40th BIRTHDAY BASH
- Smoked Mushrooms
- Lemon Garlic Marinade
- Peppered Mussels
- Port Marinated Rack of Lamb
- Port Marinated Smoked Chicken
- Grilled Russets
- Smoked Onions
SMOKED MUSHROOMS |
1 bunch of arugula
Shaved Parmesan
Clean and trim the mushrooms. Slice about ¼ inch thick. Place them into a sealable plastic bag and set aside.
Prepare marinade. In a food processor or blender combine garlic, chives, parsley and sugar. Blitz until smooth. Add lemon juice and mustard and blitz again. While still blending, slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream until the mixture is thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper and pour all but 2 tablespoons over the mushrooms.
Leave them to marinate for 10 minutes.
Preheat the grill to medium high heat (375ºF). Place the mushrooms on the grill and cook for approximately 5-8 minutes.
Toss the arugula with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the marinade. Top the salad with mushrooms and shaved parmesan.
Yield : 6-8 servings
LEMON-GARLIC MARINADE
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (5ml)
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped (75ml)
¼ cup chives (60ml)
2 teaspoons sugar (10ml)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard (5ml)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (75ml)
Salt and black pepper to taste
In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the garlic, lemon zest, parsley, chives, and sugar. Process until the parsley is very finely chopped and the mixture is fairly smooth. Add the lemon juice and mustard and process again. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and continue to process until the oil is emulsified. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.
Use immediately or store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Yield: ½ cup
PEPPERED MUSSELS Herbed Butter |
Place the vermouth, water and bay leaves in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Add cleaned mussels and steam for 5 minutes or until they are all open.
Meanwhile prepare butter. Combine all of the butter ingredients and mix well.
Remove and discard the top shell from each mussel. Spread and even amount of the herbed butter onto each mussel (overtop of the meat) and place face up on a tray. Put the tray in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.
Preheat the grill to medium high heat (375ºF). Place the mussels buttered side up and grill until heated through.
Yield: Serves 6
PORT MARINATED RACKS OF LAMB |
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the racks of lamb into a sealable plastic bag.
In a large glass or ceramic bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients. Mix together and pour into the bag overtop of the lamb. Seal the bag and place it in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours.
Preheat the grill to 375ºF. Drain the lamb and scrape off the marinade. Rub the lamb with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Oil the grill and place the lamb meat side down for 6 minutes with the lid up. Move meat away from any flare ups that may occur. Flip and continue to grill for another 6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 130 ºF (medium rare).
Let the lamb rest for 5 minutes under a foil tent before serving.
Yield: 4 servings or 4 chops each.
PORT MARINATED SMOKED CHICKEN |
4 chicken breasts, bone in
Salt and pepper
3 handfuls of cherry wood chips
Rinse the chicken breasts under cold water and pat dry. Place in a sealable plastic bag.
In a large glass or ceramic bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients. Mix together and pour into the bag overtop of the chicken. Seal the bag and place it in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.
Place 1 handful of wood chips (for a gas grill or all the wood chips if using a charcoal grill) into water to soak for 30 minutes.
Prepare the barbecue for indirect grilling. Preheat the grill to high heat (500ºF) on one side.
Build smoke pouch. If using a gas grill, squeeze the excess water from the wood chips and place in the center of a large piece of foil. Add the dry chips and mix. Close the foil around the chips sealing the package. Using a fork, poke holes in both sides of the package. Place directly over high heat source of the grill, close the lid and wait for smoke.
If using charcoal, squeeze the excess water from the chips and sprinkle the chips directly into the fire bed.
Drain the chicken and scrape off the marinade. Rub the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
When smoke starts to billow out, reduce the heat to 200 ºF. Quickly lift the lid, oil the grill and place chicken on the cool side of the barbecue. Close the lid and leave to smoke for 1 hour.
Yield: 4 servings
GRILLED RUSSETS Place the quartered Potatos into a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and leave to cool to room temperature. Place Potatos into a sealable plastic bag. Add oil and season with salt and pepper. Shake & Toss. |
Preheat the grill to high heat on one side and medium low heat on the other. Sear the outside of the Potatos over high heat for 1 minute per side to get nice char marks. Move them over to medium low heat and turn the high heat side off. Grill for approximately 10 minutes with the lid down.
Yield: 6 servings
SMOKED ONIONS Place 1 handful of wood chips (if cooking on a gas grill or all if using a charcoal grill) in water to soak for 30 minutes. Peel and quarter onions keeping the root end intact. Drizzle the onion quarters with oil. |
Build smoke pouch. If using a gas grill, squeeze the excess water from the wood chips and place in the center of a large piece of foil. Add the dry chips and mix. Close the foil around the chips sealing the package. Using a fork, poke holes in both sides of the package. Place directly over high heat source of the grill, close the lid and wait for smoke.
If using charcoal, squeeze the excess water from the chips and sprinkle the chips directly into the fire bed.
When smoke starts to billow out, reduce the heat, quickly lift the lid, oil the grill and place the onions on the cool side of the barbecue. Close the lid and leave to smoke for 1 hour.
Serve with dressing.
Dressing
¼ cup of fresh cilantro, chopped (60ml)
½ cup of fresh parsley, chopped (125ml)
10 fresh basil leaves
3 anchovy fillets
2 teaspoons of capers (10ml)
2 tablespoons of the caper brine (30ml)
4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar (60ml)
1/3 cup of olive oil (75ml)
Place cilantro, parsley, and basil in blender and blitz. Continue to blend and gradually add anchovy fillets, capers, brine, and vinegar. Add oil last in a slow stream until you reach the desired thickness.
Place the dressing in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Bring the dressing back to room temperature before drizzling over the smoked onions.
Yield: 6 servings
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