Microwaveing limes

Hey Braden, how long should I microwave a lime for if I'm trying to get the most juice out of it? It's possible I'm making margaritas. 

Pan Grilled bread with Arugula and Prosciutto

Here's a great way to use the grilled bread I talked about in my last post.

You'll need:

2 slices of good bread

2 slices of prosciutto

a handful of flavorful greens (spinach and arugula are good choices)

Hollandaise Sauce (I use Reese Brand. It's pretty good.)

A splash of Milk (to thin out the hollandaise. You might not need this)

1 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Oregano

Black Pepper

Crushed Red Pepper

Olive Oil

Salt

Minced Garlic

What ya do is...

1. Grill that bread

2. Once the bread is crispy, turn the pan down to low and sprinkle the mozz cheese, a pinch of oregano, and the red + black peppers on. Lay a slice of prosciutto on top of each slice. Let this sit over the heat for a couple minutes to melt the cheese and warm the prosciutto.

3. Microwave or otherwise heat your hollandaise sauce. Add a splash of milk or cream if it's too thick to drizzle

4. Once the cheese melts and the prosciutto is warmed through, remove the bread to a plate

5. Toss your greens with some olive oil and a little spoon of the garlic. Throw these babies onto the hot skillet and cook for just a minute or so until they wilt down a bit.

6. Scoop the greens over the bread, drizzle with your sauce, and put it in your face. Knife and fork make this one easier.

Stop Toasting your Bread

Ok, I love toast. And I don't mean to knock such a simple, wonderful snack / breakfast necessity, but I think it's time we moved on. To a more consistent, more flavorful, healthier bread-crisping process.

Pan Grilling.

Here's what you do:

Get a nice flat skillet hot over medium heat. Lay out a few slices of bread on a plate or cutting board, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Once the pan is hot, slap those babies on and listen to the sizzle. While cooking side one, drizzle the other side with olive oil. Flip after a couple of minutes, and flip again to reach your desired level of crispy brown-ness.

Grilled Steak

It's 84 degrees here in sunny Kansas, and I'm thinking maybe we'll grill up some steak. We are, after all, (as I said) in Kansas.

And it occurs to me that I think people make steak overly complicated. I used to be one of those people. Marinades, rubbing it with garlic, putting pieces of garlic cloves into the steak itself. Yep, that was me. And don't get me wrong, I love a good marinade or rub on a ribeye (and oh Fiddlehead steak tips, how I miss you), but the best steak is, I think, uncomplicated.

I have to give credit here to the grillmaster, Dave Pagels. I've adapted his method a tad, but it's Dave who showed me the error of my steak ways. And for that, I'm forever grateful. My cardiologist? Not so much. :)

Here's my steak prep:

I say start with a thick ribeye. That's my steak of choice. But I also like my steak rare, so you might differ.

Let it sit out on the counter for at least a 1/2 hour if you can, so that it's closer to room temp. Then melt some butter (Dave, if I remember correctly, uses olive oil). Brush on a thin layer of butter, then coat with kosher salt and fresh pepper. I like a peppercorn medley, but that's me. I use more salt that it looks like a person should, because a lot of that will fall off on the grill. But it looks a bit like a salt crust.

Do this to both sides.

Grill immediately.

If you can, sear it for 30 seconds on either side, then move it to a lower heat and cook to your own preferred temp. That's it.

I'm telling you, when it comes to steak, simple is best. Throw in some garlic mashed potatoes, and you're a happy camper. 

Jamaican Jerk marinade

I LOVE this marinade recipe, which I adapted from Steven Raichlen's The Barbecue Bible, truly the best bbq book I've seen. This marinade is great on salmon. I imagine it'd be good on chicken, too. Salmon or shrimp should marinate for about an hour. Chicken for 3 hours. Pork for 6. I'm providing the full marinade recipe, but I halve it for me and Beej. The full recipe (here) is enough to marinate about 4 lbs of pork, chicken, or seafood.

8 jalapenos with seeds (the recipe calls for 4-15 scotch bonnets, but I don't have those here. Scotch bonnets, by the way, are VERY hot.)

1 bunch scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and coarsely chopped

2 shallots, halved

1 small red onion, quartered

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

2 tsp ground allspice

3 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (or more to taste). This is about two limes

2 Tbsp firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 Tbsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 C. water.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Add salt and/or lime juice a necessary. 

Store, tightly covered in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks.

We love this on salmon on the grill. SO GOOD!