Gyros off the grill

It’s funny how I think sometimes. I get a certain thing in my mind and I simply have to do it. The other day, I went grocery shopping. In the store was a Greek white wine that I tasted before and loved. But when I saw the red Boutari wine from Greece, I decided that I have to serve lamb for dinner. 

Now, I’m fairly ignorant when it comes to Greek wine. All I know is that I’ve liked most of what I’ve had over the years. With that Greek red, I just figured that lamb would go good with it. This is how I ended up serving it. Oh, by the way, the wine went great with the lamb!

1 boneless leg of lamb

3 garlic cloves

Onion powder

White pepper

Cajun seasoning

Cayenne

2 large onions, sliced very thin

Olive oil

Greek yogurt 

8 pita breads

Preparation

The boneless leg of lamb usually comes in a netting. Cut that off and throw it away. On a large cutting board, open the lamb up. It has had the bone removed, and you want to use a sharp knife to continue opening it up until it lays flat.

Spear the lamb with garlic slivers and season it on both sides with equal amounts of onion powder, white pepper, cajun seasoning and then, a little cayenne. Let the lamb sit at room temperature while you light your charcoal grill.

You want to grill the lamb over the coals so that it is charred on the outside and rare to medium rare in the center. This could take about a half hour, depending on how hot your coals are, and how far from the coals your grate is. Let the lamb rest for about ten minutes before slicing. Warm the pita breads in the oven.

While the lamb is resting, heat a cast iron skillet and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Cook the onions until they just begin to soften, about five minutes total. Remove the onions to a bowl.

Serving

To serve this, slice the lamb in thin slices and set it on a platter. Place the pita bread next to the platter and set the yogurt next to that. Take a pita bread and fill it with sliced lamb. Add a pile of onions on top of that. Now cover it with lots of Greek yogurt. Sprinkle a spec of cayenne over that. 

Have your homemade gyros along with a fruit salad consisting of strawberries, kiwi, oranges and pineapple. Open a bottle of red Greek wine to wash everything down. I find that people give you funny looks when you go back for your third gyro sandwich, so do it discreetly. 

Garlicky marinara sauce for grilled chicken breasts

During summer I go through a lot of charcoal. I find myself grilling more nights than not. You can make a feast out of Italian and Polish sausages grilled over hot coals and served with grilled peppers and onions. Of course, my biggest weakness is big thick steaks, grilled so they are charred on the outside and still rare in the center. That has got to be one of my ultimate dinners.

Over the weekend I grilled a bunch of split chicken breasts that were marinated in lime juice, white wine, garlic and shallots. I served that with spaghetti and this marinara sauce.

Olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped real fine

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

6 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced 

Cajun seasoning

1 tsp. basil

2 anchovy fillets, chopped

1 cup white wine

2 28 oz. cans of San Marzano tomatoes 

1 tbs. butter

Preparation

Heat a large sauce pan and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the onion and the red pepper flakes. Stir and let that gently cook until the onions have softened and are just beginning to turn golden.

Stir in the garlic and sprinkle on some cajun seasoning. Add the basil and stir. Add the chopped anchovy and stir until it starts to dissolve. Pour in the white wine and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered, until the wine is mostly evaporated.

Add the San Marzano tomatoes and break them up with a knife and fork. Bring the sauce to a boil and gently simmer it for about twenty minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat and stir in a tablespoon of butter. Keep stirring until it is melted and dissolved into the sauce.

Serving

Serve this by placing a large, grilled split chicken breast on the plate. Place a pile of thick spaghetti next to that. Cover both with lots of this sauce. Now add some grilled broccoli and some homemade bread. Open a bottle of Spanish Rioja wine. For dessert, set out a couple of platters of sliced melons. 

Sausage, pepper and shallot pizza

This happens to me a lot. A while back, I didn’t know what I was in the mood for, and dinnertime was approaching. I surveyed the fridge. I had people coming for dinner and had to make a decision. There was a lot in there, just not much of any one thing. Then I spied some leftover grilled Italian sausage. I knew I had a couple pounds of shredded cheese as well, so I decided on a couple of quick pizza’s.

With the expected guests, two large pizzas would be just about the right amount, given we'd be nibbling on fruit and crackers before hand. Here’s what I did.

Crust

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2-1/2 cups of flour

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 tbs. instant yeast

2 cups (approximate) water

Corn meal

Sauce

1 can of tomato paste

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

White pepper

Olive oil

White wine

On top

1 bell pepper, cut into strips

3 grilled Italian sausages, sliced

2 large shallots, sliced thin

1-1/2 lb. shredded mozzarella

2 cups shredded parmesan

Olive oil

Preparation

Mix the flour, salt, sugar, olive oil and yeast together and then add the water, a little at a time, until the dough comes together. Knead the dough and let it rise. For the sauce mix the ingredients together, stirring well. Let that rest.

