Cedar Planked Halibut With Shrimp Scampi

Cedar Planked Halibut With Shrimp Scampi

Serves 5

Ingredients:

5 8oz. halibut filets

10 jumbo Shrimp

1/2 pound garlic butter

1 tablespoon cilantro

Halibut Marinade:

2/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Shrimp Marinade:

1 garlic bulb

1 teaspoon parsley

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

Season the Halibut filet with marinade, sear until golden brownie olive oil coated hot pan.  Turn and repeat.  Cook to an internal temperature of 130*F.  Heat the cedar plank in the oven and brush it with olive oil.  Just prior to service, place the halibut on the olive oil brushed cedar plank skin side down.  Bake in the oven 3-4 minutes until the internal temperature is 135*F.

Sear the shrimp in a thick bottom pan.  Lightly season with shrimp marinade.  When almost cooked, add the garlic butter and bring it to a bubbling consistency.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Place the halibut on a serving plate and arrange the shrimps over the halibut.  Carefully spoon the cilantro butter over the dish.

Lemony Crisp Chicken

Lemony Crisp Chicken

Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
2/3 cup lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
8 chicken drumsticks (2 pounds)
8 bone-in chicken thighs (2 pounds)

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk the first five ingredients until blended; stir in onions. Pour 1-1/2 cups marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Prepare grill for indirect heat. Drain chicken, discarding marinade in bag. Place chicken on grill rack, skin side up. Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat 15 minutes. Turn; grill 15-20 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 170°-175°, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. 

Yield: 8 servings.

Old South Coca-Cola Pork Loin

Old South Coca-Cola Pork Loin

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup Coca-Cola
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon thyme, crushed
5 pounds pork loin roast, boned

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients except for the meat, to form a marinade. Set the pork roast in a plastic bag with a zip-type seal, pour in the marinade and seal the bag. Set the plastic bag in a serving bowl large enough to steady the roast and keep the marinade ingredients from spreading away from the roast.

Let stand for 24 hours or overnight in the refrigerator, patting and turning the bag every few hours to ensure the meat marinates evenly. This helps the roast absorb the marinating liquids and creates a tender, juicy and flavorful roast.

Remove roast from marinade and discard the marinade. Place roast, fat side up, on rack in roasting pan. Insert roast meat thermometer so the bulb is centered in the thickest part. Do not add water. Do not cover. Roast in a slow 325 degree preheated oven until the thermometer registers to 175 degrees. Allow 30 to 40 minutes per pound for roasting, so for a 5 pound loin roast, you would be roasting for about 2-1/2 to 3 hours. During last 1/2 hour of cooking time, brush on the glaze. If you prefer, you can just as easily cook on the grill or in the smoker. Remove from the oven and out of the pan onto a platter; cover with foil tent to seal steam and rest the meat 15 minutes before slicing and this results in a much juicier roast. 

NOTE: Alternatively, you can slow-roast. Instead of roasting at 325, use a slow oven at 250 - 275 degrees, and allow almost twice as long. The meat will be even more tender. Use your meat thermometer or whatever means you like to achieve desired doneness.

Coca-Cola Sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup Coca-Cola
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Mix together all ingredients in sauce pan; simmer and stir to thicken. Brush or spoon glaze on meat frequently during cooking. You can also serve any remaining sauce with the sliced pork if you like.

Oven Roasted Vegetables

Meet Denise Roa the Executive Chef of Rancho La Puerta and Director of the Cooking School & Culinary Center.  My Mothers Day Gift from daughter Anne was a day at the Rancho La Puerta Spa.  Our day began with a cooking class with Denise.  All vegetables served at the Vegan Ranch are grown in her gardens.  I will be posting her recipes for the next three posts that were demonstrated and served to us.

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Roasted Vegetables:

Yellow squash, medium dice

Fennel build, medium dice

Cauliflower, medium dice

Carrot, medium dice

Onion medium dice

Portabella or oyster mushrooms, 
   medium dice

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Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

1 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme

Sea salt and freshly cracked black 

   pepper to taste

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Directions:

Mix marinade ingredients in a Pyrex or stainless steel oblong baking pan.

Place veggies in the marinade and coat thoroughly.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Roast veggies in a 375 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes, or just until tender.  Remove from oven and allow veggies to cool.

Carrot Salad

Carrot Salad

I am visiting dear friends in Calgary.  Laura has served so many wonderful meals during my stay.  I actually could not choose a single dish as a favorite, they have been all so delicious.  Laura is offering a carrot salad for the recipe today. 

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Ingredients:

2 lbs. carrots, grated

4 green onions, diced

4 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Marinade:

4 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

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Ina Garten adds green grapes cut in halves and dried raisins to her carrot salad.

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Directions:

Prepare marinade mixing ingredients and stir to dissolve sugar.  Pour over prepared vegetables and allow to marinate several hours.  Before serving, pour off the marinade.

Whiskey Marinade

One of my blog followers lives in Germany. She was an au pere for our son and daughter-in-law in 1998. The family has kept in touch since that time. Today Meli is married and a mother. Her husband Leo enjoys cooking and often is in the kitchen with his wife. Yesterday Meli posted on facebook they were enjoying a Whiskey BBQ tonight. I asked if they would share the marinade recipe which I received this morning. Thank you Meli and I am sure any of the readers who use it will say thank you.

Leo's Whiskey Marinade

Lime slices and lime juice

3/8 cup whiskey (any brand)

1 tablespoon Tex-Mex spices

3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil

salt

3 tablespoons vinegar

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Mix the ingredients and place the meat and marinade in a plastic bag. Do not allow to marinade several hours as the acid in the lime juice and vinegar tenderizes and can breakdown the protein into an undesirable texture.

Thank you Meli.

Gaucho Steak With Four Herb Chimichurri

Gaucho Steak With Four Herb Chimichurri

If you enjoy camping, a backyard bar-b-que, or eating under the stars, I will post recipes this week for a great meal from the recent edition of Sunset Magazine. Guy Fieri, the cooking show celeb who wears the "blond" spike hair style, has featured these recipes.

Skirt steak and flank steak come from the same area of a cow. The skirt steak is actually the diaphragm muscle and tends to be chewy. Marinating tenderizes the cut. Marinate 1 to 24 hours. Serve topped with Four Herb Chimichurri.

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Marinade:

1 minced garlic clove

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoon Tequila

1 Tablespoon each fresh lemon and lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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1 1/2 pounds skirt steak

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Marinade Directions:

Whirl the first seven ingredients together and place in a plastic bag. Add the meat and marinade one to twenty four hours.

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Four Herb Chimichurri:

In a food processor, pulse until coarsely chopped:

4 garlic cloves

1/2 cup parsley leaves

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

6 large basil leaves

1 Tablespoon oregano leaves

2 Tablespoons minced white onion

2 tablespoons minced red pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon ancho chili powder

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Directions:
When coarsely chopped, pour 2 Tablespoons each olive oil and red wine vinegar: whirl to combine. This is a great topping for the grilled steak.