German Currywurst with Homemade Curry Ketchup [Zack]

From an omniscient octopus to picking who has cuter jerseys, people have been trying their own ways of predicting the winner of the World Cup.  In my mind, the only fair way to decide the victor is to cook a famous food item from each country.  The more delicious of the two will decide the outcome of the 2014 World Cup.

I have chosen the ubiquitous Berliner snack food currywurst from Germany to go up against the Argentinean steak with a zippy chimichurri sauce.  Both are simple preparations of a basic nationally-loved food.  The Germans are known for their sausages and snack food culture, and the Argentinians are known for sitting around a campfire roasting huge hunks of meat on swords.  Seems like a fair fight.

In the end we decided that the Argentine steak with chimichurri sauce slightly edged out the currywurst.  It's therefore expected to be a close match on Saturday.

Here is the recipe for the currywurst.

Process:

Here are the ingredients:

Mince the shallot and garlic.  Add them to a sauce pot over medium heat with 1T of cooking oil.  Cook until fragrant and it starts to turn light brown.  Add the clove and the garlic and onion powder.  Cook 1 more minute.

Dump in the tomato sauce and all of the other liquids.  Stir to combine and add salt to taste.  You can reserve the curry powder to sprinkle on top if you don't want your whole batch of ketchup to be curry ketchup.  Cook the ketchup for 20 minutes.

Grill or saute the sausages until they are cooked through and golden brown.  I did this over low heat in a pan to make sure they cooked all the way through.

Slice the sausage into rounds, cover in your ketchup, and sprinkle curry powder on top.  Serve with toothpicks if it's for a crowd.  For a really authentic presentation, you can stop by your local friteur and beg for a plastic serving container.

Ingredients:
1T canola oil or olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 whole clove
1T onion powder
1tsp garlic powder
3 cups tomato puree
2T molasses
1/2tsp salt
1tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2tsp fish sauce
2T sriracha
Curry powder for sprinkling on top
Currywurst sausages

Song:  Max Duke & Mat Vega - Meet You

Sriracha Honey Garlic Glazed Chicken Wings [Zack]

Wings and sriracha.  Two of my favorite things to eat, combined into one dish?  Yessur.  This is what I'm bringing to the super bowl party tomorrow (the Europeans are watching it a day late).  Since these wings are done in the oven, you can make them if you don't want to grill outside and brave the polar vortex.  And I promise, you won't miss out on any flavor.

These wings are hot.  Not blow-your-face-off hot.  Just hot - the honey and butter take the edge off of the sriracha so you can enjoy the flavor of the sauce.

You can make these the day before the big game (or dinner) and then just pop them under the broiler to heat up the wings and caramelize the sugars in the glaze.

Process:

Pre-heat your oven to 350F / 175C.  Toss your chicken wings in the dry rub ingredients.

Put some canola oil on a baking sheet and mix the dry-rubbed chicken wings around in it.  Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

In a small sauce pot over medium-low heat, combine the 3T garlic butter and 2.5T honey until they both become liquid.

Add the 5T sriracha and 1tsp soy sauce and cook for about 10 minutes.  The sauce should thicken up a bit.

Take the wings out of the oven.  They should have developed some color, but not be browned.

Coat them in the sauce.  You can call it a day and put them in the fridge for another time.  Then, all you'll need to do is broil these badboys before serving.

Or, if you can't wait, crank your oven up to maximum broil and place the wings back in the oven.  Put them on the middle-high rack below the broiler.  Leave them under the heat until the sugar caramelizes (about 5 minutes).  Make sure to keep an eye on the wings and turn them over in the sauce to ensure even browning.

Serve hot!

