Tag Archives: Summer grilling

Lamb Sliders

Have you ever noticed that miniature food always seems to taste better? I’ve got a delicious recipe for you today using ground lamb to make sliders. The recipe is slightly adapted from Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarain. He made them on The Kitchen a few weeks ago and I had to try them.

These little sliders pack a big flavour punch. The ground lamb is seasoned with shallots, garlic, mint, parsley, cumin and paprika.

Here are a few tips for success:

  • Use a light hand when mixing everything into the ground lamb. Form your hand into a claw and use your fingers like a rake to incorporate the seasoning ingredients into the lamb. Over-mixing leads to tough burgers. According to tasting table.com, “Mixing ground beef releases myosin, which is a protein that causes muscle contraction. It’s important for burger making, as myosin binds fat and water to the meat, leading to a more tender burger. So you want to retain as much of the protein as possible — but when you mix too much and let too much myosin escape, you can be left with chewy meat.”
  • Salt burgers just before grilling.
  • I used a 2.5 inch round cookie cutter to form my sliders. But feel free to form by hand if that’s more your style.
  • Cook lamb burgers to an internal temperature of 135°F. Insert instant read thermometer into burger from the side, not the top, and push it until it reaches the centre of the burger.
  • The pickled onions can be made and stored in your fridge up to 2 weeks ahead of time. This recipe makes more than you will need, but they are great on sandwiches and in all kinds of salads.
  • If you prefer to keep the tzatziki sauce dairy free, look for a plain vegan yogurt or sour cream that does not contain coconut as the main protein. The coconut flavour will not work for this application. I like Tofutti brand Sour Supreme

Click here to print recipe for Lamb Sliders.

Turkey Koobideh (Persian Kebabs) Pita Sandwiches

One of the things I love best about blogging is the glimpse it gives me into how other people live their lives. I am not so naive as to believe that what they post is how they live everyday. I know it   is their aspirational life, and I’m ok with that. I’m just curious. I love to see the little details that they deem important and beautiful. I am a highly aesthetic person. The curve of the handle on a knife or the organic edge of a plate bring me great pleasure. To connect with other people who obsess over such details is a joy.

So when I stumbled upon the gorgeous blog post titled “My Shabbat Table” over at Sina Mizrahi’s beautiful blog, I was enthralled. She articulates the peace that is Shabbat with such clarity. And because she is such a genuine soul, she assures us that her Shabbat table does not look like this every week. Already I feel better about myself!

This recipe for Turkey Koobideh Pita Sandwiches is inspired by a recent post of Sina’s. Koobideh is a Persian kebab, made with ground chicken. Similar to Lebanese kofta. I made mine with ground turkey, because that’s what I happened to have on hand. These kebabs are little flavour bombs. Black pepper, turmeric, Aleppo pepper, sumac and salt combine to make an intensely flavoured koobideh.
The first time I made them, I found them to be a bit dry. Ground turkey and chicken can be quite lean. On round two I added a tablespoon of refined (unscented) coconut oil to the mixture. I decided to turn these into pita sandwiches and made a vegan tzatziki sauce to drizzle over everything. This sauce is so delicious. The recipe hails from melissas_healthykitchen on Instagram.
These sandwiches require lots of napkins. They are a drippy delicious mess!

Click here for Turkey Koobideh Pita Sandwiches.

Skirt Steak with Pomegranate Tomato Relish

Skirt steak, prized for its deeply rich flavour, is one of my favourite cuts of meat to grill in the summer. I have been making a version of this recipe for years now, and it ocurred to me that I have never shared it with you. My bad. So sorry.

You all know that I love salt, but if you buy kosher meat, be aware that kosher skirt steak is super salty. Proper koshering technique requires that the salt be put on all sides of the meat. Skirt steak is a very thin cut, so it absorbs more salt than a thicker cut. My butcher friend Joel suggested that I soak the skirt steak in cold water, for about an hour in the fridge before marinating. Change the water every 20 minutes. This works really well in reducing the saltiness. Of course, if you don’t keep kosher, skip this step.

Start with a really flavourful marinade. I whisked together an assertive blend of olive oil, red wine, red wine vinegar, pomegranate molasses, honey, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Overnight is ideal, but if you are short of time, a few hours in the fridge is fine.

While the meat is marinating, prepare the salsa. Pomegranate and tomatoes are mixed with lime zest, lots if parsley and some olive oil for a sweet-tart salsa that cuts through the richness of the beef. Let the meat rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. Make sure you slice against the grain. I filmed a video to show you the right way.

Click here to print recipe for Skirt Steak with Pomegranate Tomato Salsa.

Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Skewers with Peanut Coconut Sauce

on blue platterSomehow, when you put dinner on a skewer it just seems more festive. Local peach and nectarine season is right around the corner, so bookmark this recipe and celebrate the season.

The combination of peanut butter and coconut milk could skew a bit sweet and heavy, but lime juice and jalapeño provide the perfect balance. Cilantro adds a fresh-grassy herbal note, but  cilantro haters could certainly substitute Italian parsley. The marinade also includes Greek yogurt. If you keep kosher or just want a dairy-free marinade, I have discovered a great yogurt alternative – So Delicious Dairy-Free Unsweetened Coconut Yogurt. It provides the tanginess of yogurt without the dairy. Surprisingly, it does not taste overwhelmingly of coconut. peanut coconut sauceI used boneless skinless chicken thighs, as they are almost impossible to overcook. Don’t forget to soak the wooden skewers so they don’t burn. making skewersgrillingFor a casual dinner, wrap some warm pita around the skewer, pull the wooden stick out and to make a wrap. Serve extra sauce, lime, chopped peanuts and cilantro on the side. skewers on pita

Click here to print recipe for Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Skewers with Coconut –Peanut Sauce.

2 skewers