Recipe Review from 8/16/08

I know it's been a couple of weeks since I had a recipe review, but traveling will do that. I had planned ahead for last week for mostly "leftovers" and it worked out super nice. I didn't have to do the grocery run until Friday. This weekend I was back in the kitchen - read grill - with a couple of super yummy dishes.

My plan for Friday night was going to be kabobs from my favorite butcher shop in Duluth, Old World Meats, but upon getting home, the Husband found both our tanks were empty and the backup to the backup wouldn't open. Luckily, I had a alternative meal planned, which I dubbed "Simplicity": Smoked Salmon, Gouda, Jarlsberg, brie, crackers and grapes. We opened a bottle of Gewurztraminer and dined out on the porch.


Kebabs were shuffled to Saturday night when I knew I would have a chance to get them filled.

Sunday we invited my Folks out for a picnic of sorts:


Fire Roasted Pepper Relish with Grilled Halibut (Fine Cooking, June/July 08) 4.0
This was super simple, yet a bit time consuming. The peppers are grilled until blackened and then allowed to sit in a baggie until the skins just slide right off. The slice pepper strips are then combined with capers, calmata olives, parsley, cilantro, scallions, olive oil, lemon juice, jalapeno pepper and S&P. It seemed like a lot of chopping to me, but I was making it well ahead of time so it worked out. The halibut was grilled and the relish served on top. Delicious!



I served this with homemade coleslaw and summer squash tossed with raspberry vinegar and fresh raspberries.

(Photo from Ckng Lght)
Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Grilled Tomatillo Salsa (Ckng Lght Aug 08) 5.0!!
This time, tomatillos are grilled until somewhat charred, then blended with garlic, cilantro, scallions, jalapeno, and lime juice. I made this ahead of time to let the flavors blend. The shrimp are quickly seared, then tossed with a hot sauce mixture while the corn tortillas warm on the grill. The toppings are simple - shredded cabbage and carrot and the tomatillo salsa. Fantastic! Perfect for a August evening.

And one recipe that somehow was missed before I left for Denver:
(Photo from Ckng Lght)
Chickpea Salad with Cilantro Dressing (Ckng Lght, July 08) 3.5
This one was a bit of a disappointment for me. I love chickpeas, I love cilantro, it was served over lettuce, but somehow...it was just sort of eh. I think the "cilantro" dressing was just waaaayyy to runny for me and oddly enough, too much cilantro. I recall when making it that I thought there was too much liquid and regretted adding the full amount.