Cuisine Eric

Summer grilling doesn't get much better than this.  Make your skewers yours by threading on your own favorites! 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1/2 red pepper, sliced into 1-inch pieces 1/2 yellow pepper, sliced into 1-inch pieces 1/2 orange pepper, sliced into 1-inch pieces 1/2 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces 2-3 jalapeño peppers cut into 7 ~1-inch pieces Basting Sauce: 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp maple syrup 1 tsp sesame oil 1 clove garlic, minced   Cesar dressing: 1 cup good real mayonnaise juice and zest of 1 lemon 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp anchovy paste 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 clove garlic, finely minced through a press freshly ground black pepper 2 heads romaine lettuce, sliced shaved parmesan cheese for garnish 7 6-inch wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes Whisk together the dressing ingredients and refrigerate.   Heat grill to high.   Cut the chicken into about 1-inch chunks.   Thread the veggies and...

July 4th is a grilling holiday. So grill this! A simple but flavorful lamb kebab flavored with fresh herbs, and garnished with a delicious Greek tzatziki yogurt condiment. It's the simple pleasures in life. 1-1/2 lb lamb (I used boneless leg), cubed into 20 1-inch pieces 1 large red pepper cut into 24 pieces (about 3/4-inch) 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves 2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves 3 cloves garlic juice of 1 lemon 1/4 cup olive oil 4 kebab skewers Tzatziki for serving Mince the herbs and garlic and mix with lemon juice and oil in a bowl.    Add lamb cubes and season with salt and black pepper.   Marinate for at least an hour (or in the refrigerate overnight). Heat grill to high. Alternate 6 pieces pepper and 5 pieces lamb on four skewers.  Grill, turning on all sides, until the internal temperature of the lamb reads 135F on an instant read thermometer for medium rare. Serve with rice and tzatziki , and flatbread if desired.   Serves 4.

A great simple way to serve swordfish is with chimichuri; a south american herby, garlicky, lemony mixture bound with olive oil. Spooned over hot grilled fish (or other protein), chimichuri adds a depth of flavor to bring the grilled food to another level.  Here I used cilantro and lavendar leaves as the base, but amped the flavors up with a dash of thyme, rosemary, garlic and jalapeño.  There are myriad ways to make this condiment; use what you have on hand. Chimichuri: palmful fresh cilantro leaves 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves 1 Tbsp fresh Thyme leaves 2 Tbsp fresh lavender leaves 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved 1 jalapeño pepper, quartered 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice zest of 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 tsp salt freshly ground pepper to taste 2 1-inch swordfish steaks, about 1.5-2 lbs, rested at room temperature 2 zucchini, cut at waist halfway and then into 3-4 1/4-inch thick wedges. (I like to use a wave knife) Heat grill to high. Season swordfish steaks with salt and pepp...

This is a beautiful way to prepare salmon on the grill.  No worries about salmon falling apart on the grill because you don't flip it - just cook it skin-side down and let the herb cap do all the flavoring. [My smart sister in law taught me this!] 1.25 lb salmon fillet, skin-on (enough for 4 servings) Herb cap: 2 Tbsp fresh mint leaves 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves 1 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves 1 Tbsp fresh lavender leaves 2 Tbsp fresh dill, top fronds 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I used Turkish Aleppo) 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp kosher salt freshly ground pepper to taste Heat gas grill to high.   [If you are cooking herbed grilled veggies as a side, start working them first and get them on the grill first. The veggies should take a good 15 minutes while the salmon will probably take only 10-ish minutes. Only an instant-read thermometer will really tell you where you are.] Tip the herb cap ingredients into a small food processor.   Pulse just to...

I love to grill up veggies outside while grilling some meat.  The grill's on, so why not use all of it! A simple flavoring with fresh herbs, salt and pepper is all you need for a great side dish. 1/2 red pepper, cut into cubes 1/2 yellow pepper, cut into cubes 1/2 orange pepper, cut into cubes 1 zucchini, cut into cubes 1/2 sweet white onion, thickly sliced 1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, minced 1 Tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced 1 Tbsp fresh lavender, minced 1 Tbsp fresh dill, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced some crushed red pepper flakes, to taste salt and pepper to taste good dash of olive oil Heat grill to high. Mix the veggies with the herbs, spices and oil in a large mixing bowl. Tip into a grilling pan with many holes in it. Grill for about 15 minutes, shaking and stirring often, or until veggies are just crisp-tender. Serves 4.

This is an easy grilled chicken number inspired by the Entertaining at Home cookbook by Nordstrom published in 2005. Who knew they had restaurants in their stores? They must be good because I want to cook almost every dish in the book; which I bought for $.30 at a library sale! 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3 small ones) Marinade: 3/4 cup good real mayonnaise 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp honey 1 tsp Sriracha (or other favorite) hot sauce 1 clove garlic, minced through a garlic press 1 Tbsp dried chives 6 wooden skewers Whisk together the marinade ingredients.   Reserve 1/4 cup for final basting. Cut chicken into a total of 6 long strips.   Place chicken in a quart-sized zip lock plastic bag, or a bowl.   Add the remaining marinade and mix well.   Marinate for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, soak the wooden skewers in water.   When ready to cook, preheat grill to high.   Thread each strip of chicken lengthwise onto e...