Ingredients:
30 wings
dry rub:
1T harissa powder (or hot paprika if you can't find it)
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp cracked black pepper
1tsp salt

Sriracha Honey Garlic Glaze:
3 heaping T of garlic butter (or 3T of butter, 3 cloves garlic chopped.  mash to combine)
2.5T honey
5T sriracha (to taste)
1tsp soy sauce

Song:  Storm Queen - Look Right Through

TUSCANA STYLE GRILLED VEGGIES Inspired by Zack and Lauren (TOM)

Soon after returning from a wonderful wedding trip, June and I were discussing the great food we enjoyed in Italia. We decided to keep the Tuscany theme going. When you cut the tomatoe it seems to explode into a pomodoro sauce. This is a light but highly flavorful meal. Add a salad or a chunk of bread or both. A glass of vino with this meal is highly recommended. This recipe is for 2 dinners.

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR THE COATING

~ 4 cloves Garlic
~ 1/3 cup EVOO
~ 8 leaves fresh Basil
~ 1/2 teaspoon fresh Rosemary
~  8 leaves fresh Italian Parsley
~ 2 tablespoons fresh Chives

Finely chop all the herbs and Garlic. In a cup mix into the oil and set aside

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO GRILL AND FINISH  

~ 1 Fennel bulb
~ 1 red or orange Pepper
~ 1 yellow Squash
~ 2 Tomatoes
~ 1 red Onion
~ 1 Eggplant
~ Salt and Pepper
~ chunk Parmesian Cheese cut into bit size pieces
~ 3 fresh Basil leaves
~ 3 fresh Italian Parsley leaves

Slice all the vegtables lenghtwise 1/3 - 1/2 of an inch thick except for the fennel and the tomatoe.
Slice the top of the tomatoe and cut the fennel bulb leaving a stalk for each cut. Fire-up the grill.
Liberally coat all the veggies on both sides. Salt and pepper to your liking. Grill the veggies on a medium fire until soft but not mushy. Do not turn the tomato. Plate and top with the chunks of cheese, basil and parsley.

Boun Appetito

Ciao

Stuffed Sirloin Steaks [Tom]

Shopping List:
~ 2 Top Sirloin Fillets 1/3 to 1/2 lb each
~ 1 teaspoon chopped flat leaf parsley
~ 1 teaspoon diced chives
~ 1 small minced garlic clove
~ 2 slices of blue cheese 1" x 2"
~ A pinch of salt and pepper

Stand the steak on it's side and cut a pocket.

Stuff the pocket with the ingredients
Use 2 to 3 toothpicks in each to hold the pocket together
Grill to taste

Enjoy

Quick Rosemary Garlic Chicken Marinade [Zack]

Matt serves as the inspiration to this marinade.  He's done variations of this multiple times for our grilling sessions.  He had lived in Italy for a short time and described walking out of the front door of a farmhouse and grabbing handfuls of rosemary to cook with.  With such an abundant supply of fresh herbs, Italians have a great source of inspiration for simple and flavorful cooking.

When I don't know what I want to do with a cut of meat, this my default recipe.  This marinade works best on the grill, but I had great results right out of the frying pan.

You can use this marinade on almost anything:  a rib-eye steak, pork tenderloin, lamb chops, turkey breast, chicken breast, shrimp, lobster tails, etc......

Process:

Strip the leaves off of the rosemary stems and chop.  Slice the garlic cloves and the shallot and add them to a zip-lock bag or a tupperware container.  Pour in the olive oil, and add the pepper flakes and cracked black pepper.  Mix.

Remove any undesirable or fatty parts by trimming the chicken thighs.  Add the thighs to the the bag, add the salt, and toss everything together to ensure even coating.

Let this marinate for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to one day.

Fire up your grill to medium heat or heat up your pan to medium heat.  Cook for about 10 minutes, 5 on each side (depending on thickness).

Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs
1/8 cup olive oil
2 rosemary sprigs, chopped
2 cloves sliced garlic
1/2 shallot sliced
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes (to taste)
cracked black pepper
1tsp sea salt

Creativity options:
Add 1T dijon mustard
Substitute any hearty herbs for the rosemary (thyme, tarragon, cilantro, etc)
Makes a great sandwich
Put over a nice creamy pasta dish

Song:  Robin Thicke - Love after war

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Apricot Jam Marinade [Rhonda]

Degree of difficulty: easy Time: 10 minutes to make the marinade, 20 minutes to heat grill and cook Serves: 2 to 4 Fire up your grill for a super-easy chicken breast with an apricot jam marinade(nice for a pork tenderloin or pork chop). Make a huge batch and freeze the leftovers in small containers for another night. Great in salads or creative paninis.

Apricot Jammin’ on the Grill Ingredients:

½ cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons dry white wine

2 tablespoons minced scallions

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Boneless chicken breasts (3 or so, sliced in half to be thinner cutlets)

Combine all ingredients except chicken breasts in bowl. Mix well. Rinse the chicken breasts, pat dry, slice in half longways to make a thinner cutlet. Put chicken breasts in marinade, refrigerate, and marinate for at least 4 hours. 

 Grill over hot coals. The chicken is thin, so it won’t take long.

Serve and enjoy!

BBQ Sauce [Zack]

My passion for cooking took flight once I started to make BBQ sauce.  It all began when I moved out of the dorms my junior year of college and moved into a house with 4 other guys.  Because we finally had our own place, we made the leap from an undersized George Foreman grill (which was poised by our dorm window so we didn't activate the smoke alarm) to a real grill - even though it was only $30.  All of the roommates loved being social and having friends over, so it was natural that we started to grill for our guests.  Quickly the parties evolved from simple BBQs to all-out Dance Dance Revolution contests and Karaoke Revolution competitions.  The evolution wasn't just in the entertainment.  I was in charge of the grill and decided that making my own BBQ sauce should become my new mission.  Somewhere between all of the beers and ribs, I found that I have a love for entertaining.

I’m romanticizing a bit I think.  I had no idea where to start – naturally I checked out the back of a bottle of BBQ sauce in the grocery store, but that didn’t get me too far.  I remembered my Mom had given me a copy of The Joy of Cooking (in desperate hopes that I would be able to adequately feed myself on my own).  I flipped open the page, grabbed the necessary ingredients, and gave it a shot.  Along the way, there was a lot of frustration:  burnt bacon, blaring fire alarms, too much vinegar, too sweet, not enough spice, etc.  After a few iterations and lots of splatters on the page, I felt comfortable enough to start deviating from the recipe and try make it my own. 

After graduating college, I got new roommates but the mission remained the same:  grilling for friends.  But this time it was on Wednesday nights.  Dubbed “Wacky Wine Wednesday”, we had each friend bring a bottle of wine and we would all hang out in the kitchen and cook together.  BBQ sauce was a frequent experiment, sometimes being so hot a friend would explain “my esophagus is burning!”.  I have also made it for my co-workers as a Christmas gift, bottled in Ball jars.  We even spent an afternoon trying to sell it to passing cars (Tony was the best sales rep). 

In retrospect, it was one of the best things to learn to start my cooking journey.  Making this sauce teaches you so many skills: render bacon fat, sweat onions, reduce a sauce, and balance flavors / ingredients.  This version is both and expansion and consolidation of my knowledge.  I have tried a huge number of variations of the recipe, but this one is one of my favorites.  A great BBQ sauce hits on each of the taste elements: sweet, spicy, sour/tangy, salty, and umami.  They even hit your tongue in a specific order:  sweet, tangy, salty, spicy, smoky finish.  You can add this to grilled or baked chicken, a nice rack of ribs, pulled pork, or even grilled shrimp wrapped in bacon.

Process:

Start your pot on medium-low heat and dice your onion, garlic and bacon.  Add 1 T of olive oil and 1 T of butter to the pot and let the oil get hot.  Then, add in your diced bacon and cook until the fat is rendered - about 5 minutes.  Add in your diced onion and sweat for 5 minutes.  

Stir in the diced garlic and chiles, and cook for an additional 2 minutes. 

