Ratatouille
And then there is…Ratatouille! Whether you get your veggies from your garden, or your farmer’s market (ours was a mix of both), this is the time to make your Ratatouille. We cooked this on the griddle, but just using the heat (other than the chicken for Don) in two iron skillets to retain the juices. This very much is a vegetarian meal, but Don wanted some protein on his. So diced chicken breast was cooked separately and added on at the end to his portion. We diced up everything you see. onions, mushrooms, zuchini, peppers…whatever you like. But you need some tomatoes in the mix. The seasoning was black pepper, and whatever herbs were in the garden, mostly basil and parsley. These were tossed with avocado oil and some light seasoning…salt...
Smoked Chicken Pasta
I have been thinking about this potential recipe for a long time. Now that I had some fresh smoked chicken, I dove in. My goal was to make a non-cream based white sauce that exploded with flavor. I think I nailed it. I have a memory of living in a desert and working in the field as a young journalist on hot days, where I was told to ‘carbo-load’ to survive. Today was VERY HOT. So I leaned into that. In two ounces of grass-fed butter I sauteed 4 cloves of garlic, I cooked this down, and then SLOWLY added 2 cups of A2 milk. With this cooking down I ground in a healthy amount of black pepper, a tablespoon of paprika and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning. I cooked this down for a few minutes. Then I added 4 large, thin shaved mushrooms and a thin shaved...
Rib eye with a fried rice side and cumber salad
Tonight was going to be all about my favorite Summer side dish, the Quick Cucumber Pickle. And then I went and had too much fun for the rest of the meal, a non-asian fried rice and a chili-coffee-cajun rub rib-eye steak. The meal was incredible. But let’s go back to the cucumber side dish. It is SO simple. In a bowl add a sliced cucumber. I skin mine with a little green. Pour in a 1/3 mix of apple cider vinegar, white vinegar and water. Season as you like. I put in some garlic powder, Italian seasoning, a bit of cayenne. Put this in the fridge for at least two hours. The rib-eye was seasoned with a coffee-chili rub with my Cajun seasoning. But I wanted to pretend I was cooking healthy. So I decided to do a non-asian fried rice. Which I decided was a fried...
Zucchini Fritters
Ignore the chicken and the side of carrots. Tonight is about Zucchini Fritters. And, of course, cooked on the Blackstone Griddle. Ingredients1 large zucchini, grated. Salt, and drain till it is as dry as you can make it.1 large carrot, grated1 half of a medium onion, we did red2 eggsA few garlic cloves or few garlic leaves (optional)Some hot peppers, we did one jalapeno1 cup flour, we used almond flour1/4 tsp of garlic powder1/4 tsp of onion powder1/4 tsp of ground pepper1/4 tsp of turmeric powder1 tbsp of olive oil Mix well and form in a small handful and flatten on a hot griddle. Cook for about 6 minutes on a medium-high griddle. Sure, the chicken and carrots were good. But the zucchini patties were FANTASTIC. Serve with a tzatziki...
Griddle Cooked Miso Salmon and Broccoli
Still loving having some miso in the house, a little goes a long way. Tonight, two new things. My miso Salmon on the griddle…and broccoli on the griddle. I used two cloches, one to steam the broccoli and one to bring a more even heat to the salmon. Here’s the link to the salmon if you missed it before: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/y4nB4houEd6kWn3J/ The result was great. It kept me from running the kitchen broiler on a VERY hot day, and I got to try something new. I started the brocholi with a little butter and garlic, turned off the heat on that side of the griddle, and then squirted in some water under the cloche to keep it steaming. With the salmon, I griddled it for a couple minutes, flipped it, and did a couple more. Bottom line: This is a...
Chicken and Shrimp Hibachi
I’ve had my griddle for a month and a half now. I have not used my grill/smoker for a month and a half now. Sunday night: Chicken ans shrimp Habachi with brown and wild rice. The key here is the sauce. In olive oil, saute onions, then add some garlic and ginger. Heat through to bring up the flavor. Add a couple cups of low sodium soy sauce, a teaspoon od agave (some use brown sugar) lemon juice and a hint of sesame oil. I put in a dash of fish sauce too. Cook to thicken over a medium low heat for at least half an hour. Add this to EVERYTHING while cooking. I used to strain the sauce first. But why? Now I just ladle it all...