“Cape Cod Life” Menu
09 Aug 05
Grilled Quesadillas
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and diced (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
4 slices red onion
8 burrito-size tortillas
Sour cream
Guacamole
Combine cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the blender’s motor running, slowly add the olive oil forming an emulsion. Blend until smooth. Pound the chicken to an even thickness and place chicken in a resealable food-grade bag. Pour marinade over chicken, seal and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours.
Grill the chicken over a medium-high direct heat grill for 5 to 7 minutes per side, or to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Slice the chicken into 1/4-inch slices. Put out 4 tortillas and place 1/4 of chicken, cheeses, and onion on each tortilla. Cover with remaining tortillas. Place assembled quesadillas on indirect grill, close cover, and heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut quesadillas into quarters or eighths and serve with sour cream and guacamole.
Apple Smoked Tennessee Pork Roast
with Cackalacky Molasses Rum Sauce
A variation of traditional roast pork with a bone-in roast slowly smoked over apple wood and glazed with apple sauce and brown sugar. Any leftover pork can be thinly sliced and used for a muffuletta or Cuban sandwiches.
1 (5-pound) bone-in pork loin roast
1 cup Tennessee
Gourmet® Apple & Spice Sauce*
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Season-All® seasoned salt
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
4 cups apple wood chips
*Chef’s Note: Any flavor could be used. For this recipe, I use Silly Hot. Tennessee Gourmet® products are available on-line at www.tngourmet.com.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, reduce the Tennessee Gourmet® sauce to 2/3 cup, about 15 minutes.
Combine sage, allspice, coriander, nutmeg, pepper, and seasoned salt in a small bowl. Mix to combine. Trim fat cap to an even thickness. Pat pork roast dry and brush with reduced Tennessee Gourmet® sauce and minced garlic. Sprinkle seasonings liberally over the roast. Wrap with food film and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 45 minutes before roasting.
Soak 2 cups of the wood chips in warm water for at least an hour before preparing the grill for indirect roasting. Add 1 cup of drained apple chips and 1 cup undrained chips to a smoker box and place over the operating burner (if using a gas grill) or directly on the banked coals. Maintain 225 to 250 degrees F. When the temperature is stabilized, add the pork and smoke-cook, covered, for 2 hours or to an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. Baste with remaining Tennessee Gourmet® sauce and continue roasting another 45 minutes to 1 hour or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
Remove roast from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
(Chef’s note: The roast could be cut into individual chops after roasting and seared on a direct grill.)
Cackalacky Molasses Rum Sauce
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large yellow onion, pared and diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 cup dark Jamaican rum (Myers’s or Appleton’s preferred)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon
ground mace
2 tablespoons Cackalacky® Spice Sauce™
1/2 teaspoon
coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
(Chef’s note: Cackalacky products are available on-line at www.cackalacky.com.)
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil until hot. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and the ginger, cook for 1 minute. Add the rum, vinegar, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, allspice, mace, Spice Sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir well to incorporate.
Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Honey-Grilled Vegetables
8 small Red Bliss potatoes, halved
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and crosswise
2 yellow squash, halved lengthwise and crosswise
1 large red onion, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 red and green bell pepper, cut vertically into eighths
1/4 cup clover honey (or 1/3 cup pure Grade A maple syrup)
3 tablespoons dry white wine or sake
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and cook for 5 minutes; drain. Combine the honey, wine, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme in a non-reactive container; mix well. Place vegetables on an oiled cooking grate over hot coals. Grill 20 to 25 minutes, turning and brushing with the honey mixture every 10 minutes.
Rosemary Potato Wedges
Pommes Frites or French Fries (that were actually first made in Belgium, not France) without all the oil. Although usually served with beef, these seasoned and roasted potatoes go well with barbecue of any kind.
4 large Russet Burbank potatoes
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons crushed rosemary
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Preheat the grill and prepare grill for indirect medium-heat (375 degrees F.) cooking.
Scrub the potatoes with a vegetable brush and dry with paper towels. Using a crinkle cutter, slice each potato lengthwise into 4 to 6 wedges and place in a medium mixing bowl. Combine with olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Toss well.
Indirectly cook the potatoes, covered and turning every 10 minutes, for 35 to 45 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife. Serve with Spicy Mayonnaise dipping sauce.
Spicy Mayonnaise Dipping Sauce
2/3 cup good-quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1 teaspoon ground Ancho chile powder
Juice of 1 medium lemon (2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 scallion, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Combine all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and allow the flavors to blend, covered and refrigerated, for at least 1 hour.
(Chef’s note: Sriracha is a hot, spicy dipping sauce common throughout Thailand. Similar to Tabasco in heat, Sriracha sauce is made from red Thai chile peppers and garlic. Sambal Oeleck chili paste could be substituted. This sauce is also excellent for grilled or deep-fried fish.)
Grilled Peaches with Balsamic Reduction
3 tablespoons
granulated sugar
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large peaches, halved and pitted
Vanilla ice cream, if desired
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, vinegar, and pepper. Simmer until reduced by one-half, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
Prepare grill for medium-high direct cooking and lightly oil the cooking grate.
Place peaches on the grill, cut side down. Cook for about 3 minutes and rotate 90 degrees. Cook another 2 minutes and turn over. Brush cut side of the peaches with the balsamic glaze and cook another 2 to 3 minutes or until the peaches begin to caramelize.
Transfer peaches to serving dishes and drizzle with remaining glaze. If desired, spoon a scoop of vanilla ice cream into each peach half. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.
Grilled Pineapple
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dark Jamaican rum (Myers’s or Appleton’s preferred)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine brown sugar, rum, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush on each side of each pineapple ring. Grill pineapple 4 to 5 inches above medium coals for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until sugar mixture melts and pineapple is tender.