Garden On The Grill
The Summer season is upon us. This is most evident in the produce aisle! Tomatoes are,once again, tomato-red, stone fruit is juicy, and our favorite Brentwood corn has arrived. And, best of all, our gardens are yielding their Summer bounty.
The best way we can think of to experience this amazing, regional produce is outdoors and on the grill.
Many cultural traditions use the barbecue, not just for meats, but to prepare delicious vegetable and fruit dishes. Here are a few staff picks of recipes (links included). Create a themed BBQ party with Summer produce! |
Grillin' in Style
Gourmet grillers will appreciate the dramatic presentation made with Grapevine Trading Company's Rosemary BBQ Skewers. They are great of for meats, fish, vegetables or even fruit.
To use, simply soak skewers briefly in water to prohibit flame. Pierce your food with the sharp point then thread onto the rosemary skewers.
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Here is a great recipe from our archives that highlights figs on the grill. By Michael Chiarello.
Ingre�di�ents
8 Black Mis�sion figs
1/2 cup blue cheese, cut into cubes
8 pro�sciutto (thinly sliced, cut in half length�wise)
2 table�spoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Direc�tions
Pre�heat grill. You will need medium to high heat for grilling. The key is to crisp the pro�sciutto quickly and leave the blue cheese just melted with the inner part of the fig cool in temperature.
Cut the figs in half and place a piece of blue cheese on each fig half. Wrap the pro�sciutto around each fig half, cov�ering the cheese. The ends of the pro�sciutto should overlap.
Grill each piece until the pro�sciutto begins to color and crisp, about 2 min�utes on each side.
Remove from grill, lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Serve warm. Serves four. Read the post...
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If you love green tea, Ito En's line of smooth brews are great summer bev�er�ages. We're not talking about those common sweet teas, but real Japanese tea with a mellow, nutty flavor. In fact, these teas are what folks all over Japan grab from gro�ceries and con�ve�nience stores. Ito En has ded�i�cated them�selves to making green tea a part of Amer�ican culture.
One of our favorites is the Jas�mine Green. It's light, refreshing, and very Japanese. Other great fla�vors are the Oi Ocha, Blue�berry Green, Mango Oolong and their Half & Half with lemonade. Read More...
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Small, local, and doin' it right!
The Bay Area Bee Com�pany is one of those ven�dors you want to brag about. Their fan�tastic honey is pro�duced in small batches, and closely mon�i�tored because they really care about their bees and the local hon�eybee population.
Bay Area Bee Com�pany raises hives and pro�duces honey to grow healthy colonies. They hand-manage each hive, placing it with great care in loca�tions all around the Bay. Their bees live in envi�ron�ments with the best food, water sources, and weather con�di�tions pro�tected from extreme elements.
This makes for some delicious honey! Read More...
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Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies
Any recipe that begins with the description, "These are evil. And they must be destroyed." is definitely worth investigating!
The Pioneer Woman is one of our favorite recipe blogs. She is delightfully eccentric with exceptionally good taste. What a great combination.
Ingredients
20 whole Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 Inches In Size
2 cubes Cream Cheese, Softened
1 pound Thin (regular) Bacon, Sliced Into Thirds
Directions
If you have them, slip on some latex gloves for the pepper prep... Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle. Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don't want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to the squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn't look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it. Serve immediately, or they're also great at room temperature. You can visit The Pioneer Woman's website here. |
