backyard jerk chicken... 1 hour plus marinating

You would think that with this sitting in my fridge for hours I would remember to take a picture of the finished product, but sorry, no such luck, it was eaten too quickly!

the goods:

1 habanero chile, stemmed
1 bunch scallions, cut into pieces
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 to 4 pounds chicken pieces

In a blender or food processor, puree chile, scallions, garlic, thyme, brown sugar, allspice, soy sauce, lime juice, and oil. In a large zip-top bag, toss chicken with paste. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 1 day).
Heat grill to medium-low. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Season chicken with salt and pepper; grill, covered, turning often to prevent charring, until cooked through, 45 minutes.

spicy-sweet glazed shrimp... 20 minutes

 

the goods:

 

2 tablespoons spicy chili sauce, such as Sriracha

1/3 cup honey

2 pounds extra-jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on)

 

Heat a grill to high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Stir together chili sauce and honey. Assemble kebabs (using 2 long skewers for each, threading 1 skewer through head end of shrimp and 1 through tail end); season with salt and pepper. Grill until shrimp begins to turn opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, brushing liberally with glaze, and cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes.

grilled steak and vegetables... 25 minutes

 

the goods:

 

1/3 cup lemon juice (from 3 lemons)

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, divided

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 skirt steak

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 

Heat a grill to high. In a large bowl , combine lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, bell pepper, zucchini, and onion; season with salt and pepper and marinate 15 minutes.

 

 

Season steak with salt, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Cook steak, flipping once, about 12 minutes for medium. Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain.

 

Lightly oil hot grill. Arrange vegetables on grill in an even layer, reserving marinade, and cook until browned and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk oil and mustard into marinade. Serve vegetables and steak drizzled with dressing.

corn chowder with zucchini and orzo... 30 minutes

 

the goods:

 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 medium zucchini, diced medium

reserved cooked orzo

1 bunch scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

3 cups corn kernels (from 4 ears), cobs reserved

 

 

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Add zucchini and saute until crisp-tender, 4 minutes. Stir in orzo and heat until warmed through. Transfer to a bowl and toss with scallion greens; season with salt and pepper.

 

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan over medium-high. Add scallion whites and saute until tender, 3 minutes. Add corn and cook tunil tender, 3 minutes. Add 3 cups water and corncobs (I broke mine in halves) and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until chowder thickens slightly, 8 minutes.

 

Discard cobs and season with salt and pepper. In batches, fill a blender halfway with chowder and puree (use caution when blending hot liquids). Serve chowder topped with zucchini mixture.

pork with mozzarella and tomato... 40 minutes

 

the goods:

 

1 pound orzo

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

reserved tomato mixture, roughly chopped

6 pork cutlets

10 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice

3 ounces baby spinach (3 cups)

 

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook orzo according to package instructions, drain. Cover and refrigerate one-quarter for tomorrow night's dinner. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 minutes. Add tomato mixture and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until sauce thickens, 10 minutes. Heat broiler. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Season pork with salt and pepper, arrange on sheet, and broil 3 minutes. Remove sheet from broiler. Flip pork; top with tomato sauce, and mozzarella. Broil until pork is cooked through, 3 minutes. Stir remaining 1/4 cup oil, lemon zest and juice, and spinach into remaining orzo and season with salt and pepper. Serve alongside pork.

broiled fish with summer salad... 15 minutes

 

the goods:

 

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 flounder fillets (my fish monger had breaded flounder on sale so I went with that, but plain flounder works just as well)

3 garlic cloves, minced, divided

5 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 English cucumber, cut into half-moons

1 and 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

 

Heat broiler. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange flounder on sheet, flipping to coat in oil; sprinkle with one-third garlic and season with salt and pepper. Broil until fish is opaque throughout, about 5 to 7 minutes (more if it's breaded).

Meanwhile, toss together remaining 2 tablespoons oil, remaining garlic, and tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate half the tomato mixture for tomorrow night's dinner. Stir in cucumber, corn, and lemon juice into remaining tomato mixture. Serve fish with salad.

smoky baby back ribs... 3 hours

 

the goods:

 

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/4 cup Cajun seasoning

3 tablespoons paprika

1 and 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard

2 racks baby back pork ribs

 

chipotle sauce:

1 cup chili sauce

1/4 cup chopped chipotle chiles in adobo

2 tablespoons honey

 

Combine brown sugar, 1/3 cup salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, Cajun seasoning, paprika, cayenne, and ground mustard.

