Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Ginger Pork Sandwich

I first made these a few months ago and they were a huge hit. In fact, there were repeated requests to grill them up again. I couldn't blog about them at the time because the picture, frankly, blew. What was a blogger to do? Make them a second time, make Paul a VERY happy lad, take a good pic, and then blog away!

Serve these sandwiches for dinner, reserving some of the pork and mayonnaise mixture for your lunch the next day. Assemble the sandwich in the morning. We discovered that it is just as delicious when the pork is cold. In fact, we doubled the recipe the second time we made this so that there were LOTS of leftovers.

Ginger Pork Sandwich

2 tbsp (25 mL) sesame oil
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground ginger
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and pepper
1 pork tenderloin (12 oz/375 g)
1/2 cup (125 mL) light mayonnaise
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp (5 mL) rice vinegar
4 kaiser buns, halved
8 lettuce leaves
8 thin slices tomato

In shallow dish, combine oil, ginger and half each of the salt and pepper; add pork and roll to coat all over. Place on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill, turning once, until just a hint of pink remains inside, 18 minutes. Transfer to board and tent with foil; let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, in bowl, mix mayonnaise, onions, vinegar and remaining salt and pepper; spread on cut sides of buns. Sandwich pork, lettuce and tomato in buns.

Canadian Living, June 2005

Italian American Cheeseburger

It has been almost a month since Paul's birthday - my lord, how life gets in the way of blogging plans! At the time I mentioned that he wanted burgers for his special dinner and my dismay at such a request. In the end, I passed on the control (people everywhere are still shocked) and gave him what he wanted.

Sort of.

These delicious treats ARE burgers. Mind you, they are considerably  'ramped up' from a plain burger with the addition of fresh thyme, sun dried tomatoes, and Gorgonzola cheese.

WOW

The best things about these burgers is the way the crumbled Gorgonzola melts in the burger as it grills, richly flavouring every bite!

Italian American Cheeseburger

1-1/2  pounds lean ground beef
1  cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (4 ounces)
1/3  cup snipped dried oil-pack tomatoes
1  tablespoon snipped fresh thyme
4  cloves garlic, minced
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
6  sourdough rolls, split and toasted
Sliced red onions
Sliced tomatoes

Combine beef, 3/4 cup of the Gorgonzola cheese, all but 1 tablespoon of the snipped dried tomatoes, the thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Shape mixture into 6 patties 3/4 inch thick.

Place burger patties on the lightly oiled rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium heat. Grill for 14 to 18 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in centers registers 160 degree F, turning burgers once halfway through grilling.

Remove burgers from grill. Top with remaining Gorgonzola and snipped dried tomatoes. Serve on toasted sourdough rolls with sliced red onions and tomatoes.  Makes 6 burgers.

Grilled Lamb Burger Roll-Ups

Last year we tried grilling lamb burgers for the first time - we were struck with what an amazing change they made from the normal beef variety. These burger roll-ups have the great Mediterranean tastes - oregano, garlic, lamb, olives, and humus. I think that Paul was actually purring when he dug in to his; he wanted a second but also wanted to preserve some leftovers for later.

This recipe was in the 2001 Better Homes and Gardens Simple Perfect Grillingmagazine. While you'll love the flavour of these you'll also love the fact that you can get them ready in 30 minutes - start to finish. This fact alone makes them perfect for a busy summer weeknight meal.

In my roll ups I used baby spinach. I also used low-fat tortillas (I don't even know what cracker bread is!) I also discovered that my olives had been eaten by a mad olive fiend - I debated popping out the store for the one ingredient but that seemed like such a waste of gas (when gas is $ 1.35 a litre) so I used roasted red peppers. YUM

Grilled Lamb Burger Roll-Ups

1 beaten egg
3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound lean ground lamb
2 14- to 15-inch soft cracker bread rounds or four 7- to 8-inch flour tortillas
1/3 cup prepared hummus (garbanzo bean spread)
4 cups torn spinach or red-tipped leaf lettuce
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons sliced pitted kalamata or ripe olives

In a large bowl combine egg, bread crumbs, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon water. Add lamb; mix well. Form into eight 4-inch-long logs.

Grill lamb on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 14 to 18 minutes or until lamb is no longer pink, turning once.

