In warmer weather, outdoor kitchens offer home cooks the opportunity to prepare a wide variety of foods without the heat and lingering odors that can be problematic when cooking inside the house.
Nemo and I are huge fans of Great Lakes smelt. Here, I'm preparing a batch on an outdoor cooktop designed for camping. Set up in grass or on a paved surface with cardboard underneath, small oil droplets and odors aren't nearly as problematic as when cooking indoors.
A simple flat surface provides the cook with a place to set foods that are ready to cook or have just finished cooking.
"Before" shot of Nemo anxiously awaiting a smelt.
"After" shot following a tasty diced smelt tail.
Harissa olive oil is infused with spices to give it a lively kick that accompanies a range of foods from hummus and bruschetta to chicken and fish dishes. This lovely bottle of harissa olive oil was a graduation gift from Evan Anderson. Not having cooked with it much before, I wasn't anticipating such a bold flavor but found it to be absolutely outstanding in some pesto that I made this week.
After blending black walnuts and grated parmigiana cheese with coarsely-chopped basil and several garlic cloves in a food processor, I drizzled a generous amount of harissa olive oil into the mix and pulsed a couple of additional times.
The resulting mix was phenomenal on toast points and I can imagine would be outstanding if tossed with a whole wheat pasta to make a carb-friendly pasta with pesto diablo.
Thank you to my good friend and master gardener Dan who gave me several tomato seedlings in late Spring. They're starting to produce some tiny, but flavor-packed tomatoes.
Several food magazines and recipes are starting to highlight these minute, flavor-packed cherry tomato varieties on salads, pizza, or as a garnish to other dishes.
I wish to send out a special thank you to Mariah, my student who was kind enough to bring cupcakes to our scheduled final exam period this week.
The students were writing final reflections on their growth and development as writers over the course of the short summer term and the cupcakes were a perfect accompaniment.
Mariah said that she substituted eggs with cinnamon applesauce and I noticed two things:
- the hint on cinnamon was a perfect accompaniment to the chocolate cake
- they stayed moist for a really long time (I took several at the end of class and hid them in my office so that I was able to enjoy wonderful breakfasts for several days afterwards)
For summer grilling that is delicious and easy on the wallet, look no further than fresh corn. Lindsay, my wife and culinary researcher, found a simple recipe that utilizes corn husks as a wrapping for seasoned chicken thighs. Similar to tamales but missing the corn filling, they were very tasty.
Start with husks pulled from several ears of fresh summer corn.
Place a medium-sized piece of chicken within one of the open husks and season. Wrap another piece of husk around the meat so that it's completely encapsulated in husk.
Use a strip of corn husk to tie the bundle into a neat package.
Place the bundles directly over hot coals. The husks will shield the chicken slightly from the fire's intense heat.
Grill for 25-30 minutes, turning once partway through cooking. Move the bundles out of the way of the fire's direct heat partway through cooking if it appears they'e cooking too fast.
While the bundles are cooking, boil the ears of corn that were inside the husks, cut from the cob, and quickly fry in a cast iron skillet with some butter and sea salt.
Serve hot off the grill. Be careful when unwrapping as the contents will be hot.
One of my favorite foods to make in the summer is baba ganoush. Also referred to as eggplant caviar, this heavenly dish is simple to make and delicious on bread, in sandwiches, or by itself. Start with a large eggplant (or 2-3 smaller ones).
Slice into 1/2" thick pieces and generously splash or brush with olive oil. Cook on a hot grill. I like to cook the pieces to the point of charring, but you don't have to do this. Alternatively, you may cube and bake the eggplant in a 375 degree oven.
Cut the slices into smaller pieces, add 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic (depending on taste), and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Puree the ingredients in a food processor or blender.
After blending, add 3-5 tablespoons of tahini, which is available at Middle Eastern markets or the international section of most grocery stores. Mix well. Bon Appetit!
On a recent visit to Columbus, my friend Randal brought me a mango babka from Trader Joe's. Knowing that I couldn't finish the entire pastry before it began to go bad, I cut it into portions and froze them to enjoy later.
I researched babkas online and found that they're enjoyed in many parts of Eastern Europe and often served on Easter Sunday. This version had mango layered in with a wonderful glaze and made a perfect breakfast with a cup of tea.
Food is about sharing the things we enjoy with those we care about. Thanks Randal for the many gifts of food and friendship you've given to me over the years!
If you're interested in trying you're hand at making a babka, this recipe looks like a good one.
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-babka-229608