 

Working with 1 rack at a time, lay a large piece of parchment-lined foil on a work surface, place pork on parchment, and liberally coat both sides with rub. Fold foil and parchment around ribs, crimping the edges together to form a packet. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place rib packets on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours.

 

Stir together chipotle sauce. Remove ribs from oven. Heat grill to high. Unwrap ribs and brush with chipotle sauce. Place ribs directly over heat. Grill until sauce is bubbling and ribs are lightly charred, 2 minutes per side, brushing with more sauce if desired.

 

grilled chicken thighs and garden salsa... 30 minutes (plus marinating)

 

the goods:

 

1 and 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, divided

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium tomatoes, diced small

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced small

1 small zucchini, diced small

1/2 green bell pepper, diced small

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives

 

In a large zip-top bag, toss chicken with 1/2 cup oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, garlic, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Refrigerate 2 hours (or overnight).

In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, bell pepper, and chives. Let salsa sit at room temperature 2 hours.

Heat grill to high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Remove chicken from marinade, scraping off any garlic. Season with salt and grill until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Serve topped with salsa.

fish tacos with spicy slaw... 30 minutes

 

the goods:

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound skinless firm, white fish fillets, such as cod or striped bass, cut into 3 pieces

1 small bunch cilantro, stems and leaves separated, roughly chopped

3 jalapenos

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced small

1/2 small Napa cabbage, shredded

1 small red onion, finely chopped

lime juice, plus wedges for serving

8 corn tortillas, toasted

sliced avocado, for serving

 

smoky seasoning salt:

2 tablespoons cup coarse sea salt

1 tablespoons grated lime zest

1 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

Heat grill to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Combine fish, cilantro stems, and jalapenos. Coat with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill fish and jalapenos until fish is opaque throughout and jalapenos are charred and tender, about 5 minutes per side.

 

In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, cabbage, and onion. Seed and finely chop grilled jalapenos and add to bowl. Season to taste with seasoning salt and lime juice.

 

Flake fish and divide among tortillas.

 

Top with slaw and serve with cilantro leaves, more seasoning salt, lime wedges, and avocado.

thai steak stir-fry... 30 minutes

 

the goods:

 

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 pound skirt steak, cut against the grain into thin strips (helpful tip: place steak in the freezer for 15 minutes before slicing)

1 pound green beans, trimmed

4 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large

2 cups cooked rice, for serving

 

In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add steak and cook, stirring, until browned, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer steak to a plate. Add green beans, ginger, and garlic, and cook, stirring, until green beans are crisp-tender, 5 minutes. Return beef and any juices to pan along with fish sauce and basil. Cook 1 minute. Serve with rice.

pork medallions with blackberry chutney... 45 minutes

 

the goods:

 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1/4 cup dark-brown sugar1 and 1/2 cups blackberries

1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch slices and flattened slightly with your palm

 

In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium. Saute shallots until tender, 8 minutes. Add vinegar, brown sugar, and blackberries and cook until mixture is syrupy and some of the berries have collapsed, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, season pork with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Add half the pork and cook until golden brown and cooked through, flipping once, about 8 minutes. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and pork. Serve pork topped with chutney.

 

pesto chicken burgers... 25 minutes

 

the goods:

 

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1 cup baby spinach (1 ounce)

1 garlic clove, peeled

1/4 cup walnuts

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound ground white-meat chicken

2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices

3 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

4 buns or pieces of focaccia, halved

 

In a food processor, puree basil, spinach, garlic, walnuts, oil, and 1 tablespoon water. Season pesto with salt and pepper.

Heat grill to medium-high. Combine 1 tablespoon pesto, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and chicken and form into 4 patties. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill patties, covered, 4 minutes. Flip patties and top with cheese. Add tomatoes to grill and cook, flipping once, until tomatoes are lightly charred and burgers are opaque throughout, 4 minutes.

 

Assemble sandwiches on buns or focaccia with pesto, burgers, and tomatoes.