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Back in the before times and prior to retirements I always travelled somewhere in Canada at this time of the year to meet up with the senior education union leaders from across the country. It was a time to share 'war' stories, seek guidance, and discuss the common issues of the day.
The Manitoba labour groups were celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike and the Manitoba Teachers' Society was celebrating its 100th anniversary so there was a lot of celebrating.
We tend to grill salmon weekly now that grilling season is upon us. One of the secrets to success we've discovered is to use a grill mat. It allows the fish to cook without sticking to the grill. You still end up with grill marks but don't loose half of your fish when it falls apart on the grill. This is particularly important with a recipe like this that includes honey. Honey will caramelize and fuse to the grill leading to a sticking disaster.
Since our friend first sent us a grill mat we've never had a sticking disaster. They are reusable but eventually wear out. We are one grill mat # 5! LOL
This recipe was originally to be cooked on a cast iron skillet on the stove. I thought it would lend itself nicely to the grill and I was right.
From start to finish it takes about 20 minutes - plus it tastes amazing. Win, win.
Enjoy!
Soy Ginger Salmon
3 tablespoonslow-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 cloves< garlic minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic-chili paste (sriracha), or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound< skin-on salmon fillet at room temperature, cut into 3–4 portions
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Chopped green onions for serving
Toasted sesame seeds for serving
Heat your grill to 375 degrees.
In a small saucepan, stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a simmer over medium high, then remove from heat and stir in the honey and chili paste. Remove a few spoonfuls of the cooked glaze in a separate bowl for serving.
Drizzle the salmon with the olive oil and brush so that it is evenly coated. Place the salmon skin-side up on the hot grill. Let cook for about 3 minutes, flip. Brush with glaze. Close the BBQ lid and cooking until done (we cooked it another 4 minutes but the time will depend upon the thickness of the salmon fillet).
Remove from the BBQ when done. Tent with foil and allow the salmon to rest for 5 minutes.
Serve topped with the reserved glaze, green onions, and toasted sesame seeds.
Friday was planting day at the garden plot. After a couple of hours work everything was planted and watered. I left the plot feeling good about things.
This tiny bit of garden satisfaction likely caused Karma to kick me in the ass.
On Saturday a rare bit of storm passed through the area. Called a derecho, it blew through quickly with high winds, pounding rain and very black skies. We were at mom's at the time so we didn't get to experience it at home.
When we returned home we drove past the park and there is a part where you can see the garden plots from the road. Paul looked over and said 'some of those fences look funny'.
We thought nothing more of it and headed home to lunch and a well-deserved nap.
We were going out for dinner that evening to celebrate our anniversary. When we woke from our powernap we decided to go and see how things were at the park.
What greeted us was not good. Our fence had blown over completely and a big part of it was laying on top of the tomato plants that had been planted the day before.
The metal poles that were driven into the ground and used to support the wooden poles had bent over from the force of the winds.
We propped things up as best we could and headed to Home Depot for more supplies. This fence is getting super expensive.
On Monday we went over to the park and added a second metal pole to support the wooden poles and the other metal pole that hadn't quite been up to the job. The fence is quite strong now. Hopefully it was withstand the winds of another storm should one blow through.
Back to our regular schedule of weeding and watering.
This is a very local travel post. The spring flowers are beautiful this year.
I sure can . . .
I had a half turkey breast (bone in) sitting in the freezer and decided to toss it on the grill.
The recipe I selected had a brine and a rub that had an intriguing mix of sweet and savoury.
The result was an incredibly moist turkey breast. The rub added a great hit of flavour - which is something that turkey needs. Yes, I am firmly in 'that' camp..
Brining a turkey breast is a great way to ensure a moist finished product but also a super way to add in some flavour. This is a fairly standard turkey brine of 2 quarts of water and ¼ cup of salt with some added flavors with the garlic, brown sugar, and bay leaf. You can use the brine to introduce other favours that you want. Add some apple cider, perhaps a quartered orange. Go wild. But the most important thing is the salt to fluid ratio stay approximately the same. It is not an exact science, so just keep it close.
I don't always remember to brine poultry and yet when i do I am amazed at the difference it makes.
When it comes time to grill you will brown the skin some, flip the skin up and turn off half the grill and point the thicker side to the heat. You want about 350° (oven roasting temperature).
