A Life, Lived

Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

This amazing marinade and glaze comes together quickly. It sizzles with the flavors of brown sugar, ginger and soy sauce. People who blog about this recipe say it reminds them of being on Hawaii. I've never been so I will take their work for it. Huli means "turn" in Hawaiian.

I had a busy day on Friday with back to back Zoom interviews. On a 15 minute break I raced to prepare the marinade. Proof that it comes together quickly. Unfortunately because I was rushing I wasn't as careful as I should have been when pouring the marinade over the chicken in a ziplock bag. Whoosh - over the floor! I can say from experience that this marinade is both sticky and slippery. SIGH

This chicken is amazing with some grilled pineapple as well.

I imagine that this sweet and savory glaze is fantastic on pork chops, too.

Grilled Huli Huli Chicken

1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup chicken broth
2-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
24 boneless skinless chicken thighs about 4 pounds or 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a medium bowl, whisk together juice, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, broth, ginger and garlic until combined. Reserve 1-1/3 cups marinade for basting. Cover and refrigerate. Divide remaining marinade between two large resealable plastic bags. Add 12 chicken thighs to each; seal bags and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Drain and discard marinade from chicken. Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack.

Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until no longer pink; baste occasionally with reserved marinade during the last 5 minutes. Yield: 12 servings.

Grilled Halibut with Tomatillo Salsa

Since you’re already firing up the grill to cook the fish, have a little fun and take advantage of that fire by first grilling a pepper, some tomatillos, and a thick slice of onion so that you can whip up a flavorful salsa before putting your fish on the grate.

Tomatillos look like tough, green tomatoes. They have a similar composition of skin on the outside, seeds on the inside. They come wrapped in a waxy, leafy exterior that needs to be removed before you cook with them. They have a naturally acidic flavors and balance out really nicely with Mexican peppers.

This dinner comes together very quickly and is a great meal to mix into your weeknight menus.

Grilled Halibut with Tomatillo Salsa

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more as needed
4 large tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and dried
1 medium poblano or anaheim chile, split in half lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded
1 thick slice from a large yellow onion
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice; more to taste
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne
2 Tbs. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 6-oz. skinless halibut fillets extra-virgin olive oil, for grilling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lime juice (optional)
Lime or lemon wedges, for serving
Red radishes, thinly sliced, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Prepare a medium (350°F to 375°F) charcoal grill fire. Using a long-handled spatula, push the coals to the center of the grill; or light the center burner on a gas grill and heat to medium. When the grill is hot, oil the grill grate. Grill the tomatillos, turning, until browned and softened, about 12 minutes. Grill the pepper until blistered and charred, about 13 minutes. Grill the onion until charred on both sides, 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables to a work surface. Remove the skin from the pepper, and coarsely chop the vegetables. Scoop the vegetables into a medium bowl, and add the 1 Tbs. of oil, lime juice, garlic, and cayenne. Let the salsa cool to room temperature, and then stir in the cilantro. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lime juice.

Lightly brush the halibut on both sides with oil, and season with salt, pepper, and lime juice, if you like. Oil the grill grate, and grill the halibut until just cooked through, with the grill covered and the vents open, turning once, until a digital meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the fish reads 125°F, about 8 minutes total, depending on the heat of the grill and the thickness of the fish.

With a fish spatula, transfer the halibut to individual plates and serve with the salsa, lime or lemon wedges, radishes, and cilantro.

Grilled Pork Chops with Nectarine Salsa

This is one of those recipes that you can only make for a short while every year - you want to use fresh fruit. Using fruit that was picked unripe 3000km away and shipped to your grocery in the dead of winter just won't yield the same results. In fact, if you try to make this without fresh, local nectarines you'll likely go 'meh'.  Make it in August with nectarines that were plucked from eh tree and delivered to the Farmers' market the next day and you'll see ow delicious it can be.

The salsa was delicious. The recipe says it is spicy - we certainly didn't find it to be that way. It was sweet and paired beautifully with the pork.

Speaking of the pork. Many companies have had to switch gears during the pandemic. One such company was Woodward meats. Located in a dingy industrial area of Oakville, this meat packer supplied many of Toronto's finest restaurants. When the restaurants closed their business dried up. They took to selling their meat wholesale to the general public. All you do is order online, pay, and hours later you receive a confirmation email with a date and time for pick up. Driving to the wholesaler is a bit of a challenge because Oakville is rebuilding Speers Road (about 25 years after it needed to be done but whatever) but once you get there they have an efficient system fro contactless pick up. The product is AMAZING!