Deglaze your pot by adding in the ¾ cup vinegar, worchestershire sauce, and your Dijon mustard.  Stir to combine and scrape up any flavor bits on the bottom of your pot.  

Add in your chili sauce and stir.  Put in your Cheyenne powder, onion powder, chili powder, and black pepper.

Let the sauce reduce to a nice thickness for about 20 minutes.  Adjust your salt (remember the bacon is salty, so do this last).  This is what it should look like when it has reduced:

It’s best to add the sauce during the last stage of cooking.  If you are grilling, cook the meat until it's about 5 minutes from being finished.  Add the sauce and caramelize it over the grill.  The same method applies to baking - run it under the broiler for the last 5 mins with the sauce.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup vinegar

1 large white onion

3 strips smoky bacon diced

3 cloves garlic

2 heaping T of Dijon

2 T worchestershire

2 T Cheyenne powder

2 Birdseye chiles (optional!)

36 oz Heinz Chili Sauce
1 T onion powder

2 T chili powder

1 tsp black pepper

Creativity options:

Add peach, plum, or fig preserves (and leave out some of the ketchup)

Add curry powder

Replace 1/3 of the chili sauce ketchup with hoisin sauce for an asian flare.

Sriracha will enhance the spice level and give it a different finish

Liquid smoke may be considered cheating by some, but if you lack a grill or smoker, it can “recreate” a part that is lost.

Song – Al Green – Here I am

Replicating my Mom - Chicken and Steak Marinades [Nick]

In many respects, it is easy for a young man to look up to his father. What kid wouldn't want to be a big, loud, brash, and overly abrasive New Yorker? (That question is rhetorical...don't actually answer that). I've always thought it was easy to see what traits and qualities I emulate in my father; a booming voice, an exuberant personality, and I love having everyone's attention.

My mother on the other hand is a different story. She's a fabulous-looking, hyper-intelligent, hell-of-a-cook kind of gal. Sorry Pops, but Mom's got you beat...

So naturally, emulating my mother tends to be a bit more difficult.

Do I look like her? I'd like to think so, but I suppose the quality of looks could be up for debate...

Do I cook like her? Fat chance...

What better way to try to be a little more like my mom than take her recipes (that have already been posted), and re-create them myself. With cooking, sometimes you get fabulous results, and sometimes you just get lucky. This circumstance was a little bit of both.

Growing up my mother would always take an incredible cut of london broil, marinade it for hours, then grill it to perfection. On this night, I attempted to re-create her marinade for my own steaks. Here is the London Broil recipe:

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup minced fresh ginger

¼ cup slivered lemon zest (peel lemon with veg peeler, then chop with knife)

8 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

4 teaspoons brown sugar

Combine marinade ingredients, pour over London Broil or any other delicious steak (can use zip lock baggy, turn several times in fridge before grilling). I marinaded for about 8 hours - making my meats extremely juicy and saturated with flavor.

But why stop with just steak? I decided to marinade some chicken breasts as well, this time with another one of my mother's recipes - what she calls her "shark marinade" (also already posted on our food website). Here is the Shark Marinade recipe:

¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup orange juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon chopped dried parsley

Conduct the same process as before with the zip lock bag.

It's official, I can attest to both marinades. The soy and ginger combination complemented the juicy nature of the steak.

The chicken was a stark contrast to the steak, with a tanginess that gave each bite an extra kick.

So what lessons did I learn from my grilling escapade?

#1 If you have a grill, grilling season never ends. Unless you have some tinfoil and a campfire (shoutout to Pat Kaiser), there are not many better ways to cook meat.

#2 Marinading meat for 5+ hours will make your meat incredibly tender, juicy, and downright delicious.

#3 Always listen to your mother...

Honey-Ginger Grilled Peaches & Pork Chops [Tom & June]

Here’s a quick and easy glaze that works for the peaches (as a side or dessert) and also your entrée.

