I don’t always grab for the rotisserie – but when I do, it’s go big or go home. Perfect for cooler days when you don’t want to stand over the grill in bad weather. My cousin, who clearly knows me to a tee, recently brought me a veal roast as a gift. This recipe by Rob Rainford was a perfect fit. It doesn’t overpower the subtlety of the tender veal, instead perfectly complementing it with hints of lemon, wine and fresh herbs. Served with a pesto based sauce, it’s a fantastic amalgamation of flavours.
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Rotisserie Lemon Veal Roast
Adapted from Rob Rainford
Serves: 8 to 10
Ingredients:
3 lbs veal roast, tied
Marinade
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup of parsley, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, torn
1 teaspoon of black pepper
Basting Sauce
1/2 cup of melted butter/margarine
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon of salt
Serving Sauce
1/4 cup of store bought sundried tomato pesto
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup of whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
Drip Pan Liquid
2 cups of white wine
3 rosemary sprigs
Preparation:
- In a medium sized bowl, mix all marinade ingredients until well combined. In a large resealable bag, add veal and marinade. Marinate in fridge for 5 hours.
- In a small bowl, combine veal basting sauce ingredients. Mix well and set aside.
- Remove the veal from the marinade and allow it to come to room temperature.
- Place a drip pan in the middle of the barbecue, just below where the roast will be. Turn your right burner to high and preheat the grill to 300F.
- Wipe excess marinade from the roast. Mount veal firmly and securely on rotisserie rack.
- Pour the white wine and add the rosemary sprigs to the drip pan.
- Mount rotisserie rack and baste with basting sauce. Close lid and cook for 2 1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes.
- Remove veal and cover with foil. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine veal serving sauce ingredients. Heat until warm and flavours have infused to cream.
- Serve veal with pesto cream sauce.
Filed under: Recipe on October 6th, 2012 | Comments Off on Rotisserie Lemon Veal Roast
With the the kids heading back to school, this fabulous pasta salad will help you squeeze a little more summer out of your kitchen. This refreshing take on a classic Caprese salad makes for a delicious side dish at dinner or packs up as an excellent lunch for the kids to take to school or mom and dad to take to the office. Fresh mozzarella, plump ripe tomatoes and a hint of basil – delizioso!
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Pasta Caprese Salad
Adapted from Food Network
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 shallot, minced
1 small clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds fresh field or heirloom tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound pasta, such as penne or fusilli
12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Preparation:
- Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot and garlic in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and gently toss. Marinate at room temperature, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
- Add the pasta and mozzarella to the tomato mixture and toss. Stir in the basil and lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, tossing occasionally, until serving.
Filed under: Recipe on September 3rd, 2012 | Comments Off on Pasta Caprese Salad
I’ve always been a big fan of Bobby Flay’s – mostly for the incredible food he can make on the grill. Bold flavours, big cuts of beef – always delicious. This recipe really caught me off-guard – at first glance it doesn’t look like anything special. It doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, it doesn’t have a bunch of complicated steps to follow. However, at first bite it cemented its place as one the greatest side dish I’ve ever tasted. I kid you not. In fact, I’ll only make it for special occassions lest I find myself half way through this 6-person helping of awesomeness.
This recipe brings together the sweetness of the sweet potatoes, the heat of the chipotle puree, and the richness of the cream , in a masterful harmony that’s just addictive. Everything caramalizes just perfectly so you’re left with a great balance of textures – crispy edges & melt in your mouth middles. It’ll really out shine anything else you put on the plate with it. I strongly recommend giving this one a try!
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Sweet Potato Gratin
Adapted from Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon chipotle chile puree*
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
Salt and pepper, to taste
Green onion, thinly sliced for garnish
* – Chipotle chile puree can be made by pulseing a can of chipotles in adobo sauce in a food processor until smooth.
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Whisk together the cream and chipotle puree.
- In a 10-inch square baking dish with 2 inch high sides, arrange an even layer of patatoes on the bottom of the dish, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the cream mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Repeat to form 9 to 10 layers. Press down on the gratin to totally submerge the potatoes in the cream mixture.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the potatoes are cooked and the top is browned, about 30 to 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Top with green onion.
Filed under: Recipe on June 27th, 2012 | Comments Off on Sweet Potato Gratin
