Home



Pacific Palate with Don Genova

As heard on CBC Radio
My Classes
My Podcast
My Archives
Books
Links
About Me
My Blog
Contact Me


Past Food For Thought

Past Pacific Palate

Past So Much On My Plate

Past Recipes and Recommendations

2005 Shows
2004 Shows
2003 Shows
2002 Shows

























Summer Grilling

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH TOASTED CHILES, COCONUT MILK, LIME & CRUSHED PEANUTS

by Bobby Flay

6 to 8 Servings

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

  • 3 New Mexican red chiles(dried, or use chili powder)
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup Coco Lopez (pina colada mix)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Salt and black pepper, freshly ground

Chicken Ingredients:

  • 8 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, freshly ground
  • 3/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
  1. Make the vinaigrette: Heat the grill to high. Place the chilies on the grill and toast on each side for 20 seconds. Remove chilies from the grill and remove the stems. Coarsely chop the chilies and set aside.

  2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add the turmeric and cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, Coco Lopez and chilies and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the lime and honey and blend again. Season with salt and pepper and strain the vinaigrette into a bowl.

  3. Prepare the chicken: Heat the grill to high. Brush the chicken breasts with oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Grill the breasts for 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Combine the peanuts and cilantro in a bowl, sprinkle over the chicken and serve.




FIRE ROASTED PRAWNS WITH HABANERO & TOASTED GARLIC VINAIGRETTE

by Bobby Flay

4 Servings

*Note: You can find habanero or Scotch Bonnet peppers in Latino grocery stores, and even some major supermarkets these days. Handle with care!

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 fresh habanero or Scotch Bonnet chile, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, freshly ground

Prawn Ingredients:

  • 16 prawns, heads and shell on
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  1. Place garlic and olive oil in a small saucepan, cook over low heat until lightly golden brown. Remove the garlic from the oil and place in a blender. Reserve the oil and let cool slightly.

  2. Add the habanero, lime juice, water and honey to the garlic in the blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add 1/2 cup of the garlic-infused oil and blend until emulsified. Add the cilantro and blend for 5 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  3. Cook the prawns. Heat the grill to high. Brush the prawns with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the prawns for 2 to 3 minutes per side until slightly charred and crusty and just cooked through. Remove the prawns to a platter and immediately drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the chopped cilantro.




CEDAR-PLANKED WILD ALASKA SALMON WITH MUSTARD-DILL SAUCE

by Steven Raichlen

4 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 and a 1/2 pound piece of center-cut wild Alaskan salmon fillet (of course in Canada you would use wild BC salmon!)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper, freshly ground

Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup grainy French mustard
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
  • Sugar to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
  • 1 cedar plank (about 6-by 12 inches), UNTREATED, soaked in water to cover for 2 hours and drained
  1. Generously brush the skin side of the fish with olive oil. Generously season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the salmon, skin side down, on the cedar plank.

  2. Make the glaze: In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the mustard, dill, sugar and lemon zest. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.

  3. Set up your grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-high.

  4. Spread the glaze evenly over the salmon. Place the plank on the grill away from the heat. Cover the grill and indirect grill the salmon until cooked, 15 to 20 minutes. To test for doneness, use an instant-read meat thermometer inserted through the side of the fillet: the temperature should be about 135' F. Or insert a metal skewer in the side of the fish-it should come out piping hot to the touch. The glaze will be a deep golden brown. Transfer to a platter and serve the salmon right off the plank.




CHURRASCO WITH THREE-HERB CHIMICHURRI

by Steven Raichlen

4 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
  • 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1/3 cup cold water
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and black pepper, freshly ground
  • 1 1/2 pounds center-cut beef tenderloin in one piece or 3 large pork tenderloins
  1. Prepare the chimichurri: Combine the herbs and garlic in a food processor and finely chop. Add the oil, vinegar, water, hot pepper flakes and salt and pepper and process until a thick sauce forms; the chimichurri should be highly seasoned. Pour one fourth of the chimichurri into a baking dish just large enough to hold the meat.

  2. Holding the knife parallel to the cutting board, cut the tender- loin lengthwise into 4 flat, even slices. Place each slice between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Arrange the steaks on top of the chimichurri in the baking dish. Pour another quarter of the chimichurri on top. Marinate the meat for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

  3. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. Arrange the beef slices on the grate on the diagonal and grill until cooked to taste, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare, rotating the slices 90 degrees after 1 minute to create crosshatched grill marks. Transfer the churrasco to plates or a platter and serve the remaining chimichurri sauce on the side.




SMOKED "HAWAII"

by Steven Raichlen

6 to 8 Servings

For the Pineapple

  • 1 ripe pineapple with leaves
  • 1 pint vanilla or cherry ice cream, slightly softened
  • 2 tablespoons 151 or white rum, plus 1/4 cup for flambéing (optional)

Meringue

  • 4 large egg whites (warmed over a pan of hot water)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Using a long sharp knife, cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, starting at the fruit end and cutting through the leaves as well as the fruit. Cut the core out of each pineapple half and cut out the flesh; a grapefruit knife works well for this. Be careful not to pierce the shell.

  2. Cut the pineapple flesh into 1 -inch dice and transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in the ice cream and 2 tablespoons rum (if using). Pack this mixture back into the pineapple shells while you prepare the meringue.

  3. Make the meringue: Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a standing mixer and start beating at low speed. Gradually increase the speed to medium and beat until frothy; keep the mixer at this speed while you cook the sugar.

  4. Place 1/2 cup of the sugar in a saucepan with 3 tablespoons water. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Uncover the pan and cook the sugar to the soft ball stage, (239' F); the mixture will look thick and sticky.

  5. When the sugar is cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat the eggs whites to soft peaks. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until the whites are glossy and firm; this will take about 8 minutes in all. With the mixer on, beat the hot sugar mixture and vanilla into the egg whites and continue beating until cool.

  6. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe decorative swirls of meringue over the top of the stuffed pineapple halves to completely encase the fruit and ice cream. If you don't have a piping bag, spread the meringue over the fruit with a spatula. Freeze for at least 30 minutes to firm up the ice cream. (You can also assemble it ahead and freeze it solid, in which case remove it from the freezer 30 minutes ahead of time to thaw at room temperature.)

  7. Set up your grill for indirect grilling and preheat to high (at least 450' F). Place the pineapple on the grill grate away from the heat. Indirect grill until the meringue is handsomely browned, 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer the baked Hawaii to a heatproof platter. If you choose to flambé the dessert, warm the remaining 1/4 cup of rum in a small saucepan, but do not let it boil. Carefully ignite the rum with match or lighter and pour it over the dessert. Serve at once.




<< Back


Pacific Palate with Don Genova

My Classes
My Podcast
My Archives
Books
Links
About Us
My Blog
Contact Us



Reproduction of this web site and its content, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of Don Genova and Pacific Palate. © Don Genova and Pacific Palate Enterprises 2008.