Hickory Teriyaki Salmon (and Chicken)

Ever tried making a fresh Teriyaki sauce? You won't go back to bottled Teriyaki once you've tried this recipe. Here I use it on salmon and chicken with hickory smoke kicking it up a notch.
Serve with rice and steamed veggies. Irresistable!
























Ingredients

• 2 plump organic chicken breasts
• large salmon fillet
• hickory chips/logs

For the sauce

• 2 oranges (zest & juice)
• 1-inch (3 cm) fresh root ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soya sauce
• 1/2 cup Mirin (Japanese rice wine)

Make the sauce

1. Pour soya sauce into a sauce pan.









2. Grate the ginger and add to the sauce pan.











3. Crush the garlic, chop coarsely and add to the pan.









4. Use potato peeler to remove zest (skin) from the oranges. Take care not to take too much of the pith (the white stuff), which makes it taste bitter. Finely chop the zest and add to the sauce pan.



















5. Add the brown sugar to the pan.









6. Add the mirin to the pan.











7. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 15 mins.











8. Pour into dishes to be used to marinade the salmon and chicken and leave to cool. If you want, reserve some of the marinade to baste while grilling.










9. Add salmon and chicken and leave to marinade for at least an hour. Turn over the chicken a few times to coat both sides.










Grilling time.

1. Light the grill for indirect cooking.









2. When ready to cook, add hickory, salmon and chicken. Sprinkle with a little sea-salt. Put lid on the grill and leave to cook.









3. If you want, you can baste the salmon and chicken half-way though cooking time - about 10 minutes. But be careful, the sugar in the sauce burns easily. I didn't baste this time and the salmon and chicken turned out fine.

4. After 15 minutes, check the salmon. If the flesh removes easily with a fork from the thickset piece - it's done. Leave for 5 minutes more if necessary. Remove and cover with foil when done.












5. After about 20 minutes check the chicken. I was a meat thermometer - or prick with a fork - if juices are click, it should be done. Otherwise leave for a further 5 minutes.









6. When cooked, remove the chicken and slice across the grain to serve.














7. Serve with rice and steamed veggies. Taste the salmon and chicken - tender, tangy and terrific - right?

Garlic Rosemary Roast Potatoes

You won't have any leftovers with these beauties. Guaranteed. No matter how many I cook, they always get eaten!



















Ingredients

• 1-2 medium potatoes per person
• A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 3-4 cloves of garlic peeled and coarsely chopped
• olive oil

Directions
1. Put pan of water to boil and pre-heat the oven to 400F (200C); put a roasting tray in the oven

2. Chop the potatoes into bite-size chunks (I leave the skin on, 'cause its both tasty and healthy)

3. Put potatoes into the boiling water; bring back to boil and cook for 5 minutes













4. Drain the potatoes













5. In the sauce pan (still hot from the potatoes), heat a little olive oil; add garlic and rosemary and fry for 1 minute; add salt and pepper















6. Add the potatoes and mix well














7. Add a little olive oil to the pre-heated roasting tray and add the potatoes









8. Spread evenly on the roasting tray and place in the oven

9. Cook for.. I dunno, at least 40 mins usually. If you have a convection oven, turn it on for some of the cooking time to crisp the potatoes a little bit; If your other dishes are taking longer, simply turn oven down to keep potatoes warm.

10. Serve alongside something grilled - like lamb chops!

Luscious Lamb Chops

It was a tough call at the Kroger meat counter: rack of lamb vs filet mignon... in the end the lamb triumphed ($13.99 per lb special) and the results were mouth-watering. I've never seen so much drooling at the dinner table!

I toyed with the idea of a white wine/garlic/rosemary marinade for the chops... but in the end decided to keep it simple - just chops, salt and a very hot grill. And add the garlic/rosemary via the roast potatoes on the side. Worked like a dream!




















Ingredients
(serves 4)

• 2 racks of lamb, with about 8 cutlets each
• salt

Sides: garlic rosemary roasted potatoes, salad

Wine: Spanish Rioja

Directions

1. Have your butcher cut the rack into separate chops (saves time...)

2. Remove chops and wash in cold water; pat dry with kitchen towel. Do this about 30-60 mins before cooking to bring to room temperature










3. Heat your charcoal grill

4. Sprinkle chops both sides with good sea salt

5. Throw chops on the grill; cook for about 2-3 mins each side for medium














5. Serve with sides and the Rioja. Splendid.

Using a Charcoal Chimney Starter

Got a charcoal grill? If you haven't done so already, get yourself a charcoal chimney starter. This is the fastest and easiest way to get your grill started, and avoids the petroleum by-product taste from liquid charcoal lighter fluid.

But... word of warning, it only works (for me at least) with "hardwood" or "lump" charcoal - not with those processed briquettes - they require soaking in lighter fluid to get going..


























1. Take 2-3 sheets of newspaper and tear into strips. Crumble and put in the bottom of your charcoal starter (I'm using one from Weber)












2. Add your charcoal. I also add some wood chips as well, to help things along.











3. Light the newspaper... you'll get a lot of smoke














4. After about 10-15 mins, the charcoal should be glowing














5. Wearing some gloves, pour charcoal and get grilling!

Coddled Eggs

Treat yourself to a smashing breakfast -- it's a doddle to coddle yer eggs! A classier egg than scrambled or boiled as I'm sure you'll agree.

























Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 mushroom
• knob of butter
• emmental cheese (or whatever hard cheese you have to hand)
• 2 coddlers
• toast & marmite

Directions

1. Put a dab of butter in each coddle










2. Chop mushroom into pieces and place in the coddles











3. Break one egg into each coddle, top with grated cheese and season with salt and pepper











4. Place coddles in sauce-pan of boiling water (3/4 way up the coddle, not covering)

Cook for about 5 minutes. If egg isn't done to your liking, cook some more.











5. As eggs are coddling, get the toast on. For the marmite-lovers, apply liberally to their toast.














6. Slice toast into soldiers and serve with the coddled eggs. Delish.

Peach Salsa

This is basically the same recipe as for guacamole, but instead of the avocado, use a peach. Pineapple or mango are also great in this salsa.



















Ingredients

• 1 large peach (or 1/2 fresh pineapple or 1 mango)
  
• 1 orange
• 1 lime
• bunch of fresh cilantro (coriander)
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 spring onion
• 1 tsp salt

Directions
1. Slice lime in half and squeeze juice from one half into a bowl











2. Slice orange in half and squeeze juice from one half into a bowl











3. Grind 1 tsp cumin seeds and add to the bowl with 1 tsp salt











4. Finely chop the spring onion and add to the bowl

(Note: at Boudros they used a red-onion, which works just as well)











5. Finely chop the cilantro and add to the bowl











6. Dice the tomatoes and add to the bowl











7. Slice jalapeno in half lengthwise and remove the seeds; finely dice and add to the bowl











8. Slice peach into two halves, remove stone and chop finely











9. Mix together and chill until serving time