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Potato Salad with Anchovies and Olives

Potato Salad with Anchovies and Olives

  • 5 to 6 red skinned potatoes, boiled and cut into ½ inch slices

Dressing

  • 3 to 4 anchovies
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • ¾ cup kalamata olives, sliced
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • ¾ cup parsley, chopped
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons salt

Heat a large non-stick frying pan with the olive oil. Add the anchovies and melt on a medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the olives and vinegar. Add the warm dressing to the hot potato slices. Mix well and check for seasonings. Add the salt and parsley. Can be made several hours ahead of time. Serve room temperature.

Chicken with Watermelon Cherry Barbecue Sauce

This is an amazing recipe- a bit involved but so worth it. Watermelon is still around, cherries on the hand are not- so use frozen if you like but definitely make the sauce. You can use it for all sorts of things including just plain old barbecue chicken, fish or steak!

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 pound left over marinated chicken pieces
  • Salt
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped

Heat a saucepan with the olive oil on medium heat and add the onions. Saute on medium heat for a minute and add the chicken pieces. Brown the chicken pieces on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover with lid and cook for 20 to 25 minutes making sure the chicken is cooked through. Check for seasonings, garnish with cilantro and serve.

Barbecue Sauce

  • 1 large yellow onion, cut in half
  • 1 small head of garlic, cut in half
  • 2 poblano peppers, cut in half, seeds removed
  • Drizzle of olive oil

Roast the vegetables on a grill till golden brown.  Remove the skin off the onion, garlic and poblano peppers and chop into small pieces. Keep aside.

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups diced watermelon
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cherries
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Juice of 1 to 2 limes (according to taste)
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons salt

Heat a saucepan with the olive oil. Add the chopped up vegetables, watermelon, cherries, tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered with a lid for 20 minutes. Turn the heat off, transfer to a blender and blend till smooth. Check for seasoning.

 

Skirt Steak with Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce

Here is another recipe for delicious skirt steak. Any cut can be used- so go ahead and buy the meat of your choice and use this recipe…

  • 1 to 2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 3 inch pieces

Spice Rub

  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Mix the spices in a small bowl. Rub the steak pieces generously on both sides and marinate in the fridge for 4 to 5 hours.

Grill the steak on grill on a grill pan on stove. Cook to desired doneness. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes. Cut the steak pieces into smaller pieces by cutting against the grain. Serve with the chimichurri sauce.

Chimichurri Sauce

  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 cup parsley, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Juice of one large navel orange
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Add the cilantro, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, orange juice, salt and smoked paprika into a processor. Pulse until smooth. Drizzle the olive oil slowly while running the processor.
Take the sauce out into a bowl and keep aside and serve with steak.

4th Of July Recipes- Cole Slaw with Yogurt and Tamarind Vinaigrette

Cole Slaw with Yogurt and Tamarind2 I am all for making things from scratch but I do like to use all the conveniences I can find at the store. For this recipe I bought packaged, shredded cabbage, carrots and broccoli slaw. It saved me a ton of time and made everything a lot easier.

To complete a well-balanced menu, I was going to make a coleslaw dish with the Thai style burgers and potato salad. The recent Bon Appetit issue had a whole article on tamarind and it’s virtues. I am quite familiar with tamarind as I use it for all different things including using it in drinks, dressings and as a condiment.

They talked about pairing yogurt with tamarind concentrate to make a delicious, tangy dressing. I added my own twist by adding roasted cumin to the creamy dressing which gave the dish a nice nutty flavor. Overall, the dish went well with the burger and the potato salad.

What else do you need? Yes, I know what you are thinking- where is the dessert??? Stay tuned for tomorrow and you will have a great recipe for a dessert as well…
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Italian Style Burgers

Italian Burgers I loved eating and making these burgers. Summer is almost done and I feel like grilling and eating all sorts of fresh produce. I had been busy all day Friday and we didn’t have any plans for dinner. We got home around five and I decided to grill burgers, roast some potato wedges and make a salad- simple summertime meal.

I still had to go and buy some ground beef. Usually I prefer turkey meat due to health reason but I decided to go look for grass fed ground beef. Before going shopping, I peeled and cooked the potatoes. I chopped basil, thyme and rosemary for the burgers. I minced garlic and grated a shallot. Once I got the meat and rolls, I simply added the chopped ingredients and that was it- I was done. My husband had asked me to purchase the ready to grill patties but I can’t get myself to do that. I have no idea what is in there.. especially the meat quality. I prefer to make my own- especially since it doesn’t take very long at all.

We grilled the burgers and ate a delicious, simple summer meal… I can’t believe it is almost done. Make this recipe this weekend…
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Nectarine and Tomato Salad

Nectarine and Tomato Salad I was in the kitchen listening to the radio the other day- which, by the way is my favorite thing to do- when I heard someone talk about summer tomatoes. They were saying how good the crop is this year because of the hot hot weather. I realized it to be true as I thought about the bumper tomato crop I have been harvesting from my backyard. The tomatoes have been unbelievable. I mostly grown cherry tomatoes- I love them. They are super versatile and delicious.

Anyway, the radio person suggested a peach and tomato salad- and that is where I got my inspiration.  It is so simple that I am almost embarrassed to post it as a recipe.

The key ingredient is balsamic glaze. You can buy it at a specialty store- I bought my from Italy but you can make your own as well. It is as simple as cooking regular balsamic vinegar down on a medium heat until it cooks down to a syrupy consistency. That is all this salad has- salt, really good olive oil and thyme.

It is very delicious- the combination of tomatoes and nectarines is unbelievable. Before summer is over- try this super simple salad…

  • 2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 to 2 nectarines cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic glaze
  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme

Add the cherry tomatoes and nectarines into a medium bowl. Add the salt and olive oil. Let them sit for at least an hour. Add the fresh thyme and balsamic glaze and serve.

Grilled Ribeye with Chipotle Honey Barbecue Sauce Fajitas

Ribeye Fajitas2

I loved making this main entree for a few friends we were having over the other day. I knew I was going to grill but wanted to come up with something different to serve. Mexican and Latin themes always come to mind for a warm summer evening dinner. The bold flavors lend themselves beautifully to summer meals.

I bought a gorgeoous, grass fed piece of ribeye. It was huge- about three pounds or so. I decided to make a dry rub and sprinkled it all over the juicy steak for a good 4 to 5 hours- over night will be ideal.

I then made my own barbecue sauce- which is super easy and so delicious. Usually barbecue sauces are full of sugar, high fructose corn syrup and salt. If you make your own, it is easy to control the salt and the sugar plus you end with a tastier product.

I grilled the huge steak while basting with the barbecue sauce. I had extra sauce on the side for the meal.

We ate the delicious steak inside grilled tortillas topped with avocados, grilled peppers and onions and the barbecue sauce. The meal was absolutely delicious.

Try this recipe for your next grilling party…
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