Tag Archives: bbq

Aug13

Grilled Chicken with Caprese Topping

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We have been having a bit of a heat wave in L.A., so I have been avoiding turning on the stove or oven. This caprese chicken from Baked Bree is the perfect light summer meal.

Grilled Chicken with Caprese Topping
Adapted from Baked Bree

2 chicken breasts, cut into halves or thirds if they are large
grill seasoning
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 c fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 c red onion, finely chopped
10 leaves basil, chopped
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper

To make the salad, put the tomatoes, mozzarella, and red onion in a medium-sized bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with vinegar and oil to taste. Add the basil and toss. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Season the chicken on both sides with grill seasoning. Grill on medium-high heat until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve the chicken with the caprese salad on top.

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Jul18

Kale Salad with Walnuts and Cranberries

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Last night we had grilled pork chops (brined first, of course!) with mashed potatoes. Kale salad was the perfect vegetable side. Kale is a tough enough green to stand up to a heavier entrée and side, but the salad felt summery.

Kale Salad with Walnuts and Cranberries

3 leaves of kale, stems removed and sliced finely
juice of 1 lemon
olive oil
handful of walnuts
handful of dried cranberries
black pepper
kosher salt

Toss the kale with the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then add the walnuts and cranberries.

Jun28

Barbequed ribs

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Paco is in Dallas this week, but for whatever reason, right before leaving for Texas, he wanted to make ribs. He bakes them slowly in the oven so that they’re tender but not falling off the bone, then finishes them on the grill.

We served them with macaroni salad and sweet and tangy cole slaw.  This would make a great 4th of July meal!

Barbequed Ribs

1 rack of pork ribs (regular back ribs, baby back ribs, or spare ribs)
kosher salt
black pepper
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
your favorite barbeque sauce

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place the ribs on a baking sheet, and season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne. Cook for three hours.

When the ribs are tender, remove them from the oven. Preheat the grill to medium high heat, then grill for 10 minutes on each side.  While the ribs are cooking, baste them with barbeque sauce.

Slice the rack into individual ribs and enjoy!

Jun21

Grilled lamb with yogurt and mint sauce

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We buy boneless legs of lamb at Costco, cut them into three pieces, and freeze them individually. Leg of lamb is great roasted, grilled, stewed, and ground for burgers.

When we lived in San Francisco, we used to roast it. While delicious, this can leave your whole house smelling like lamb for days, and the drippings in the roasting pan are hard to clean. Now that we have a patio and a grill, we can get an even better char on the outside by grilling it, without the messy clean-up or lingering smell.

If you don’t have a grill, it’s still worth it to roast it in the oven.  Cover your pan in foil before putting the lamb in it, so that you won’t have to scrub the pan as much.  For whatever reason, lamb fat is very hard to clean. Keep a window or door open while cooking, to allow the smell to escape.

We served last night’s lamb with roasted yukon gold potatoes, cauliflower roasted with cumin seeds, yogurt and mint sauce (recipe below), and chili sauce.

Grilled Lamb

1 lb of boneless leg of lamb
2 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
olive oil

Season the lamb generously with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and black pepper. Add the olive oil and lemon juice, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Grill on medium-high heat for 12 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your lamb. (Butterfly it for quicker cooking time.) Remove from heat and rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute, then slice against the grain.

Yogurt and Mint Sauce

8 oz plain Greek yogurt
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
2 T chopped mint

Put all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.

May29

Barbeque chicken salad with homemade blue cheese dressing

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In high school, I used to love the barbeque chicken salad from California Pizza Kitchen. We were craving grilled chicken on Saturday, but wanted to mix it up a bit from our usual slaw. The creamy, salty blue cheese dressing was a lovely complement to the charred, sweet chicken. I even ate the tomatoes, which I usually pick out of salads.

Barbeque Chicken Salad
(Serves 2)

2/3 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
barbeque sauce
lettuce or spring mix
1 ear of corn, kernels removed
1 c cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 c cucumber slices
1/2 c black beans, rinsed and drained
blue cheese dressing (see below)

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Grill for several minutes on each side, until almost cooked through. Brush with your favorite barbeque sauce, and cook for another minute on each side.

Combine all salad ingredients in a salad bowl. Toss together, then serve with chicken and blue cheese dressing.

Blue Cheese Dressing

1/3 c mayo
1/3 c sour cream
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp worcestershire
5 oz. blue cheese (I used stilton)
kosher salt
black pepper

Combine the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. Crumble in the blue cheese, and stir to combine.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.