3/4 Cup Honey
¾ tsp Grated Ginger
4 Tbsp Orange Juice
3 Tbsp Rum (optional)
2 Peaches, pitted & cut in quarters
2-4 Pork Chops
4 Wooden or Metal Skewers. (if using wood, soak in water for 15 minutes)

In a small saucepan, heat the honey and ginger over low heat. When hot (not boiling) remove from heat and stir in orange juice and rum.

Place peaches in a shallow dish and pour half of the mixture over peaches. Cover and marinate for 1 hour.

Drain peaches and thread onto skewers.

Salt & pepper pork chops. Grill until almost done. Brush with glaze and continue to cook each side for a few minutes until caramelized. While pork chops are caramelizing, put peaches on grill and grill until golden brown adding a little more glaze as they cook.

We found some beautiful leeks at the store and thought they might be kind of fun to grill too. We added some olive oil, salt & pepper and threw on the grill. It was a nice touch.

Family secret / Breast of lamb [Nick & Mike]

Mom and dad never had much money, yet I don’t remember ever wanting for anything. When you have a mom who’s Italian, there’s always pasta with gravy on the table or dishes that tasted great yet were very inexpensive to make. Here’s a great example: breast of lamb. I’ll bet no one has ever seen it on a restaurant menu. That’s because breast of lamb is always layered with tons of fat; you had to really dig deep to find those thin layers of lamb in between. But there was a wow factor… it tasted great. It was a poor man’s version of a well-marbleized rib eye steak.

This past July 4^th weekend, I decided to create Mom’s breast of lamb recipe with Nick. Talk about an impossible task. Every butcher or grocery store I called in Columbus had never heard of breast of lamb, or never carried it. I even called several meat wholesalers, no luck. I finally tried ­­­Blues Creek at the North Market. They said they would get me a batch. I ordered 15 lbs and 2 days later I picked it up. Price? $1.79 a pound. Why so cheap? The high fat content.

Mom never parboiled the lamb when she made it, but it was so fatty my brother Tommy suggested to do it. After an hour or so we removed the ribs and let them cool. Nick took a bunch of lemons and squeezed them, and chopped garlic. We poured the juice and added the chopped garlic into a pot that held the lamb. We added oregano, and put the mixture into the refrigerator for several hours. The grill was fired up. I told Nick we had to be careful because the fat content was still high and would cause flames and burn the lamb. Finally they were done. Nick and I each took a section of the breast of lamb to taste… “Oh my gosh, the best lamb ever.”

Grilled Lollipop Lamb Chops [Tom & June]

This is one of those great foods you can eat with your hands. Some people believe lamb can taste gamey. The balsamic vinegar marinade will mask any gamey flavor.

What you will need:
~ Rack of Lamb - 8 chops
~ 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
~ 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
~ 4 minced garlic cloves
~ salt and pepper

Racks usually have 7 to 8 chops. You will need to cut them, have your butcher cut them or you can purchase them individually.

Place the chops in a baking dish. Salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 of the balsamic vinegar over the chops. Turn them over and then pour the remainder of the vinegar on top. Top with the garlic and rosemary. Cover and refrigerate until 10 minutes before you are ready to broil or grill. Do not marinate for more than 1 hour.

We grilled our chops and then added a balsamic reduction to add some pizzazz! Our side dishes are an eggplant tower and grits.

Grilled Artichokes For Two [Tom & June]

I remember eating artichokes when I was 5 years old. My Mom would stuff them with bread crumbs, herbs, garlic, cheese and either bacon or Italian sausage. They were pretty much a meal on their own. The stuffing was mounded on each leaf. The object was to eat your way to the luscious tender heart.

Some foods are made to eat with your hands and this is certainly one of those foods.

When in my 20's I frequented a pizza/Itailian restaurant on Second Avenue named Edwardo's. They made a mean stuffed choke similar to my Mom's except anchovies were substituted for the bacon or the sausage. It was always fun to bring someone new there. The owner/Maitre de was, I guess we could call him, a professional pick-pocket. Before you knew it he had my guests tie, wallet, jewelry, belt and more. It was always lots of laughs and good food.

