Finally, some home cooking
Ah, summer! After traveling for much of June, me one direction, my wife another, I looked forward to seeing Kat and our cats. I was home between trips just a day, missing Kat’s return from Maine the following afternoon. With one evening to cook — and going for extra husband points —I left her with grilled steaks and sausages, roasted red bell peppers, and grilled figs with a nice sauce. Meanwhile, I ate lousy road food and art fair vendor grub; not a very even exchange.
When I got back home again, I fixed grilled chicken wings, some weird chicken-tomato-basil sausage that Kat got from Huckleberry’s (really quite good), along with the first fresh store-bought corn of the season and my favorite cucumber salad.
Looking at what I’ve just mentioned here makes my real point — there are so many good summer dishes that I can’t begin to cover them all!It’s hard to be gone during the summer, but the garden’s peak isn’t even close, and I’m leaving it in good hands. Here are some of my favorite summer dishes — enough for you to plan a whole dinner party — but any of them are worth making on their own, too. I always joke with my wife after the first day of summer, “Too bad, the days are getting shorter now, and winter’s coming.” This pessimism aside, do enjoy the fruits of the season and keep plenty of charcoal on hand.
Tenderloin’s great any time of year — a flavorful low-fat cut of meat that rivals the best steak in tenderness. I like to marinade it for a few hours in something simple that adds a bit extra, then give it a spice rub just before it goes on the grill.
I make my own spice rubs. They’re fresher and you can gear them toward your own preferences. I generally have a rub mixed so I can throw it on anything from burgers to chops to chicken. Add fresh pepper just before using it and skip the sugar if you’re concerned about charring whatever you’re grilling. The turmeric is a bit astringent in flavor but I like it for color, as well as paprika, even if you don’t have the good Spanish stuff like La Chinata or Chiquilin. The recipe below is enough to amply rub a 1 1/2 -pound tenderloin.
When I’m cooking tenderloin, I like to try to find one large enough that it accommodates a range of donenesses. As far as I’m concerned, most people overcook pork. Trichinosis is killed at 131 degrees; USDA guidelines call for cooking it six degrees above that temperature, to 137 degrees. Personally, I think 145 degrees is about right. The 170 degrees called for in older cookbooks makes for a really inedible meal.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
For the marinade:
Juice of 1 fresh lemon (no need to worry about seeds, since the marinade will be discarded)
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, or enough to thoroughly coat meat
Several pinches kosher salt
All-purpose spice rub:
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons Colman’s mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Zip-lock bags are the way to go. Just put the tenderloin in the bag, add marinade ingredients, zip up and turn a few times to coat. Do this a few hours ahead, if possible, and turn a time or two so all sides of the tenderloin get a good soak.
A half hour before cooking, remove the tenderloin from the fridge, drain the marinade and give it a good coating of spice rub. The last time I cooked this tenderloin recipe, I decided to pile the coals higher on one side of the grill than the other to try to equalize cooking time a bit. Whatever your method, watch it closely, turn frequently and check doneness with either an instant-read thermometer, or “poke’n’peek” with a small paring knife, my preferred method. This particular tenderloin took about a half an hour to get the fat end to a nice degree of pinkness, by which time the narrow end was overcooked — just the way some of your guests will like it. Cooking time does vary greatly by size and thickness and the temperature of your fire.
Yield: A 1 1/2 pound tenderloin serves four nicely.
Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.
I came up with this preparation for fresh string beans recently and the addition of the garlic at the last minute gives it a nice crunchy, almost nutty, texture. Don’t be turned off by the anchovies. They pair wonderfully with mustard and aren’t an overwhelming flavor at all. Given their saltiness go easy on any extra when seasoning the beans.
Garlicky Green Beans
1 pound fresh string beans, washed and trimmed
6 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
For the dressing:
1 tablespoon Dijon or brown mustard
2 tablespoons dilled bean brine
3 medium anchovy fillets, patted dry and minced
Olive oil
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
Place a steamer in a large saucepan, add water up to its bottom, boil vigorously and steam the beans until barely tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately place in a cold water bath to stop cooking. Dry on a clean kitchen towel and set aside or refrigerate, if preparing ahead. At the same time cook the bacon, drain, and set aside.
Mix ingredients together to prepare the dressing. Whenever I have an open jar of my dilled beans I often use some of the brine (shaken up to include the spices) for cooking; it’s a flavor you really can’t quite get otherwise. In lieu of dilled bean brine substitute white vinegar and a healthy pinch of cumin and smaller pinch of kosher salt.
Just before finishing the dish, dump the beans in a plastic bag, drizzle with olive oil and pepper to taste, and shake bag to coat the beans. Heat stove to medium high and add another couple of teaspoons of olive oil to a large wok. Add the beans and bacon and cook, stirring often, until just warmed through. In the last 30 seconds add the garlic; after it starts to brown remove immediately. (It can go from just right to bitter and nasty in a heartbeat.) Drizzle with dressing and serve right away.
Yield: 4 servings
Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate due to recipe variables.
I’ve been grilling potatoes for various uses forever; just do them a little at a time alongside whatever else you’re grilling. Microwave-prepping keeps the potatoes from burning on the grill. This sauce is another example of getting great flavor without adding tons of fat calories. Prepare it couple of hours ahead to allow the thyme to infuse the liquids.
Grilled Baby Potatoes
2 pounds small smooth red and white baby potatoes, washed not peeled
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons or so pure maple syrup, to taste
1 teaspoon fresh minced thyme
Kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper, to taste
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Wash potatoes, place in microwave-proof dish along with a teaspoon or so of water and microwave on high, covered, for 8-10 minutes, or until a fork pierces easily. Better to be a bit undercooked than over. Place in cold water to stop the cooking.
Prepare a medium grill for cooking. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Just whisk the lemon juice, maple syrup and thyme until smooth and set aside in a small bowl.
Halve the potatoes lengthwise and drizzle liberally with good olive oil and fresh-cracked pepper and salt, to taste. Grill until faces are browned, turn and give a little extra to the backsides. Serve hot or warm with dressing drizzled over them. Garnish with extra sprigs of thyme or lemon wedges.
Yield: 4 servings, with leftovers for potato salad
Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate
It may be a Midwest thing, but I grew up with salads that made heavy use of vinegar. This is a summer classic that I have in the fridge virtually all summer long and absolutely love it. I’d have to say this is a love-hate salad, though, with the vinegar and raw onions. (My wife doesn’t much care for it.) This is an incredibly simple version; I Googled “cucumber-onion salad” and it gave me 589 choices!
Cucumber-Onion Salad
1 medium cucumber, peeled and seedy center removed if watery, thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, sliced very thin, left in rings (when available, use sweet onion and skip the sugar)
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, to taste
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
Salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
3/4 cup white vinegar
When I have fresh cucumbers from the garden, or good looking organic ones from the store, I prefer them unpeeled. If slicing turns up a seedy, watery center, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the center before continuing. Again, a zip-lock bag is the ideal container; combine all ingredients, toss it frequently and let marinade at least an hour. It’ll gradually become more of a pickle flavor but I like it even after a few days.
Yield: 4 servings
Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate due to recipe variables.