grilled chicken with south carolina sauce, grits, and gherkin salad

My father's side of the family is without a doubt German. His mother's youngest brother Ed lives out west near Brady, Montana. Ed takes care of himself out on the prairie, working outside and cooking most of his meals. While my father and I were out there visiting a few years ago, Ed showed me how to make gherkin salad. I was thinking of him and how tasty the dish is, especially in the heat of summer. In addition, I was contemplating the low country of South Carolina were my fiancee grew up. Apparently they eat a substantial amount of grits down near Charleston. In fact, Charleston is known for having the best shrimp and grits around. I thought it might be fun to somehow fuse a meal with these elements in mind. Since I had a whole chicken and the grill, I decided to cut the bird into equal halves up the back and down the breast. Grilling a chicken with the bones side down is one of the easiest and most delicious ways to cook a chicken I've discovered yet. South Carolina is also known for its barbecue with their own take on sauce incorporating mustard. Mustard, gherkin salad, chicken, and grits... kind of a low country, German, barbecue.

The only place to start with this meal was the gherkin salad. It really takes a couple hours to prepare properly.

INGREDIENTS
1 large English cucumber
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly chopped dill
salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
Slice the cucumber as thinly as possible. Place the slices in a bowl, cover with salted water and refrigerate for at least one hour. This helps remove some of the bitterness and seasons the slices in the process.
Drain cucumber slices and add buttermilk, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, dill, salt and pepper. Mix gently and thoroughly.
Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. This way the flavors have a chance to meld.

Next I lit the charcoal grill. We still prefer the taste of charcoal over gas. And having used my Weber for a decade, I'm pretty comfortable knowing exactly how it's going to cook. I always oil, salt, and pepper the chicken before cooking it. This time I went a step further by applying a liberal amount of freshly chopped thyme and marjoram. When the grill was hot and ready, I placed the chicken halves bone side down, covered, and walked away. The FDA recommends cooking chicken to 180 degrees fahrenheit, but I prefer to cook it to 160 degrees to keep it on the moist side. I've been doing this for my entire cooking life and never once been sick. I checked the chicken by probing the thigh with a meat thermometer. A three pound bird generally requires about half an hour on my grill.

The sauce was the fun and experimental part. Traditionally, South Carolina barbecue sauces include cider vinegar, yellow mustard, brown sugar and spices. I made my sauce just a little differently, using a leftover sauce I made for wings the previous week.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 half stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Louisiana hot sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Reserve enough sauce to put on the table for dipping.
Apply liberally to chicken at fifteen-minute intervals.

The last part of the meal was the pan of grits. I always try to use stone ground grits from local vendors if possible. Christy likes her grits creamy; so, I made them special for her with milk instead of water.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup stone ground grits
4 cups cold milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a cold pan and bring to a boil. This will keep the grits from clumping.
After coming to a boil, reduce heat and simmer lightly for 15 minutes.

This meal came together quickly once the chicken was to my liking. After the bird rested under a foil tent for roughly 15 minutes, I quartered and plated it. Next to the chicken I placed a portion of grits. This was a great idea as the chicken continued to lose juices which the grits were more than happy to absorb. I used cold bowls to hold the gherkin salad which was quite refreshing. I think the whole meal worked pretty well in terms of textures. In addition, gherkin salad with its creamy crunch is a perfect substitute for coleslaw if you're making barbecue.

The story of barbecue is the story of America: Settlers arrive on great unspoiled continent, discover wondrous riches, set them on fire and eat them. ~Vince Staten

mahi mahi and sweet potato mash with lemon cream sauce

So you may be thinking that we sure eat Mahi Mahi often. The fact is we couldn't pass up a sale and stocked the freezer with half-priced Mahi Mahi. Until recently, I had only ordered it in restaurants and never really entertained the idea of adding it to our books of ever-growing recipes. However, we do enjoy it as an alternative to wild-caught Salmon and Grouper. There are a couple things I have learned about Mahi Mahi. The first of which is that it is easy to overcook, leading to a tough texture. Traditionally, fish is cooked a total of 9 minutes per inch of thickness (4 1/2 minutes per side), but these days I see chefs often cooking it less so that it remains shiny and moist inside. The second is that this fish is pretty high in cholesterol. This could be potentially useful for those who are on restricted diets.

I prepared this meal last week. The focal point of the dish for me is the sauce. This is often the case as I truly love sauces.

INGREDIENTS
2 6-ounce Mahi Mahi fillets
salt and white pepper
3 ounces butter
1/4 cup dry white vermouth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lemon, zested and juiced

DIRECTIONS
Slice the Mahi Mahi fillet on a bias into 6-ounce portions.
Gently saute the Mahi Mahi in 1 & 1/2 ounces of the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Transfer the Mahi Mahi to a plate lined with a towel (to absorb excess butter).
Pour the fat out of the saute pan. Gently mop out any remaining fat with a paper towel.
Deglaze the pan with the vermouth and white wine and reduce by 2/3.
Add the cream and reduce to the desired consistency.
Add the lemon zest and half of the juice to the sauce and cook for 1 minute.
Finish the sauce by whisking in the remaining butter.
Strain the sauce through a fine mesh into a small saucepan.
Adjust the seasonings and serve over or around the Mahi Mahi.

The sweet potato mash is pretty simple and straight forward. This is an excellent alternative to mashed potatoes and compliments just about any meal-plan.