Divide the dough in half and roll out each half into a 17” circle. Sprinkle two pizza pans with corn meal. Slide the dough circles on to each pan and fold the edge over to make a crust. Spread a layer of the sauce on the dough. Add half of the bell pepper, shallots and sausage to each pizza. Top each with half of the mozzarella and one cup of the parmesan. Sprinkle each with white pepper.

Bake the pizza at 450º until golden brown, but half way through cooking, place the upper pizza on the lower shelf and the lower pizza on the upper shelf. When the pizza’s come out of the oven, sprinkle on some extra virgin olive oil and let them rest five minutes before slicing.

Serving

Serve many slices of pizza with a crisp salad, a plate of carrots, celery and bell pepper strips and lots of wine. For dessert, a little fruit will finish off the meal.

Stir fried chicken for a warm summer day

During the summer, I make stir fries more often than during the rest of the year. I think one of the reasons is that it cooks fast and doesn't heat up the house. It is fairly healthy (but my doctor would holler about the soy sauce), so eat several helpings!

2 chicken thighs

6 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

Soy sauce

Fish sauce

White wine

Peanut oil

1 zucchini, sliced

1 summer squash, sliced

4 stalks of celery, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced in strips

5 serrano pepper, sliced into strips

2 large onions, cut into strips

1 large shallot, cut into strips

1 lime

Wondra flour

2 cups of brown rice

Toasted sesame oil

Preparation

Start by putting the brown rice on to steam. That takes about forty five minutes, so you want to do that first. I like to add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil to mine as it cooks.

Slice the chicken into thin strips and place it in a bowl. Add the garlic to it and stir. Now add a drizzle of soy sauce and a drizzle of fish sauce to the chicken. Add a little splash of white wine and stir the chicken and let it sit for ten minutes.

Heat a large wok until it is very hot. Add enough peanut oil to coat the bottom and then add the chicken. Keep the heat on high and stir the chicken until all the liquid boils off and the chicken is cooked through and starts to brown. Remove the chicken to a clean bowl.

If needed add a bit more oil to the wok and then add the zucchini and squash. Stir until that begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the celery and stir for another few minutes. Add the peppers and stir fry until they are sizzling. If you really don't like hot spicy food, use a bell pepper instead of the serrano peppers. Next add the onion and celery. 

Keep stirring and once the onions are starting to soften, add the chicken back in and stir. As you stir sprinkle on a little Wondra flour. Just enough to lightly dust it ... stir ... another light dusting and stir again. Squeeze on the lime’s juice. Splash on some soy sauce and then splash on some wine. Don’t measure, just splash. Keep stirring until everything is sizzling hot. Splash on some toasted sesame oil and turn the heat of and serve.

Serving

Place a large pile of rice on a plate, smother it in the stir fry. Splash on some more soy sauce just to maintain your sodium level. Now add some homemade bread and butter. Open an ice cold bottle of Riesling and ring the dinner bell. For dessert you want a tray of assorted fruit.

Cajun seared bass for breakfast

I just returned from another camping and fishing trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I was in the central part of the UP. I didn’t do as much fishing as I would like. The biggest obstacle was the wind. There were several days when the wind was just too strong for me to handle my little johnboat all by myself. 

When I did go fishing, the fishing was mostly very good. I caught mostly Northern Pike, but they were only 'hammer handle' size (15 to 16") and under the legal limit. I didn't eat any fresh fist this trip.

I was kind of looking forward to some fresh fish. Now normally, when I fish, it is mostly catch and release, unless I am going to eat fish that day. I’m just not one for filling the coolers with fish. 

I recall last year, while camping on Lake Ste. Kathryn, I went out fishing with the dogs before breakfast and the fishing was great. I caught several bass and crappies. The first bass was a 17” hefty one. I put that on the stringer and the others got released as they were caught. This is what I had for breakfast that day.

2 large bass fillets

Cajun seasoning

Adobo seasoning

White pepper

Cayenne pepper

Wondra flour

4 slices of thick bacon

Preparation

Lightly season the fish on both sides with a little of the cajun seasoning, adobo seasoning, white pepper and cayenne. Lightly sprinkle on a little Wondra flour and rub it in with your hands.

Heat a large cast iron skillet until it is hot. Cook the bacon until it is crisp and remove the bacon and keep it warm. Sear the fish quickly on one side, then turn it over and place a pot cover over the fish.

Let that sear until it is nicely browned on the bottom. Turn the fish over again and place the cover back over it. Let that cook until the fish is just cooked through. Don’t overcook it. Remove the fish to a plate and keep it warm while you prepare the rest of your breakfast.

Serving

You want to serve the fish next to a big pile of fried potatoes. Now add the bacon slices. You also want some english muffins that have been toasted on the grill and buttered. I poured a big tumbler of orange juice and a big cup of my egg coffee to go with my breakfast.

This meal is best served along side a campfire, but if you are eating it at home, you can pour a little brute champagne to make up for the lack of atmosphere.