Cook until internal temp of 165° (about 1 ¾ to 2 hours). Time will vary by the weight and thickness of the turkey breast and by your grill. DO NOT COOK BY TIME. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Grilled Turkey Breast
Brine
2 qts water
1/4 cup table salt
/4 cup brown sugar optional
2-3 cloves crushed garlic optional<
2-3 bay leaves optional
Rub
2 tablespoons brown sugar
teaspoon kosher salt only if not brining and not injected
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons oil
If your turkey breast is not injected or previously brined, brining is an excellent idea. Start with a brine: 2 qt. of water and add ¼ cup each of salt and brown sugar. Crush 2-3 cloves of garlic and add 2-3 bay leaves are optional.
Trim and clean a 3 ½ to 5-pound turkey breast. Add the turkey to the brine and refrigerate for 3-6 hours.
Preheat grill to a grill surface temperature of 350° to 400°. Mix a rub of 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon each oregano, and cumin. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt if you did not brine and if you are sure the breast was not injected.
Rinse the breast carefully, pat dry then brush with a little oil. Apply the rub.
Grill skin-side down for about 5-8 minutes to get some browning of the skin then flip and turn off the direct heat on that side of the grill with the meat. Place the thick side of the breast towards the heat. Keep the temp of the grill 350° to 375° in the area between the direct and indirect sides. Keep the lid closed and your hands off as much as possible.
Cook until an internal temp of 165° in the thickest part and several other locations. This will vary by the weight and thickness of the turkey breast and your grill. Generally about 1 ¾ to 2 hours). DO NOT COOK BY TIME ALONE. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Friends of ours are in Tuscany and they are posting lots of pics from their travels on their social accounts. Yesterday they were in Pienza and their pics triggered memories of our own visits to Pienza over the years.
It seems many of my Travel Tuesdays posts are triggered rather than actual recent visits these days. SIGH
Whatever. The city of Pienza in Italy is considered one of the most beautiful places in Tuscany. Not far from Siena, in the midst of the famous Val d’Orcia, this UNESCO World Heritage Site enchants above all with its beautiful old town, which is seen as the perfect Renaissance city. During a stroll through the historic center, you will discover countless beautiful attractions, romantic alleys, stop at picturesque squares and experience fantastic views. Excellent restaurants and cozy cafés also ensure a pleasant stay. And not to forget the breathtakingly beautiful surroundings around Pienza which are absolutely worth seeing!
One of the big battles I had with the garden plot last year was with the deer. The plot is located in a large Provincial park. A large park with a healthy deer population. A healthy deer population comfortable with human presence and with a taste for the finer things in life. They treated the garden plot like an all-you-can eat buffet. Why battle the wild for edible twigs, leaves and berries when there is a supply of fresh vegetation?
We discovered that the deer loved peas, beans, lettuce, spinach and beets. Later in the season we discovered that they loved green tomatoes (this one was particular hard as I had seen the promise of a delicious crop to come in those tomatoes.
The deer did ignore radishes, corn, jalapeno peppers and carrots. They also didn't seem enamoured of RIPE tomatoes (if you were able to nurse some to that stage).
After each new onslaught I'd try to build the fence a little higher.
At first I joked that we were expecting geriatric deer unable to jump more than four feet.
Ha!
These were Olympic level athletes able to leap 6 feet.
I'm not taking chances this year. We have built the fence higher and stronger than last year. The fence is eight feet tall, the posts are placed closer together than they were last year, the wooden posts are thicker and more sturdy than the ones last year. Finally, we used 100s of cable ties in an effort to ensure that weak areas are strengthened.
Don't get me wrong. I believe that nature will win as always. I just hope that the damage done is limited compared to what we experienced last growing season. I'm actually happy top share with the deer, unfortunately their brains aren't developed enough to understand the concept of taking SOME and leaving SOME for others! :-)
Fence building was a four day process.
The first day was easy - I picked up the supplies.
The second day was more challenging - we lugged all of the supplies to the plot. Drove the metal support posts as deep into the ground as we could and put up the first four foot layer of fence.
We rewarded our efforts with our first picnic lunch of the year.
Yesterday was HOT. We split our work in two because we were getting a bit dizzy from the heat. The first part was placing the 8 foot wooden posts. Then we added about half of the second 4 foot layer. When things cooled down later in the day we went back and finished the final layer.
There is still some more to do - it won't happen today because we are getting some work done at the house and it is raining. When the soil dries I'll go and finish things off by tying down any loose spots.