Grilling For A Change: New England Style Seafood Dinner

The grill and I have become very close friends this summer. The days have been so hot while the evenings cool off just a touch that although it's still warm out, it's totally pleasant... much more pleasant than being in my hot kitchen when my stove is on. I've tried grilling a little bit of everything this summer from the usual steaks and chops to all kinds of veggies and seafood. I've been totally inspired by Jamie Oliver and have basically turned my grill into an outdoor oven. Next summer maybe I'll have a full blown vegetable garden with an outdoor kitchen as I often see him working in on his show... a girl can dream!! 

This recipe popped up in my inbox a couple weeks ago and it couldn't have been more easy. It's the absolute perfect summer meal because there is very little prep work and since you cook it all in aluminum foil, clean up is even easier! Even better, there is no need to turn on your stove on a hot summer night. Just find some fish at your local market, throw in fresh corn and a couple potatoes, top with butter, dill and lemon and voila!! You have a deliciously simple and fairly nutritious meal in no time at all. It also looks really pretty when you open up the little packet with all the beautiful colors, which makes me happy!

New England Seafood Bake

2 tbsp butter, room temperature

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper

2 large red potatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 lb skinless cod fillet, cut into about 2 by 2 inch pieces

1/2 lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 ears corn, quartered or cut into thirds depending on size

1/2 lemon thinly sliced

hard rolls, optional

Heat grill to medium. In a small bowl combine butter, dill, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Fold 2 14 inch squares of heavy duty aluminum foil in half to form 2 square packets. Assemble packets with potato slices layered on bottom in a single layer. Top with cod then shrimp. Place corn around outside of fish. Season with salt and pepper and top with a spoonful of butter mixture and 2 lemon slices. Fold foil over all ingredients and crimp edges of aluminum together so packets are tightly sealed. 

Place packets on grill with potato layer on bottom. Cook, rotating packets occasionally but do not flip, about 14 minutes until fish is cooked and potatoes are tender. Remove from grill and transfer to serving bowl. Serve hot with rolls. 

Recipe adapted from marthastewart.com

Ad Hoc Grilling: Rubbed and Glazed Pork Spareribs

It's been a little while since I spoke about our dream farmhouse in Jersey. Things are moving right along but I'm trying not to jinx it by talking about it too much. Assuming things continue to go as they have been, we plan to start our move back east the weekend of July 4th... and I CAN'T WAIT to see our farmhouse again!

One of the things we took as a sign that our farmhouse was indeed our farmhouse when we first went to visit it was the gorgeous cookbook placed ever so perfectly on an end table in the dining room right next to one of the leopard chairs. Now, the hubs didn't know much about the cookbook but noticed the cover which pictures a chalkboard drawing of a pig, which he took as a sign due to well, I shouldn't have to tell you- Pretty in Pork- our nest egg! I, on the other hand, know all too well of this cookbook. It is Ad Hoc at Home by the infamous Thomas Keller, which is at the top of my need to own cookbook list. Thus, after gallivanting around SF one day with my cute friend Su Chin, she brought me to the most amazing bookstore- Omnivore Books (an all cookbook book store- needless to say, I died inside!), where I found and purchased my very own Ad Hoc at Home.

Last weekend, we attempted our first Thomas Keller dish and it was delish! The hubs actually made this one because it was BBQ ribs and well, he is the BBQ master (or so he likes to think). It was the perfect Memorial Day grilled dinner.

Rubbed and Glazed Pork Spareribs

Rub:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 slabs pork spareribs (each about 3 pounds), cut into 3 bone portions

Combine all the rub ingredients in a medium bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Rub spareribs on all sides with the rub. Put on a baking sheet and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 6 hours.

Preheat your grill, about 20 minutes, with half the grill on high heat and leave the other half off so you can cook first on direct heat then move to indirect heat.

Place ribs meat side down, without crowding, on the hot section of the grill and cook about 2 minutes, until grill marks appear. Turn ribs 90 degrees to make a crosshatch pattern and cook 2 more minutes, or until well marked.

Transfer ribs meat side up to the cool section of the grill. Close lid and cook until tender but not falling off the bones, about 2 hours. Move ribs around after the first hour so they cook evenly. The temperature of the grill should remain at about 250 degrees.

Cut spareribs into individual ribs and serve. Serves 4 to 6.

