We hosted our church dinner group here the other evening and I'm offering recipes for a few of the dishes we served.
Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Fiery Grilled Peach and Habanero Salsa
I cannot tell you much about the smoking of the pork, but I do know that C brined it for several hours prior to smoking. The brining adds moisture, and boy was it moist!
I followed the grilled peach and habanero Salsa recipe directly from this month's Cooking Light magazine. Here it is, straight from their website:
Grilling the peaches caramelizes their natural sugar. Serve with grilled pork, fish—like striped bass—or chicken. Refrigerate for up to three days.
Yield: 15 servings (serving size: 1/4 cup)
Ingredients
- 4 large peeled peaches, halved and pitted (about 1 pound)
- 2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices red onion
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped seeded habanero pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
2. Lightly coat peaches and onion with cooking spray. Place peaches and onion on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill peaches 2 minutes on each side. Cool and chop peaches. Grill onion 3 minutes on each side. Cool and chop onion. Combine peaches, onion, cilantro, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well. Let stand 15 minutes.
this salsa received rave reviews, and I've gotta tell you that grilling peaches is all new to me, but I will do it often now!
November 30, 2008 Simon Monez
8-oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
9-inch pie crust
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 c. fresh basil, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 t. white pepper
Garnish: fresh basil
Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese into pie crust. Top with tomatoes and set aside. Combine basil and garlic; sprinkle over tomatoes. Set aside. Mix remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and pepper together; spread over basil mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Garnish with a few leaves of basil. Serves 6 to 8.
Grilled Eggplant Stack
While I was buying my eggplant at our local Farmers' Market, a fellow customer was describing to me a wonderful Eggplant Stack she was recently served at a nearby restaurant. She told me that the chef grilled the eggplant and then put a slice of mozzarella between two pieces of the eggplant, and returned it to the grill just until the cheese began to melt. It sounded so good that I decided to give it a try!
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- 1 pinch each thyme, basil, dill, and oregano
- salt and freshly grated black pepper
Preparation:
Heat grill.
When grill is hot, slice eggplant about 1/2-inch thick. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil and vinegar mixture.
Place eggplant on the hot preheated grill. Grill about 15 to 20 minutes, turning once.
I found that the eggplant took only about 6 minutes per side, and after the first side was grilled, I'd flip a slice, top it with a slice of mozzarella and then top that with another slice of partially grilled eggplant, and then grill the 'sandwiches' for another 5-6 minutes. It was a huge hit!!
