Remember I told you I had butterflied a chicken and was planning on grilling it under a brick?  Well now I’ll show you how I did it.

As I mentioned the other day, Pollo al Mattone, or Chicken Under a Brick is a Tuscan style of grilling chicken.  The chicken cooks quickly since it is flattened under the weight of the brick and you end up with crispy delicious skin and juicy, perfectly cooked meat.  What more could one want from a chicken?

My first step was to marinate the chicken with olive oil and herbs.  You can use any combination of herbs you like, I just used a simple mixture of garlic and rosemary.  First I stripped the leaves from 5 or 6 sprigs of rosemary (about 1/3 cup loosely packed) and peeled six cloves of garlic.

I could have finely chopped everything by hand, but the lazy person inside of me decided a mini food processor was the way to go!

A few seconds later, I ended up with finely chopped rosemary and garlic!  If you don’t have a mini food processor, just chop everything up by hand and/or pound it with a mortar and pestle.

Next, I stirred in about 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil.

Now for the chicken!  If you’ve never butterflied a chicken, watch this video.  See how easy it is?  After cutting the chicken, I rinsed it and patted it dry with paper towels.

I also folded the wings under the bird so that the tips won’t burn on the grill.

Here is the inside of my beautifully butterflied bird. Doesn’t it make you want to rub oil all over it?

I thought so!  I poured about half of the marinade over the inside of the chicken.

Then rubbed it all over, making sure to coat every single part of the bird.

Next I flipped it over and rubbed the remaining marinade all over the outside of the chicken.  After the entire chicken is well-coated with the rosemary-garlic oil, you can cover the whole pan with plastic wrap or slip the chicken into a large plastic bag and place it in the refrigerator.  Try to let it sit for at least a few hours.

When you’re ready to grill the chicken, take it out of the fridge and rub some lemon juice all over it.  Right before it goes on the grill, sprinkle both sides liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Prepare your grill (gas or charcoal) for direct medium-low heat.  Allow as much marinade as possible to drip off the chicken before placing it on the grill.  Put the chicken on the grill skin side down and watch for flare-ups.  You may need to move the chicken around a bit until the flare-ups die down.  Once the flare-ups stop, put two foil-covered bricks directly on top of the chicken and allow to cook undisturbed for 15 minutes.

This is what my chicken looked like after 15 minutes:

Remove the bricks from the chicken and carefully lift it up to check the skin.  The skin should be well-browned and crispy.  If so, it’s time to flip the bird!

Mine was a little more than well-browned when I flipped it over!  Ooooops!  But we’ll just pretend that it’s perfectly browned like the last one I grilled (and of course didn’t photograph).

When you flip it over, you don’t need to put the bricks back on the chicken.  Just let it finish cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees…it will probably only take about 10 minutes.  As you can see, I flipped the wings back up on top to keep them from burning.  Not sure if it’s necessary, but it was easy enough to do.

When it’s finished, let it rest for ten minutes before carving.  Then divide it up and enjoy!

You can use any marinade or rub you want with this chicken.  You could even brine it first if you want.  And if you don’t have time to marinate it at all, that’s fine, too.  Just rub it with oil and herbs right before you grill it.  Have fun!

Around the Web:

• Pollo al Mattone at Divina Cucina
• Chicken Under a Brick at Restaurant Widow
• Moroccan Spiced Chicken Under a Brick at TasteFood

All the credit for these goes to my friend Ron. He’s famous throughout California’s central valley for his blue cheese burgers! I don’t have his recipe because even though I think I managed to pry it from him once, I never wrote it down. But I was craving a blue cheese burger today for lunch and since Ron and Ruby live in California and I’m still in Sicily, I had to come up with something myself!

Most of the blue cheese burgers I’ve eaten in my life are just a regular burger with the addition of some type of blue cheese dressing as a condiment. Whoever came up with that idea is a genius because blue cheese plus hamburger equals YUM!

Even better is that same burger with some bacon on it. I’ve eaten many bacon and blue cheese burgers in my life thanks to McMenamins East 19th Street Cafe in Eugene, Oregon. I don’t know what I miss more, that Captain Neon Burger or those pitchers of Terminator Stout. Ah, the good old days…

So, as I was saying, most blue cheese burgers come with the blue cheese on top. But then Ron came along with his blue cheese-stuffed burgers and my whole world was turned upside down. What’s so great about blue cheese being inside the burger? I really don’t know. Perhaps it’s just the novelty, but there’s something really special about a seemingly normal looking burger that starts oozing creamy blue cheese when you bite into it!

