Epic Summer

Attention: We have absolutely nothing to complain about. Summer has been glorious, like really spectacular! We've had a string of weekends full of sunshine, it has to be some kind of record! This was decidedly the best summer to try my hand at gardening, Mother Nature has been kind. Of course, in future years that are potentially not as wonderful I will likely be singing a different tune. But this year i've got monstrous cukes, baby carrots, herbs galore and plenty more things on the way. Next month will probably be a post about tomatoes and nothing else as my two tomato plants, from my favorite farmers at Half Pint, are going bat-shit crazy!!!

We have had some steamy evenings, especially so at my house where we do not have air conditioning, so we've had a lot of al fresco dinners cooked mostly on the grill. I've been getting pretty grill creative, bringing my cast iron skillet out to do bacon on the grill! Of course not everything has been grilled, I did some roasting in my kitchen (literally and figuratively) - ill advised? Maybe, but the results were worth every drop of sweat. Plus I've learned some tricks to cooking in a hot kitchen: open windows, proper fan placement, wear as little clothing as possible without giving the neighbors a show, and ice cold rosé.

Here are a handful of recipes that I've cooked on these heavenly, albeit hot, summer evenings! Enjoy!

Cuban Grilled Pork Loin and Chipotle Roasted Baby Carrots - Serves 4

*There is a lot of big flavor here so it’s nice to pair this meal with a white wine that can stand up to it all. Try the Tenuta Roveglia Lugana from Lombardy, Italy.

Pork:

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed

1/4 cup orange juice, fresh

1/4 cup lime juice, fresh

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Carrots:

20 baby carrots (about 2 bunches), greens discarded, carrots scrubbed

2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced, plus 1 teaspoon of adobo sauce from the can

1 tablespoon agave nectar

2  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

For Pork:

1. Mix orange juice, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes in a zip lock bag. Add pork, close, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

2. Prepare outdoor grill for direct medium-hot grilling. For a gas grill, preheat grill on medium-high.  For a charcoal grill, build fire and let burn until coals are covered with white ash. Spread coals and let burn for 15-20 minutes.  Lightly oil cooking grate.

3. Remove pork from marinade, drain briefly, but do not scrape off solids. Place on grill and cover. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned and instant-read thermometer inserted in center of pork reads 145 degrees Fahrenheit, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer to carving board and let stand 3-5 minutes. Cut on slight diagonal and serve with carrots.

For Carrots:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Toss the carrots on a rimmed baking sheet with the chipotles and adobo sauce, agave and olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

2. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the carrots are crisp-tender and browned. Transfer the carrots to a plate and let them cool completely.

Roast Chicken with Italian Salsa Verde – Serves 4

*This is Jonathan Waxman’s recipe; I only changed up a few herbs with what I had on hand. Also his recipe has you break down a chicken, which I’ve done, but you can also just buy a chicken already broken down if you want to simplify even more!

Chicken:

1 lemon, halved

One 4-pound chicken

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salsa Verde:

1/2 cup chopped basil

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 cup chopped tarragon

4 oil-packed anchovy fillets

1/4 cup snipped chives

1/2 cup chopped arugula

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup capers, drained

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Using kitchen scissors, cut out the backbone. Flatten the chicken and pull out the breast bone. Cut the chicken in half through the breast and season with salt and pepper. Set the chicken skin side up in a roasting pan and drizzle with the oil; add the lemon halves to the pan and roast for 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until just cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, make the salsa verde. In a food processor, pulse the capers with the anchovies and garlic until finely chopped. Add all of the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Season with salt. Serve the chicken with the salsa verde and the roasted lemon.

Clams with Horseradish, Hot Sauce Butter – Serves 4 as an appetizer

*adapted from Food & Wine, they called for Tobasco but we prefer Crystal Hot Sauce in our house but you can use whatever you like!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons drained horseradish

1 tablespoon Crystal Hot Sauce

1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon sweet pimentón de la Vera (Spanish smoked paprika)

Salt

2 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed

Grilled slices of crusty white bread, for serving

1. Light a grill. In a small bowl, blend the butter with the horseradish, hot sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice and pimentón de la Vera. Season with salt.

2. Arrange the clams over high heat and grill until they pop open, about 25 seconds. Using tongs, carefully turn the clams over so the meat side is down. Grill for about 20 seconds longer, until the clam juices start simmering. Transfer the clams to a serving bowl. Top each clam with about 1/2 teaspoon of the horseradish-hot sauce sauce and serve with the grilled bread.

Lime Marinated Flank Steak with Grilled Corn Salad

Serves 4

*This comes together really quickly so it makes a pretty nice mid-week meal.

Steak:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)

1 orange, juiced

3 garlic cloves, smashed

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (2-pound) flank steak, fat removed

Corn Salad:

4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 ears corn, shucked

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

1/4 cup diced red onion

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Steak:

1. Place the lime juice, orange juice, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper in a large plastic bag over a shallow baking dish. Add the steak and turn to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, then pull from fridge and allow the steak to come to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

2. Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade and season both sides with salt and pepper. Grill for 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice the steak against the grain, into thin slices.

For the Corn:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.

2. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Add corn to grill and cook until grill marks appear, about 3-4 minutes on each side; let cool before cutting the corn kernels off the cobs.

3. In a large bowl, combine corn, bacon, avocado, basil, red onion, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in vinaigrette and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.