A simple marinade and quick grilling on a salt block makes for a fast and tasty side dish that pairs well with any entrée. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation. Read the entire article on salt block cooking by Mike Stines here.

Ingredients

2 red or yellow bell peppers, cleaned
1/2 pound trimmed asparagus
1 cup zesty Italian dressing

Instructions

Slice the peppers into 1/3-inch wide strips. Place the peppers and asparagus in a container and add the marinade. Marinate the vegetables for an hour or up to four hours. Remove the vegetables from the marinade and drain. Discard the marinade.

Prepare a salt block for high heat cooking and sauté the vegetables for two to three minutes per side or until crisp tender.

The first food I prepared with a salt block was a Sichuan citrus scallop and shrimp appetizer (this could also be an entrée if you increase the number of shrimp and scallops per serving). Following the manufacturer’s recommendations I placed the dry, room temperature salt block on an unheated grill and turned the grill on to its lowest temperature allowing the salt block to warm gently (this also removes any moisture that might be on the block). Then I slowly increased the grill’s temperature until the salt block reached the desired temperature… for me the process took about 45 minutes until the block reached 550 degrees F. The key is to slowly increase the temperature otherwise the block may shatter.

Read the entire article on salt block cooking by Mike Stines here.

Ingredients

Eight dry-packed sea scallops, “catch” removed and rinsed
Eight large (U-21) shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon crushed Sichuan peppercorns (or more to taste)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely shredded lime and lemon peel for garnish

Instructions

Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lime juice, the lemon juice, peppercorns and olive oil in a small container. Add the shrimp and scallops and marinate, refrigerated, for one hour. Drain the seafood and discard the marinade.

Prepare the salt block for high-heat direct cooking (500 to 600 degrees F.) and cook the shrimp and scallops for two minutes. Turn and cook another two to three minutes or until done. Using tongs remove the shrimp and scallops from the block and divide the shrimp and scallops onto two warmed serving plates.

Garnish the seafood with the lime and lemon peel and drizzle with the remaining lime juice. Sprinkle with additional crushed peppercorns if desired.

This vegetarian consommé can be substituted for vegetable stock in any recipe. The flavor of peppers dominates this powerful, spiced up broth. It is an elegant example of a first course soup that can precede any entree. Read Dave DeWitt’s entire spicy spring soup article here.

Ingredients

4 red bell peppers, seeds removed, quartered
4 green bell peppers, seeds removed, quartered
2 green New Mexico chiles, seeds removed, quartered
6 large ripe tomatoes, quartered
2 large onions, quartered
3 whole bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 whole cloves
3 large cloves garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons salt (or less to taste)
6 quarts boiling water

Instructions

In a large stockpot, combine all ingredients except the water. Pour the boiling water over the ingredients and boil for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove from the heat and cool. Strain through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth.

To make tomato concassé, place fresh tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds to loosen the skins, then peel them, remove as many seeds as possible, and squeeze out the juice. Then dice them as finely as possible. Serve this intensely-flavored bisque with a good red wine and sourdough bread. Read Dave DeWitt’s entire spicy spring soup article here.

Ingredients

8 cups sun-dried tomatoes
Water to cover
2 5-inch sprigs young sage
2 6-inch sprigs fresh rosemary
1 small bunch thyme
1 small bunch Italian parsley
1 lemon, cut into 1/2-inch slices
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 serrano chiles, seeds and stems removed, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups tomato concassé
Melted butter for garnish

Instructions

Add the sun-dried tomatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Turn the heat to medium. In a piece of cheesecloth, wrap the sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley together and tie to make a bouquet garni. Add it to the water. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 2 hours, adding water if necessary.

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and lightly sauté. Reserve.

In a small saucepan, boil together the red wine and balsamic vinegar until it is reduced to 1/8 cup. Reserve.

When the sun-dried tomato mixture is done, remove the bouquet garni and the lemon slices. Add the reserved onion-garlic mixture, the reduced liquid, and the tomato concasée. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and puree until smooth, then strain. To serve the bisque hot, add a dollop of sweet butter and swirl across the surface. To serve cold, top with a dollop of citrus créme fraiche.

Here’s a soup that’s fast and easy to make. It depends almost entirely on the flavor of the fresh snow pea, one of nature’s great vegetables. Add firm Japanese silken tofu to make a complete protein soup if you like soybean products. For a complete meal, serve this before a entrée of vegetable tempura. Read Dave DeWitt’s entire spicy spring soup article here.

Ingredients

6 cups Vibrant Vegetable Stock (see recipe here) or substitute your favorite stock
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons minced scallion
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped watercress
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 cups snow peas cut diagonally
3 lemons, sliced thinly
Asian hot sauce, such as Sriracha, to taste

Instructions

In a pan, combine the water, sugar, parsley, garlic, scallion, soy sauce, ginger, and pepper and boil for 5 minutes. Add the watercress, cilantro, and snow peas and boil 3 more minutes. Transfer the soup to bowls, add the hot sauce to taste, and float the lemon wheels for garnish.