Enjoy

Grilled Pork Chops with Nectarine Salsa

2 nectarines, pitted and diced
1 ripe tomato, seeded and diced
¼ cup diced onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 pinch salt to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Lightly oil grate, and set 4 inches from the heat.

To make the salsa, place the nectarines, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and red pepper flakes in a bowl; toss to blend. Season to taste with salt. Cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes to blend flavors.

Stir the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Place the olive oil in a small bowl. Brush the pork chops with oil, and season both sides evenly with the cumin mixture.

Place pork loin chops on the preheated grill. Cook until lightly browned and juices run clear, about 4 minutes on each side. Place pork chops on serving plates, and top with a generous spoonful of salsa.

Horseradish Sauce

It is a long weekend in Canada which means many people will be firing up the BBQ and tossing on some steaks. One of my favourite accompaniments with steak is horseradish sauce. This creamy horseradish rivals the best I have tried in restaurants.

This horseradish cream sauce is so easy and will impress your dinner guests! It keeps well in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks and only gets better as the flavors meld.

The horseradish taste is not overwhelming at all so 'horseradish phobic' folks (like Paul) will be happy. I would have added more horseradish if it were just for me.

Horseradish Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp mayo
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp chives

In a small mixing bowl, stir all of the ingredients together. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for about 2 weeks.

Lemon Rosemary Marinated Grilled Halibut

This recipe surprised me.

In a good way . . . although don't let the pic spoil your taste bud fun.

We loved grilled halibut. I've often paired it with lemon and herbs prior to grilling. I've never considered using rosemary. When I first came upon the recipe online I almost clicked past it until I noticed it was from Bobby Flay. Say what you want about Flay - he knows grilling and he knows how to make dishes with an interesting flavour profile.

With that in mind I put this on the menu - it was an easy choice too since we had all of the ingredients.

This dish comes together quickly with only 20 minutes of actual work time (the rest of the time being the hour the fish sits in the marinade prior to grilling). The results are delicious and you'll be glad you gave it a go.

Enjoy!

Lemon Rosemary Marinated Grilled Halibut

3 tablespoons dry white wine
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
Four halibut steaks, (6 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Whisk together the wine, lemon juice, olive oil and rosemary in a small shallow baking dish. Add the halibut and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning once. Preheat grill. Remove fish from marinade and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the steaks for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or to desired doneness.

Basil Turkey Burgers

I'm a big fan of turkey burgers but it is difficult to find a recipe that has both flavour and moisture. We had an oversupply of ground turkey in the freezer (don't know if it was COVID19 hoarding or just bad supply organizing of the freezer. In any event, I needed to use some up and with this hot weather grilling burgers seemed to be the way to go.

I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website.

I liked that it had basil in the burger itself but also in the mayo that is brushed on the burger bun. Other than that the ingredient list is short making this a good addition to a weeknight dinner.

The end result is a delicious, moist turkey burger. Perfect for summer grilling.

The only change I made to the recipe was to add a slice of Havarti cheese just before I took the burgers off of the grill. Don't you think we all need some nice, melty Havarti in the middle of this damn pandemic?

Basil Turkey Burgers

1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil, divided
1/4 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound lean ground turkey
4 hamburger buns, split
4 lettuce leaves
1 large tomato, sliced

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon basil. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

In a bowl, combine the milk, onion, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and remaining basil. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties.

On a lightly oiled grill rack, grill burgers, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 165° and juices run clear. Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato and basil mayonnaise.

Beer Can Chicken

Beer Can Chicken is incredibly delicious, juicy and moist. This chicken is perfectly seasoned with herbs and spices and baked to a crispy perfection. The steam from the beer creates an unbelievably moist chicken, you’ll love it from the very first bite. 

I started making beer can chicken a few years ago and ever since then it’s been a favorite. I can honestly say that this chicken is probably the most juicy and delicious chicken and a million times better than the roasted chickens you get at the grocery store. The steam from the beer creates an amazing juicy chicken. 

This chicken is roasted at a pretty high temperature of 425 F degrees, it gets nice and crispy all around, no more soggy chicken on the bottom. Because this chicken stands up on the beer can, it cooks evenly all around giving you crispy skin and juicy meat.

Full disclosure here - I don't actually force the end of the chicken over a can of been and toss it on the grill ay more. I picked up this great pan at Williams Sonoma:

It has all of the benefits of the traditional beer can chicken technique plus it allows you to added veggies or potatoes to the roasting pan. They cook up wonderfully from the grill and have the added deliciousness that comes from the drippings from the chicken.