When living in California, artichokes were a staple. Castroville, CA, is the artichoke capital of the world so chokes were always fresh. Californians typically serve them with either a mustard/mayo sauce or drawn butter. Over the years I have introduced artichokes to many people but I usually stuffed them until I found other ways to prepare them.

June and I ordered this appetizer at a Cheesecake Factory and loved it. I believe we pretty much duplicated the dish.

2 hour prep time and 1/2 hour cook time.
This is what you will need:

~ 1 Artichoke
~ 1/4 Cup Honey
~ 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
~ 1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
~ 1/4 Cup EVOO
~ 1/8 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
~ 1 Minced Garlic Clove
~ 1/8 tsp Onion Powder
~ 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Preparation:

With a scissor cut the tips off the leaves. Careful not to get pricked. Also cut the top leaves off.

Next stand the choke on a cutting board with the stem up. With a serrated knife slowly cut down the middle of the stem into the leaf area so you have 2 halves.

Place the 2 halves in a pan of 3 to 4 inches of water. Partially cover, bring to a boil then turn the heat down cooking them at a slow boil for 30 minutes. Remove the halves when cooked, drain and place on plate. Cover and refrigerate for a least 1 hour. (this can be done a day or two in advance)

When ready to grill, spoon out the choke (hairy part) of the artichoke. Careful not to scoop out the heart.

The Dip:

Pour 1/2 tsp of EVOO in a saute pan on low heat. Saute the garlic for 1 minute, then add the other ingredients. Stir for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the remaining EVOO while continuing to stir. Cover and set aside. We will heat prior to serving.

Grilling:

Brush each half with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Grill the halves on medium to low flame for 7 minutes on each side, only turning them once.
Heat the dipping sauce and serve.

Summer Salad with Grilled Pears & Cherry Dressing [Tom & June]

Serves Two

Dressing:
- 2 Tbs Cherry Preserves
- S & P
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Minced Garlic Clove
- ½ tsp Honey
- 1/8 cup or less EVOO

Add all ingredients except oil in a small bowl. Whisk or stir combining the ingredients.
Then, slowly add the oil while stirring.

Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Grilled Pears:
- 1 Pear seeded and cut into quarters.

Lightly coat with olive oil and grill. Not necessary to “cook” all the way through. You want some nice grill marks and to “warm” the pear.

To assemble:

- Lettuce (we used green leaf)
- 2 oz. Goat Cheese
- 1 Grilled Pear
- 1/4 cup Walnuts or Pecan Pieces


Place lettuce on 2 plates – add pear sections, top with goat cheese and chopped nuts, finish with the cherry dressing. Voila!!

Grilled Bronzed Tilapia [Tom & June]

One of my favorite dishes to order is blackened fish or chicken. Alot of times the chef over-does the seasoning or it's too heavy with black pepper. On a trip to the west coast of Florida, I discovered a happy medium between blackened and "blah" when I saw "bronzed" on a menu. It was perfect - and looked like a piece of fish that had been "bronzing" in the Florida sun! This works for chicken and of course, any type of fish.

So I searched on-line for recipes for the seasoning and with some tweaking, this is our version.

Bronzing Seasoning
1 1/2 tsp Salt
3 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Dry Mustard
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp White Pepper
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Mix all ingredients. We put it into an empty spice container with a shaker top.

Brush the fish filets with olive oil and sprinkle with a generous portion of the seasoning. Using the brush, dab and brush the seasoning onto the fish to evenly coat. Do the same to the other side. We threw in some zucchini and orange bell peppers to grill for sides.

Grilling fish can be intimidating but it really is easy. If you have a grill basket, you can use that. If not, spray Pam on the grill. IF YOUR GRILL IS HOT - BE CAREFUL THAT IT DOESN'T FLARE UP!

Grill for about 5-7 minutes per side. You only want to turn once, so check to be sure that it's cooked to your liking before turning. Use a spatula and carefully remove.