and slowly simmering down, I wanted a quick fix for an easy meal.  I used tomato sauce (ketchup) as a base to speed up the process and added some fresh ingredients to intensify the flavor.

Quick Tomato Relish

Ingredients

1 tbsp EVOO
1/2 onion chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1 chili, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
S&P

Directions

1.  Heat pan over medium heat.  Add oil and turn pan to coat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and bay leaf and cook for a few minutes until onion begins to become translucent.  Add chili, cook for 1 minute and add red bell pepper.  Once peppers have softened, add tomatoes.  Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer.
3. Cook until desired consistency and cool to room temperature. 

It's great on burgers, served with cold meats, or add a dollop to a casserole if you like!

Starring Juicy Summer Tomatoes!

Avocado BLT's and Charred Summer Salad

It's that time of year when nothing beats sinking your teeth into a ripe juicy tomato!  Thus was the inspiration for dinner last night.  We wanted something simple that would take advantage of our fresh tomatoes and the flavors of the season. 

It doesnt get much easier than a BLT!  I stacked whole grain bread with Australian bacon (which is VERY different from American bacon), fresh tomatoes, ripe avocado, cob lettuce, and spread each with a mixture of mayo/dijon mustard.  I like to add salt and pepper on top of the tomato layer.  The combination of crisp, smoky bacon and fresh, juicy tomato accented by the creamy avocado is unbeatable!

 

Yummmmmm.....

 

It was a bit too hot to be grilling outside so I charred up some eggplant, red pepper, and onion on the stovetop grill.  Steam and peel the pepper for that sweet roasted flavor.

I chopped the veggies, served over spring mix, and threw in a few quartered cherry tomatoes and sliced fresh basil from my recently acquired herb garden.

Dress this salad with a nice homeade herb vinaigrette and it's the perfect side to go with your BLT's!

Pork Skewers with Thai Dipping Sauce

Australian cuisine is heavily influenced by both Asian and Indian cuisine.  Since living here, my appreciation (and tolerance!) for spice has gone way up!  Ingredients which us North Americans may find somewhat exotic are readily available here.  I've enjoyed experimenting with these ingredients and styles.

My previous boss's wife is from Thailand and we have been lucky enough to experience her traditional thai cuisine, it's delicious!  She has shared some recipes with me and Glenn continues to replenish my supply of hot thai chiles, which brings me to last night's dinner.

Using some of these delicious (and hot!) chiles, I decided to make grilled pork skewers with a thai style dipping sauce accompanied by coconut rice.  It was fantastic!  It took me a couple tries to come up with a sauce that I was satisfied with but I think the end result was great!  See below for the recipes:

Thai Pork Skewers

• 1 kg pork, cut into cubes*
• wooden skewers

Marinade:

• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 1/2 c. oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp cilantro, leaves and stems chopped
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 thai chiles, seeded, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Dipping Sauce:

• 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tsp palm sugar
• 2 thai chilies, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp shallot, chopped
• handful cilantro, chopped

* I prefer to get pre-diced pork from the butcher, makes life much easier!

1) Soak wooden skewers for atleast 30 minutes to avoid burning.  Combine all ingredients for marinade and marinate pork for 1-4 hours in refridgerator. 
2) Combine all ingrediens for dipping sauce and let sit at room temperature while pork marinates
3) Skewer pork cubes and grill over high heat until slightly charred on outside and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
4) Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired and serve pork with dipping sauce


Coconut Rice

• 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 can light coconut milk
• large handful cilantro, leaves and stemps chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• salt to taste

1) Combine rice, water and milk in large sauce pan and bring to boil
2) Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until almost all liquid is absorved
3) Let sit and steam for atleast 5 minutes.
4) Fluff with fork, stir in cilantro and onion, and season with salt to taste.

Try experimenting with some new ingredients and let me know how it goes!  You'll get used to their flavors and how to make your own new combinations!

Grill Happy!

I’ve spent the last few days moving from a high-rise condo in the heart of the city to a house near the beach in Port Melbourne. I must say, I’m enjoying the change…

While I loved the luxury living in the city, it’s so nice to have fresh air, plants, a backyard… AND A GRILL!!! For our first night in, I took full advantage… I decided to do a spice rubbed pork tenderloin topped with a grilled peach salad and accompanied by a grilled vegetable salad and chipotle potato/parsnip mash. This dinner was obviously inspired by my recently acquired access to a grill but also by your blog comments and an attempt to use up the veggies in the fridge!

Spice rubs are perfect for pork that you are going to throw on the grill.  You can use whatever you find in your pantry and the combinations are endless.  There is no right or wrong when you're making a mixture according to your own preferences.  Some of my favorite spices to combine are cumin, oregano, any kind of pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard, chile powder, brown sugar, and the list goes on! Depending on the taste you are going for, create your own combination! You can also make enough rub to save for later uses.

I scoured the pantry and created a spice rub of roughly equal parts paprika, ground black pepper, onion powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne powder and salt. I then butterflied a pork tenderloin and generously rubbed with the combination of spices.  I grilled until slightly pink in the center as pork has a tendency to dry out if cooked too long, maybe five or so minutes on each side depending on the thickness of your loin.

Pork goes great with fruit so I decided to offset the peppery grilled pork with a sweet grilled peach salad.  I halved and grilled a couple of peaches.  When cooled, I sliced and combined with thinly sliced onions, chopped mint, chopped cilantro and a dressing of lime juice with a splash of sherry vinegar and a pinch of salt.

The combination made for a delicious, fresh and summery main dish.

After digging around the kitchen, I found an eggplant, a red pepper, an onion, and 2 banana peppers.  I sliced, seasoned, oiled, grilled and tossed these with some fresh greens and a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice. 

Thanks to your feedback from my previous blog, Chipotle Peppers... Take 2!, I finished this meal off with a smoky potato and parsnip mash.  Being that I only had a few potatoes to feed four, I added an equal amount of parsnips.  Another very easy recipe!  Peel and boil the potatoes and parsnips until they are very tender.  Combine with adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, the amount of sauce varies depending on the how much a kick you'd like!  Add cream or whole milk and season to taste.  I also slightly caramelized and finely chopped about a half of an onion to add a sweet bite to the potatoes and they turned out great!

I'm looking forward to many more dinners on the grill!