INGREDIENTS
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 stick of butter
3/4 cup milk
salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
Boil the potato cubes for 20 minutes.
Strain the potato cubes and return to the pot.
Heat the milk and butter and add to the potato cubes.
Mix and mash the potato cubes, milk and butter.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

For this meal, I also made a spinach salad with a shallot-thyme vinaigrette. I learned how to make this salad from Hugh Acheson at Five&Ten. This is one of my favorite salads of all time. It consists of organic, baby spinach leaves, thick-cut, non-cured, apple-wood smoked bacon, crumbled bleu cheese, candied pecans, and pear. My version does differ from his in that he no longer uses the candied pecans or bacon. For the shallot-thyme vinaigrette, I used the following recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup olive oil
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 large shallot, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients and blend until emulsified. If you like infusions, make this dressing the night before and strain before using.

This meal took me about an hour to put together, but it was worth it. I plated the food by placing a portion of the sweet potato mash just off center. I leaned the Mahi Mahi against the mash and sauced around and over. The salad involved dressing all the spinach in a large bowl, portioning to cold bowls, and adding the other ingredients on top. I like to slice the pear thinly to form a fan for fun.

If organic farming is the natural way, shouldn't organic produce just be called "produce" and make the pesticide-laden stuff take the burden of an adjective? ~Ymber Delecto

perfect lemonade

Muggy Sunday afternoons seem to be the perfect time for a glass of lemonade. You might be thinking that making lemonade is simple. However, finding the perfect balance between the sugar and lemon juice is always the trick. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
6 lemons, juiced
5 cups of water

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in your favorite pitcher and stir. Serve over ice and garnish with mint.

When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat. ~Mark Twain

penne all'amatriciana

Tonight Christy prepared Penne all'Amatriciana with a simple salad and oregano vinaigrette. She and I both love Italian cuisine and just happened to have most of the ingredients on hand. This popular dish originated from the town of Amatrice (in the mountainous Province of Rieti of the Lazio region). It is typically based on either guanciale (dried pork cheek) or pancetta and spaghetti. In this case, she substituted prosciutto and penne.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
20 ounces prepared tomato sauce, recipe follows
kosher salt
1 pound penne
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

TOMATO SAUCE
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can diced tomato
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the sauce, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the diced tomato and paste, sugar, Parmesan, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 cups water. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

DIRECTIONS
In a large, deep skillet, cook the prosciutto over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the prosciutto to a plate. Pour off all but two tablespoons of the rendered fat in the skillet. Add the onion and crushed red pepper and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is slightly browned, about 6 minutes. Return the prosciutto to the skillet. Add the tomato sauce, season with salt and simmer until very thick, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Add the pasta to the sauce along with the parsley and the reserved cooking water and stir over medium high heat until the pasta is evenly coated, 2 minutes. Serve the pasta with passed cheese at the table.

The salad consisted of mixed greens and small tomato wedges. For the oregano vinaigrette, she used the following recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup organic balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon sugar
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients and blend.

She started by going out to the herb garden to cut the oregano. Luckily, we have a perennial out there that refuses to be anything but prolific. Next she put together the sauce and simmered into existence one of the finest bouquets to grace this little house- and there have been many. Soon after, she moved on to sauteing the prosciutto, red onion, and garlic which made the whole house smell like we were making pizzas. With water at a rolling boil the pasta took the plunge to end up al dente which Christy explained means "to the tooth". Minutes later we were out on the porch enjoying the sunset, minted tea, and a delicious, somewhat spicy pasta entree. As a guy who loves meat, I would probably double the amount of prosciutto or even try the more traditional pancetta. Otherwise, she truly knocked it out of the park.

Life is a combination of magic and pasta. ~Federico Fellini

mahi mahi and black-eyed pea cakes with spicy cilantro sauce

This is my first post, so I'll just jump right in. Tonight I prepared a meal for us consisting of roasted Mahi Mahi, black-eyed pea cakes with a spicy cilantro sauce, and a fruit and vegetable salad with ginger dressing.

For the Mahi Mahi, I used two 5 ounce portions from an entire fillet. After applying olive oil, salt, and pepper, I covered the fish cuts and put them in the refrigerator. Later after preheating the oven to 400 degrees F, I baked the fish for 15 minutes.

The black-eyed pea cakes were a little more labor intensive. I used the following recipe.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 large garlic cloves
1 2/3 cups cooked and seasoned black-eyed peas
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped fine
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup yellow cornmeal
vegetable oil, for frying
spicy cilantro sauce, recipe follows

SPICY CILANTRO SAUCE
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped fine
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 large garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1/2 lime
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 adobo chili, minced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
pinch cumin
pinch chili powder

Stir together cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, honey, chili, cumin, and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper.

DIRECTIONS
Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. In a bowl, mash 1/3 of the black-eyed peas with a fork and stir in the remaining beans, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the eggs.

Form bean mixture into 8 (4-inch) patties (mixture will be wet and soft). Gently dredge patties in cornmeal and transfer to a large plate lined with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cakes for 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.

Pour enough oil in a heavy skillet to reach 1/4-inch up the side. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, cook the patties, turning once, until well browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer cakes to paper towels to drain.

Divide the cakes among plates and serve with the sauce.

The salad consisted of various lettuces, cucumber, carrot, roasted beets, and strawberries. For the ginger dressing I used the following recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons fresh peeled ginger, minced
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients and blend.

I made the salads first and put them in the refrigerator while the oven was preheating and the oil was getting hot. I started cooking the fish, waited five minutes, enjoyed a glass of sweet tea, and then began frying the cakes. Everything finished at the same time as my fiancee walked through the door. I made our plates as she washed up. Each plate received a portion of fish near the rim and one pea cake with the spicy cilantro sauce creating a border between. The salads in their cold bowls received fresh ground pepper and a moderate dressing. I have to say it was a success. The meal was not only inexpensive and tasty, but also quite nutritious. I'm so thankful beets and strawberries are back in season!

When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. ~Laiko Bahrs