Meanwhile, spread the cracker bread or tortillas with hummus. Sprinkle with spinach or lettuce, feta cheese, and olives. If using cracker bread, place 4 lamb pieces, end to end, near an edge of each round. Roll up, beginning with edge closest to lamb. Slice each roll-up diagonally in fourths. (If using tortillas, place 2 lamb pieces, end to end, on each tortilla. Roll up. Slice each roll-up diagonally in half.) Makes 4 servings.

Shrimp Gyros with Herbed Yoghurt Spread

This was another of those quick, light meals that seems perfect for the summertime. The recipe (originally from Southern Living Magazine- July 2002) suggests that the wraps can be made ahead of time, wrapped in parchment paper, refrigerated and later served cold. Conversely, you can make them and serve them warm.  In the interest of blog-related research we enjoyed them both hot and cold - they were wonderful either way!

Be careful not to over-marinade the shrimp. Shrimp does not need to marinade for long at all or the taste of the marinade completely overwhelms the sweet tasting shrimp.

I 'lightened' up the recipe by using low-fat yoghurt, other than that there is little that needed to be changed to make this 'diet' ready.

Wondering about the origin of the word gyro?

Almost every culture has its own version of 'fast food', and in Greece that honor goes to the gyro sandwich. A gyro sandwich (pronounced YEER-oh) consists of various rotisseried meats, salad vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce and onions, along with a yogurt-based tzatziki sauce. These ingredients are placed on a hearty form of grilled pita bread and served as a wrap sandwich.

Traditionally a gyro would not be made with shrimp but this 'tweak' works as far as we were concerned!

Enjoy . . . .

Shrimp Gyros with Herbed Yoghurt Spread

1 1/2 pounds unpeeled, medium-size fresh shrimp
2 tablespoons Greek seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 (12-inch) wooden skewers
4 (8-inch) pita rounds or gyro rounds
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, thinly sliced

Yoghurt Sauce

1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients; chill until ready to serve or up to 6 hours.

Peel and clean the shrimp.

Combine greek seasoning and olive oil in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add shrimp. Seal and chill 30 minutes.

Soak skewers in water 30 minutes while shrimp marinates; thread shrimp onto skewers.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium heat (300° to 350°) about 5 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink.

Wrap each pita round in a damp cloth; microwave at HIGH 10 to 15 seconds or until soft. Spread 1 side of each pita round with Herbed Yogurt Spread. Top evenly with shrimp, cheese, tomato, and cucumber; roll up.

 

Chicken-and-Brie Sandwich with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

 

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up. This blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen.This week's host is Zorra from Kochtopf- be sure to pop by to see what other bloggers have come up with.

Over the Christmas 'madness' I convinced myself that there would be wine and cheese extravaganzas galore so when I made my dash through Costco I bought 2 huge wheels of Brie. Of course. I never used them because I had purchased close to 12 pounds of various cheeses in my various uncontrolled shopping sprees.

I don't associate Brie with low-fat so now that I'm trying to be careful with what I eat I thought I'd have to throw them out. Happily I asked a friend who convinced me that it was possible to eat Brie cheese and not fall off of the wagon. This recipe has only 440 calories and 12.3 g of fat. Coupled with a bowl of soup or a piece of fruit it is a filling dinner.

I'll admit that it is one of the more complex sandwiches that I have made but the flavour combinations are incredible! A good balsamic vinegar makes all the difference in the roasted tomatoes, whose heat will immediately melt the soft Brie. There's no need to cut the rind off the Brie, since it's edible.

Chicken-and-Brie Sandwich with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (16-ounce) loaf French bread, cut in half horizontally
3 ounces Brie cheese, sliced
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups fresh spinach

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes; cook 4 minutes, stirring once. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons vinegar. Sprinkle tomatoes with thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Wrap handle of pan with foil; bake at 300° for 15 minutes. Keep warm.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly over top half of bread loaf. Spoon tomatoes evenly over bottom half of loaf. Arrange Brie over tomatoes; top with chicken. Combine 2 teaspoons oil, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add spinach, tossing gently to coat. Top chicken with spinach mixture; replace top half of bread. Cut loaf into 6 pieces.