Enjoy

Beer Can Chicken

1 chicken whole, 3 - 4 lb chicken
12 oz beer can, I've used Sleeman's honey brown, Pilsner, Coor's light
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp tarragon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder

Preheat your gas grill to medium-high heat, with all burners lit. Prepare the chicken as stated in the instructions with the spice rub and oil.

Make sure the beer can is open, and only half-filled with beer, don’t throw away the other half, drink it!

Lower the chicken onto the beer can, making sure the chicken sits upright

Mix all the rub ingredients together in a bowl.

Place the chicken on the grill, use the legs and beer can to support the chicken and keep it stable.

Cover the grill and let it cook. Check it after an hour, then every 15 minutes or so. As with the oven, it’s best to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken and make sure it reaches 165 F degrees.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil. Let it sit for 15 minutes before carving it.

 

Grilled Asparagus Salad with Lemon and Feta

'Oh happy day' I thought when I spotted the first local asparagus at the grocery store when I was doing my shopping.

Living in Canada where there is a huge gap in fresh, local produce during the winter months the return of fresh and local is always a cause for celebration. This year, with the COVID19 misery it is even more a cause for a happy dance.

I grabbed a huge bunch and was off to the races.

We ended up using it in this salad last night. This is my kind of a dish - ready in less than 30 minutes, easy, doesn't dirty a bunch of dishes, and when you dig in your taste buds go 'wow'.

Enjoy.

Grilled Asparagus Salad with Lemon and Feta

2 pounds very thick asparagus, about 24 spears, ends trimmed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
3 oz feta cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)

Preheat the grill to high.

Place the asparagus spears on a foil-lined baking sheet for easy clean-up. Directly on the prepared baking sheet, toss the asparagus with 2 tablespoons of the oil, the salt and the pepper.

Place the asparagus spears on the grill, making sure they are perpendicular to grates so they don't fall through. Set the baking sheet near the grill (you'll need it for the cooked asparagus). Cover and cook the asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes, until nicely browned on one side and still crisp -- do not overcook. Remove the asparagus from the grill and place back on the foil-lined baking dish. Let the asparagus cool.

Transfer the spears to cutting board and cut on the bias into bite-sized pieces. Place the cut asparagus in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice; toss well. Add the feta and toss gently. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper and lemon juice (I usually add up to 1/4 teaspoon more salt). Transfer to a serving platter. Serve room temperature or cold.

Grilled Flank Steak with Rosemary

This grilled flank steak with garlic and rosemary is one of my favorite summer steak recipes. You can make the marinade in the morning, let the meat soak up its flavor all day (or just the two hours suggested in the original recipe), then come dinnertime all that’s left to do is fire up the grill. Be sure that your grill is very hot so you get nice grill marks, and cook the meat no further than medium-rare; flank steak is a very lean cut, so it can be a bit tough if over-cooked.

Grilled Flank Steak with Rosemary

1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 1/2 tablespoons honey
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons freshly chopped rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 pounds flank steak

Mix soy sauce, olive oil, honey, garlic, rosemary, pepper and salt in a large zip baggie. Add steak and turn to coat. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 2 to 10 hours, turning occasionally; drain.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill steak 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare, or to the desired degree of doneness. Remove the steak to a hard surface and let stand for 5 minutes.

Cut steak across the grain into thin strips.

Firecracker Salmon

This salmon is marinated in an Asian-style mixture with just enough spice and heat to give it a little kick (but not too much if that worries you. :-) ). Perfect for any occasion and a great way to spice up a healthy choice.

Firecracker Salmon

1/4 cup/60 mL peanut oil (use vegetable oil as substitution)
2 tablespoons/30 mL soy sauce
2 tablespoons/30 mL balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons/30 ml green onions (chopped)
1 tablespoon/15 mL sambal chili paste (or 1 teaspoons/5 mL pepper flakes)
2 teaspoons/10 mL​ brown sugar
1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon/5 mL grated ginger
1 teaspoon/5 mL sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon/2.5 mL salt

Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl until sugar and salt have dissolved.

Place salmon in a large resealable bag (or two, if needed).

Pour marinade mixture over top, making sure fish is well coated.

Force all the air from the bag and seal.

Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour.

Preheat grill for medium high heat.

Make sure to oil the grill grates well before grilling fish. This will keep the fish from breaking during the cooking process.

Remove fish from bag and place on a hot grill.

Brush liberally with some of the marinade and discard the rest.

Cook over a high heat for about 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done (between 145-150 F.). Time might vary because of the thickness of the fish.

Once fish has cooked, remove from grill.