Orange Chipotle-Glazed Portabello Mushroom Steaks

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Here’s a hunka hunka burning mushroom. It is amazing how these mushrooms resemble meat in their texture and response to grilling. Now some people think that the flavor of the portabello is too intense by itself, so feel free to make mushroom “cheeseburgers” by melting cheese over the mushrooms and serving them on buns accompanied by potato salad. and a tossed green salad. Incidentally, portabellos (also portobello and portobella) are the same as cremini mushrooms, just more mature.

Ingredients

Orange Chipotle Glaze

  • ½ cup orange juice, fresh preferred

  • 2 tablespoon honey

  • 2 chipotle chiles in adobo

  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon oregano, Mexican preferred

  • 1/8 teaspoon saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoon boiling water

  • mushrooms

  • 4 large portabello mushrooms

Instructions

Place all the ingredients for the glaze in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Thoroughly wash the mushrooms, pat dry and cut the stem off flush with the cap.

Brush each of the portabellos with the glaze and let sit for 30 minutes. Place the mushrooms on the grill, stem side up. Grill over a medium fire for 2 minutes, then turn. Brush on more glaze, grill for 2 minutes, and turn again. Reglaze the mushrooms and grill for 2 more minutes.

 

Tempeh Satays in Chile-Spice Marinade

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Tempeh, made from fermented soybeans, is an Indonesian specialty. Its firm, nutty texture makes for good grilling in these satays. Serve on white rice with the sauce on the side, a cucumber and vinegar salad, and hot sauteed green beans.

Ingredients

Chile-Spice Marinade

  • 3 tablespoons Indonesian kechap (sweet soy sauce)

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 2 shallots, minced

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon crushed red chile

  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

  • Pinch of ground cloves

The Tempeh

  • 1 8-ounce packages tempeh, cut in 3/4-inch cubes

  • Thai Chile Dipping Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons sweet Indonesian soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon lime juice

  • 2 Thai chiles (prik kee nu), stems removed, minced, or substitute 1 serrano chile

  • ½ teaspoon grated ginger

  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced

Instructions

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor and process into a smooth sauce. Place in a nonreactive bowl, add the tempeh cubes, toss to coat well, and marinate for four hours, covered, in the refrigerator. While marinating, soak 8 bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.

Combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce and all to sit for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.

Thread the tempeh cubes on the skewers and grill over a medium fire for 7 to 8 minutes, turning often.

Remove from the skewers and place on the rice with a small bowl of the sauce for dipping.

 

Fiery Falafel in Flat Bread with Sabra Salsa

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Falafel, an ancient vegetarian dish dating from the time of the Pharaohs, is usually fried, but we have figured out a way to grill it. Both Egypt and Israel claim falafel as their national dish, so we have an Israel-style salsa to serve with it. Sabra is a colloquialism for people born in Israel (as opposed to immigrants), yet the salsa has two non-native ingredients that are now grown in abundance in Israel: avocados and jalapeños. Serve with a tomato and cucumber salad.

Ingredients

 For the Falafel:

  • 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and mashed

  • 1 small onion, grated

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons plain yogurt

  • 1/4 cup soft bread crumbs

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 4 green onions, finely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

  • 2 jalapeño chiles, seeds and stems removed, minced

  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • Pinch of salt

  • Spray oil

For the Sabra Salsa:

  • 1 avocado, diced

  • ½ cup plain yogurt

  • 2 jalapeño chiles, seeds and stems removed, minced

  • 2 tablespoon chopped onion

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • Chopped fresh parsley

  • Salt to taste

  • To Serve

  • 6 flat breads or pita bread

  • Lettuce leaves

  • 1/4 lemon

Instructions

For the Falafel:

Combine all the ingredients for the falafel and mix well, using your hands if necessary. Knead like a dough for a couple of minutes and let rest for 30 minutes. Form into small balls and thread on skewers, of small patties and spray with the oil. If using patties, place them in a wire-mesh screen or fish basket and grill over a medium fire for 15 minutes, turning once. Don’t overcook.  

Serve the falafel in the bread topped with the salsa, lettuce, and a squeeze of lemon.

For the Sabra Salsa:

Combine all the ingredients for the sabra sauce and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.

Grilled Corn with African Nitir Kebe

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

Nitir kebe is Ethiopian spiced butter that is an ingredient in many that country’s dishes. It certainly gives an exotic twist to a summertime favorite in the U.S.A. Be sure to buy ears with some of the stalk attached for a great handle. The spiced butter freezes easily.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon crushed African bird peppers, or substitute chiltepins, pequins, or ground cayenne chile

  • 2 shallots, minced

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger

  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamon

  • 1.5 teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 4 ears corn, husks and stalks attached

Instructions

Grilled CornAllow the butter to soften at room temperature and beat in all the ingredients for the nitir kebe. Let sit for an hour to blend the flavors.

Remove any dried, brownish husks from the corn. Pull back, but don’t remove completely the husks and remove the silk. Soak the ears in cold water for 30 minutes to prevent the husks from burning.

Brush some of the butter on each of the ears and pull the husks back up over the ears and secure with string or a strip of corn husk.

Place on grill over a low fire, fairly far from the heat, and grill, turning often, for about 15 minutes. It’s a good idea to have a spray bottle with water handy in case the husks start to burn.

 

Grilled Jalapeno Polenta with Roasted Salsa Verde

Dave DeWitt Recipes Leave a Comment

We have written before about northern Mexican roasted salsas, and here’s a practical application of the concept. While we’re at it, we’ll add chiles to everything and even grill the polenta. Serve as an entree with a vegetable and a salad or as a side to grilled meat or chicken.

Ingredients

For the Grilled Jalapeño Polenta:

  • 3/4 cup coarse yellow cornmeal

  • 1 ½ cups milk

  • ½ cup grated cheddar or Asiago cheese

  • 2 jalapeno chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons grated onion

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • Salt to taste

For the Roasted Salsa Verde:

  • 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks left on

  • 1 small onion, quartered

  • 4 jalapeño chiles

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh preferred

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

For the Grilled Jalapeño Polenta:

Bring the milk and 1 ½ cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Slowly sprinkle the cornmeal into the liquid, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat, and continue to stir until the mixture is thick and starts to pull away from the pan. Quickly add the cheese, chiles, onion, garlic, salt to taste, stir well, and remove from the heat.

Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled 10-inch cake or pie pan and cool. Place in refrigerator for 3 hours to firm.

For the Roasted Salsa Verde:

Place tomatillos, onion, and chiles in a basket on the grill and roast until the vegetables are slightly blackened, shaking the basket often. Remove from the basket and peel, but don’t worry about removing all the peels from the chiles. Do remove stems and seeds from the chiles. Place the vegetables, juice, and sugar into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and stir in the cilantro.

Clean the grill and brush it with oil. Slice the polenta into wedges, brush with the oil and grill over a medium fire until they begin to brown, about 8 to 12 minutes.

Place the wedges on a serving platter, top with the salsa and serve.