Modern Housewife Tips:
1. Thomas Keller's recipe doesn't call for BBQ sauce. The hubs likes his ribs with just the dry rub but I on the other hand like them glazed with a little sauce at the end of cooking. It's fine to glaze them if you are like me, but like Mr. Keller says- be sure to use a BBQ sauce with some dignity!
2. When making ribs the hubs often starts off cooking the ribs wrapped in foil. They were good directly on the grill, but we've found that they retain more moisture when starting them off in foil. This is all about your personal preference though because you'll loose that crispiness from the grill marks if you use the foil.

recipe adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

Grillin and Chillin with Short Ribs and Bread and Tomato Salad

It's been an absolutely fabulous weekend with sunny and warm weather to boot. Friday we had yet another delicious dinner at Tavern at Lark Creek. I love it there. The food is superb but I absolutely die for the interior of this restaurant.  It is in an old Victorian home from 1888 that has been updated to cherish the farm to table style food. It has that old farmhouse feel but has been updated and is absolutely gorgeous inside- exactly how I picture my dream kitchen!

Saturday brought on an early morning exploration of SF with one of my dearest and absolute cutest friends. We perused a gorgeous succulent nursery, enjoyed some yummy coffee and finished it off with some incredible japanese inspired pastries at Sandbox Bakery in Bernal Heights.

Following the morning tour of all things cute in SF Part 1 (there is much more cute to be seen), I met up with some more dear friends and we headed to Kate Spade to meet Tim Gunn. Now, I didn't exactly meet him cuz none of us were willing to drop $100 just to get close to him, but needless to say he was 10 feet away from me and I got to enjoy a few free glasses of champagne so no complaints!

And finally it is Sunday, the end of the weekend. After spending some quality time with the hubs and the hounds, we decided to finish it all off with a delicious dinner on the grill. It was 80 degrees and sunny out today so turning on my oven did not sound fun. Cooking on the deck sounded much more appealing so I decided to make our entire dinner on the grill. And the best part about grillin and chillin is that the hubs is the grill master so it's a meal that we can make together.

On tonights menu- Grilled Short Ribs with Grilled Bread and Tomato Salad. The short ribs, which are most often braised, are easier when done on the grill and take way less time. This recipe is flavored with a super simple barbeque style rub that is totally delish. The salad, for me, was the highlight of tonight's dinner. It's so summery and fresh tasting and grilling the tomatoes bring out their sweetness. And the grilled bread adds the perfect crunch. So on the next hot day when you find that turning your oven on is the last thing you want to do, fire up the grill, pop open a bottle of beer (what's better than an ice cold beer on a hot summer day!?) and get grillin.

Grilled Short Ribs

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup paprika

2 1/2 tbsp salt

2 1/2 tbsp pepper

1 tbsp granulated onion

1/2 tsp cayenne

2 lbs boneless beef short ribs

1 cup of your fave thick bbq sauce

In a medium bowl blend together sugars, paprika, salt, pepper, granulated onion and cayenne. Sprinkle short ribs liberally with mixture on all sides. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat grill using all burners set on high with the lid closed for 10-12 minutes. Place ribs on the grill, close lid and reduce heat to medium. Turn ribs every 3-5 minutes so that every side gets slightly carmelized, 15-20 minutes total, brushing with bbq sauce a couple of times while cooking. Ribs should be about medium rare to medium. Remove to plate and let stand for 5-10 minutes, covered in foil, before serving. Makes 4-6 servings.

Grilled Bread and Tomato Salad

1/4 cup butter

1 garlic clove

4 oz day old Italian bread, cut into 3/4 inch slices

3 dead ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into quarters

2 tbsp cup minced red onion

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1/2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Place a small saucepan over medium heat and add butter. When half melted, add garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden brown. Remove from heat and brush mixture on both sides of each slice of bread.

Preheat grill set on high with lid closed for 10-12 minutes. Place bread on grill, close lid and cook, turning once until you see nice grill marks, 2-4 minutes. Place tomatoes on grill, cook a few minutes per side.

Remove bread and cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Place in large mixing bowl. Add tomatoes, onion, olive oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss gently and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve at room temperature.

Modern Housewife Tips:
1. For the bread salad, I was unable to find tarragon but had some fresh parsley on hand which is a nice substitution for this dish. I used beefsteak tomatoes but, when in season, heirloom tomatoes would be fab!
2. The recipe I found called for boneless but we could only find bone-in, which worked out ok but I think boneless could be a little more tender.
3. The rub used for the short ribs makes quite a bit more than you'll need but it can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 months and would be great on just about anything you can think of to barbeque!


Short Rib recipe courtesy of epicurious
Grilled Bread and Tomato Salad recipe courtesy of epicurious