The only thing I remember about Ron’s burgers is that the filling is a mixture of blue cheese and cream cheese. So, that’s what I did. I kept it simple and just mixed equal parts cream cheese and crumbled blue cheese, added a bit of onion powder, some chopped fresh parsley and salt and pepper to taste. I didn’t bother to let the cream cheese soften, I just mashed it all up together in a small bowl with a fork.

I decided to stick with quarter pound burgers because the hamburger buns I bought are pretty small (just the standard small Wonder brand buns). So I first divided one pound of ground beef into four equal parts. Then I divided each part in half so that I ended up with eight equal portions of ground beef (each should weigh about 2 oz.). I formed those into balls and sprinkled them all with salt and pepper, rolling them around a bit so all sides were seasoned. Next, working on waxed paper, I flattened each of those little balls into very thin patties.

To fill a burger, I put a spoonful of the cream cheese filling (about a tablespoon works well) in the center of one patty.

Then I spread the filling equally over the patty, leaving some room around the edges for a seal.

Then I put another patty on top of the filling.

Next, I pressed the edges together to form a seal. You don’t need to pinch the two patties together, just gently work the edges together so that they will stay sealed.

After I finished all four burgers, I liberally sprinkled both sides of them with coarsely ground black pepper.

Then I put them on the grill! Grilling time is a matter of preference. I like my burgers well done but since I made the patties pretty thin, they ended up cooking quickly.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about shrinkage but I thought I would take this photo to remind you! When making your hamburger patties, always make them larger than you think they need to be!

See, it ended up fitting the bun perfectly! Since these burgers are so flavorful, I keep the condiments to a minimum. But if I would have had some lettuce, tomato and bacon in the house, they would have been on here too!

It might look plain…

but look what’s waiting inside!

Now here’s my warning. First of all, let them rest for a little while before you eat them. The cheese in the middle is hot and oozy and I don’t want to get blamed for someone burning themselves! I also think it’s best to cut these in half before eating them. I found out the hard way that the contents inside are under pressure! I took my first bite and the burger had a blowout in the back. I’m serious, it was like a mini explosion! There’s no way around it, these are messy burgers. But that’s what makes them fun, right?

Blue Cheese Burgers

2 oz. cream cheese
2 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1/8 t. onion powder
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound ground beef (I use 85% lean)
salt and pepper
Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

1. In a small bowl, mash together cream cheese and blue cheese then stir in the onion powder and parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
2. Divide ground beef into 8 equal pieces. I first divide it into four pieces then divide each piece again. Form the pieces into balls then sprinkle the balls lightly with salt and pepper, rolling them around a bit to make sure all sides are covered. Flatten each ball to form thin patties of equal size. I find it easiest to form the patties on a sheet of waxed paper.
3. To fill burgers, place a tablespoonful of cream cheese mixture in the center of each of four patties. Spread the filling out evenly to within half an inch of the edge of each patty. Place the remaining patties on top to form four filled burgers. Gently press the edges of each burger together to form a seal.
4. Sprinkle burgers liberally with coarsely ground black pepper (optional).
5. Prepare your grill and cook burgers until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees (USDA recommendation) or until desired degree of doneness. Let rest for ten minutes.
6. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes: I recommend cutting these burgers in half before eating to avoid ‘burger blowout.’ I don’t add anything besides salt and pepper to the meat because the filling is so flavorful, but you are more than welcome to add extra seasoning to the meat if that’s what you like. Feel free to experiment with different seasonings in the filling, too!

Related Recipes:

• Creamy Blue Cheese Dip with Lemon and Chives
• Bacon Tomato and Blue Cheese Focaccia Sandwich
• Bacon Wrapped Beef Medallions with Smoked Paprika Butter
• Homemade Sloppy Joes

Around the Web:

• Sassy Blue Cheese Burgers from Vanilla Garlic
• Blue Cheese-Stuffed Burgers from Food, and Other Musings
• Stuffed Lamb Burgers from Seriously Good
• Port Salut Stuffed Turkey Burgers from Je Mange la Ville

Some Burger Making Pointers:

• How to Make a Great Hamburger from Baking Bites
• The Burger from Beyond Salmon

I was one of those people whose spice cabinet was packed with old bottles of spices that had been purchased for one recipe or another and then never touched again. I moved away from home when I was 19 with a kitchen starter kit that had been assembled with odds and ends from the kitchens of several family members. Along with the old, dented (but still very functional) pots and pans, strange, rusty, kitchen gadgets that looked like they were from the 1930’s, and a case of Top Ramen, courtesy of a good friend, I ended up with several jars of spices. Who knows how long they had been sitting in someone else’s cabinet before I acquired them. Well, I put them in my spice cabinet, used them occasionally, and kept adding to my collection whenever I wanted to make a recipe that called for a spice that I didn’t own. Over the years, I kept carrying these things around with me…house to house, town to town. I mean, spices can get pretty expensive so I didn’t want to just throw them out!