Yield:

6 servings

CALORIES 440 (25% from fat); FAT 12.3g (sat 4.2g,mono 4.9g,poly 1.9g); PROTEIN 34.3g; CHOLESTEROL 78mg; CALCIUM 119mg; SODIUM 826mg; FIBER 3.9g; IRON 3.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.7g

Cooking Light, JUNE 2001

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches

I had been wanting to try this recipe for some time. We kept placing it on the menu for Friday night and then for the last few weeks we had had so many leftovers to knock back that it seemed wasteful to cook something new. Today was the day, however.

This was a flavourful sandwich  . . . the smoky rub, the sweet heat from the jelly, and the sauce . . . it was all working. To think that it was actually low-fat!

As you can see I served the sandwiches on a toasted mini baguette with some chips and a pasta greek salad. This was a great Friday night dinner for a hot evening.

1/4 cup hot jalapeño jelly
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
Cooking spray
1/4 cup light ranch dressing
1/4 cup sweet hickory smoke tomato-based barbecue sauce (such as Bull's-Eye)
8 (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Combine jelly and water; set aside.

Combine paprika and next 6 ingredients (through pepper); rub evenly over pork. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill 15 minutes, turning pork occasionally. Brush pork with jelly mixture. Grill an additional 5 minutes or until thermometer registers 155° (slightly pink).

Place pork on a cutting surface. Lightly cover with foil; let stand 10 minutes. Thinly slice pork. Combine ranch dressing and barbecue sauce. Serve pork and ranch mixture with buns.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 bun, 3 ounces pork, and 1 tablespoon sauce)

CALORIES 329 (22% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 2g,mono 2.1g,poly 1.6g); PROTEIN 27.8g; CHOLESTEROL 76mg; CALCIUM 73mg; SODIUM 920mg; FIBER 1.8g; IRON 3.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.6g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005

Proscuitto, Pecorino, and Pear Panini

Lately I have been craving sandwiches. This recipe was  based upon one I found in a Cooking Light magazine. They say it is low-fat but I don't know - it was too damn tasty for low fat! It was even better in that I had all of the ingredients laying about the house.

After our trip to Italy this fall we have been experimenting with 'Italian flavours' this toasted treat was our latest experiment, one we will place in the 'keeper' file. Enjoy!

Prosciutto, Pecorino, and Pear Panini

1 focaccia bread, cut in half horizontially

2 oz proscuitto

2 oz grated pecorino cheese

balsamic vinegar

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and sliced

1 cup washed and trimmed arugula leaves

Open the foccacia bread up and sprinkle the balsamic vinegar over the cut sides (I used 10 year old balsamic from the Florence market). Layer the ingredients over one of the cut halves, taking care to spread them out evenly. Cover with the remaining half. Toast in a panini grill until golden brown.

This was an amazing flavour combination!

Prosciutto and Gruyère Strombolis

I am aware that I haven't included many recipes hare lately.

I blame this on all of those who do things to make me cranky thus setting off a rant of the day. Either that or I am becoming an old curmudgeon. You decide.

Today we wanted something light and quick for lunch.  I found this recipe on the Cooking Light magazine website. It fit the bill completely. Even better was the fact that I had all of the ingredients in the house already.

A stromboli is a baked sandwich. They are filled, usually with meat and cheese, rolled up jelly roll style and baked.

Prosciutto and Gruyère Strombolis

From
This is no ordinary ham and Swiss. These five ingredients come together quickly to yield a tasty Italian sandwich.


1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated French bread dough
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 cup trimmed arugula
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425°.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 roll)
CALORIES 275

Unroll dough onto a baking sheet; pat into a 14 x 11-inch rectangle. Cut dough into quarters to form 4 (7 x 5 1/2-inch) rectangles. Top each rectangle with 1/2 ounce prosciutto, 1/4 cup arugula, 2 tablespoons cheese, and 1 tablespoon parsley. Beginning at short side of each rectangle, roll up the dough, jelly-roll fashion; pinch seam to seal (do not seal ends of rolls). Arrange rolls 4 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes or until rolls are lightly browned. Serve warm.

They were great. I served them with some hearty Bean Soup we had in the freezer. The web site suggested serving a low-fat tomato sauce on the side to dip the sandwich in - we had some we had canned last fall and made for a zesty combination.