crushed red pepper

Summer Salads Some Aren't- Grilled Radicchio Wedge Salad with Lentils, Honey & Spiced Walnuts

26 Aug 2011
grilled radicchio wedge salad

My week long series on Summer Salads marches on. Today I have a grilled salad. A grilled wedge salad. Afterall, it's summer.

Now I like a wedge salad. I even like a wedge salad with good old-fashioned iceberg lettuce. I really do. I don't understand why it gets such a bad rap.

But just because I like the classic wedge salad doesn't mean I can't play around with it some. Because I like fresh takes on the familiar. This Grilled Radicchio Wedge Salad with Lentils, Honey & Spiced Walnuts is just that. A fresh take on the familiar wedge salad. But it didn't start that way. I set out to make a lentil salad with chopped radicchio in it. But I made a wrong turn. That's what I like about wrong turns. They always lead somewhere unexpected.

But before I get too far along here I better bring up the obvious. Radicchio is a terrific vegetable. But many people don't really care for the particular brand of bitter that radicchio sports. So a lot of these folks end their relationship with it right there. But really, grilled radicchio is a whole other taste. Sure it's bitter. But it's a better bitter.

Now if my entire goal today was to introduce you to grilled radicchio then I would have simply advised that you grill it on each side, then sprinkle it with salt and fresh lemon. It would have made a fun, piping-hot alternative to a wedge salad.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Grilled Radicchio Wedge Salad with Lentils, Honey & Spiced Walnuts

grilled radicchio wedge salad
By jgreghenry Published August 22, 2011
Prep time: 30
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 0.5 c honey
  • 0.25 t alpeppo pepper (or other type chili powder)
  • 0.5 t tummeric
  • 0 salt & pepper, as needed
  • 0.5 c walnuts, broken in large pieces
  • 1 c puy lentils
  • 0.25 t crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T red wine vinegar, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 head radicchio, left whole
  • 0 pecorino romano, shaved into thin shards, to taste

Directions

Prepare the walnuts: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a bowl combine, honey, alpeppo pepper, tumeric and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir until well incorporated. Pour half the honey mixture into a new bowl and set aside for the lentils.

Add the walnuts to the remaining honey and mix to coat the nuts well. Spread the nuts onto a parchment lined baking sheet in as close to a single layer as possible. Bake the nuts 15-20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until crunchy but still sticky. Set aside.

Prepare the lentils: Add the lentils to a medium saucepan, cover with about 2 inches of water, add the crushed red pepper flakes and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes, until tender but not yet mushy. Drain the lentils and return them to the pan. Discard bay leaves.

In a small bowl whisk together the reserved honey mixture, olive oil, vinegar, a pinch each of salt & pepper until the honey dissolves. Stir the mixture into the lentils while they are still hot, then set aside covered in a warm place.

Grill the radicchio: Heat the grill or grill pan to medium-high (indirect heat). Cut the whole radicchio head into 8 wedges. Brush the grates or the grill pan with a little olive oil. Grill, cut side down, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and sprinkle with a little salt & pepper to taste.

Arrange 2 wedges per person on 4 plates. Set a large spoonful of lentils alongside the wedges. Garnish with reserved nuts, shaved pecorino romano and a drizzle of vinegar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: The flavor combination was inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi

Kabob Party- Molasses Glazed Pork Mingles with Jalapenos and Cozies Up to Papaya

01 Jul 2010
Brine-Cured Pork Kabob with Molasses Glaze, Jalapenos & Papaya

I don’t know whether to say I am getting closer to a standard style kabob or further away…

This is Day 4 in my weeklong Kabob Party. Up until today I have limited my skewers to one ingredient and brought a bit of razzmatazz to the stick with well-chosen condiments. But not today. This party is getting fully integrated and it's starting to rock!

We started the series quietly with a Turkish Style Lamb Kabob made with ground meat and exotic spices; it was served alongside of a soft herb salad. Next up we threaded Brined & Marinated Shrimp onto wooden skewers. I showed you my trick to keep those little shrimpies in line too. No more twirling all over the skewer. This version comes with a tangy tomatillo and avocado salsa.

Just yesterday we had summer skewers at their simplest. Italian Style Chicken Spiedini with a Cucumber, Arugula and Olive Tapenade. Truly an al fresco treat.

It's not that I am a timid party guest, but I have to admit that one-ingredient simple skewers are how I most typically make kabobs. I like the control in cooking that comes from having some uniformity on the stick.

But I hear the boom of the bass. I feel the rhythm in the vibe. I know there are many of you who believe it’s not a Kabob Party without a little mingling! You are such a naughty bunch! You like the idea of having a few select beauties stuck on your stick!

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Brine-Cured Pork Kabobs with Molasses Glaze, Jalapenos and Papaya

Sippity Sup's Brine-Cured Pork Kabobs with Molasses Glaze, Jalapenos & Papaya
By jgreghenry Published June 29, 2010
Prep time: 300
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 T molasses
  • 3 clv garlic, minced
  • 2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced
  • 1 one-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
  • 0.5 t crushed red pepper flakes
  • 0.75 c extra-virgin olive oil
  • 0.5 T sea salt
  • 1 pn freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 c water
  • 0.25 c sugar
  • 3 T kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 T whole black peppercorns
  • 1 T whole cloves
  • 3 clv garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1.75 lb pork loin, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
  • 0.5 large mexican papaya, quite firm and not too ripe peeled seeded and cut into 2 inch chunks
  • 16 jalapeno peppers, sliced lengthwise and seeded
  • 0 pepper to taste
  • 0 olive oil, as needed for grill

Directions

To make the molasses glaze: Whisk molasses, minced garlic, chiles, ginger, pepper flakes, and oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Keep sealed at room temperature for up to one week. To brine the pork: Combine water, sugar, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, and sliced garlic in a non-reactive bowl. Add pork , cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to over night. Drain and set aside. To make the kabobs: Thread alternating pieces of pork, jalapeno halves, and papaya chunks onto 8 skewers. Brush with molasses glaze and season with salt an pepper. To grill the kabobs: Arrange skewers, off direct heat, on a hot grill. Cook, rotating often and brushing with more glaze or olive oil as needed to prevent sticking. The pork should be nearly cooked through, barely pink and still juicy in the center, about 10-12 minutes total cooking. Remove the skewers from the grill, taking care to keep the softened papaya form slipping off. Brush them one more time with the glaze if you like and allow them to rest about five minutes before serving.

Notes:

makes 8 skewers Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Beet Greens: Because a Top is a Terrible Thing to Waste

18 Mar 2010
beet greens

Let’s say you are at the grocery store, okay? You grab a cart with one broken wheel (naturally) and wind your way through the aisles somehow avoiding that nice Mrs. Johnson who always manages to run her cart over your foot when she wheels over to say hello.

Let’s say you safely steer clear of the candy aisle and arrive in the produce section. You decide you are in the mood for something healthy, delicious and fresh. So you spend what little free time you have today really checking out what’s available– and let’s say you chose a perfectly ripe, red apple.

Then you make your way to the check out and get stuck behind cell phone guy and his very public conversation about his ‘effin wife and her ugly divorce proceedings. His third and final credit card somehow finally gets approved and he pays for his Lamisil and gets out of your way (with a look over his shoulder like you’re the one with the problem).

Then after three price-checks and lots of rolled eyes from the people behind you, you hand over your hard-earned cash to pay for that apple, packing it up and taking it to the car. Once you bully your way out of the parking lot and make that nearly impossible left turn into rush hour traffic, you spend 45 stressful minutes driving 2.75 miles to your house (let’s say you live in Los Angeles).

Sippity Sup Continues »
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