Fast forward 10 years and here I was in Sicily. Fresh herbs everywhere at the markets, dried herbs and spices sold in bulk, restaurants serving food that tasted fresher than anything that had ever come out of my kitchen. I started to pay attention to what was happening around me. People were shopping for the day or the week, not for the entire month! Herbs and spices were being purchased regularly, in quantities to be used quickly. I started to notice things in local kitchens too. Refrigerators here were small, pantries were stocked with canned tomatoes, not 20-year-old jars of spices and boxes of overly-processed, ‘instant’ foods. I looked in my cabinets, looked in my pantry, looked in my fridge, and realized that it was time for a change in my kitchen!

I took the plunge, I cleaned out my pantry and spice cabinet, I dumped all the dried herbs and spices that I had been collecting for 10 years, some of which were at least that old before I ever got a hold of them. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if I had some spices in my cabinet that were older than me. In fact, I’m almost positive that was the case. After close examination, I realized that I couldn’t even smell a difference between the majority of them! I tossed them all and tried not to think what my grandmother would say about wasting things that had cost so much money. I kept many of the little glass jars because I noticed that most of the spices here were sold either in bulk or in little plastic packages. I figured that I could re-use many of the jars by getting creative with some white sticky labels and a black marker.

It was exciting! My kitchen was a clean slate and I felt like I was embarking on a new adventure! And this time, I decided, I wouldn’t purchase a spice for one recipe and then never use it again. If I were going to try something new, I would learn about it, experiment with it, and keep using it.

Ok, this is where The Spice House comes in. A couple summers ago, I bought a book on grilling. Elizabeth Karmel’s book, Taming The Flame. There are several cookbooks that have profoundly influenced the way I cook and this is one of them. I’ll write more later about why this particular book is so important to me but for now I’ll just say that Karmel introduced me to The Spice House through her book and I’m very grateful for that! The Spice House grinds and blends their spices by hand, in small batches. They are as fresh as you could want and they are offered in bulk quantities, which keeps the prices down. You can buy spices whole or ground, in shaker jars, shaker jar refills, or larger bulk quantities. You can even purchase the empty glass shaker jars separately.

I certainly don’t buy all of my spices from The Spice House. There are certain things I can buy here that are just as good and cheaper. But there are other things that I can’t find here or that aren’t as good quality as I can get from The Spice House. So, I purchase some herbs and spices at the outdoor markets (dried oregano and bay leaves, for instance), some from the grocery store (whole nutmeg, sea salt, kosher salt, black peppercorns, etc) and some from The Spice House (granulated garlic, smoked paprika, chili powder, the list goes on and on). I also use many more fresh herbs now than I used to and I love to experiment with different combinations of fresh herbs and dried spices. Maybe you aren’t ready to completely empty your spice cabinet like I was. But if you are anything like the person I described at the beginning of this post, maybe it’s time to at least take a peek in some of those long unopened jars. Smell them, taste them, are they really going to add anything special to that next dish you prepare? If not, get rid of them!

This post is going to have to be a two-parter because as I’m writing this, I’m realizing how much the way I cook has changed over the last three years. Cleaning out my spice cabinet and learning to use fresh herbs was just the beginning. There have been so many small, simple changes: Using fresh ground pepper rather than the ground stuff out of a can, using kosher salt and sea salt in place of iodized salt, grating nutmeg by hand, toasting whole spices such as cumin and grinding them myself in a coffee grinder I have reserved just for spices. I could write a page about each little change I’ve made because each one has made such a huge, huge difference in the food that I make. But, I will spare you for today!

Instead, I will continue this at a later date and for now just let you go check out The Spice House. Even if you are lucky enough to live in Chicago, Evanston, or Milwaukee and can visit a store in person, the Web site is a must visit! You can learn all kinds of new information about spices, there are forums where you can ask spice-related questions, and there are tons of customer-submitted recipes. You can browse through spices alphabetically by name, by category, or by cuisine. If you love Greek food, for instance, and want to know what spices you might use to flavor your own Greek-influenced creations, just look under Greek cuisine and be inspired Same goes for Cajun, Caribbean, Scandinavian, Indian, Spanish and Thai, just to name a few! And, as if their product quality and informative Web site weren’t enough, The Spice House customer service is wonderful and the shipping is amazingly fast! And believe me, being an overseas military spouse, I know a thing or two about online shopping!

I had intended for this to just be a short post about my latest purchase from The Spice House but I guess I got a little carried away and I never even told you what I bought this last time! I guess I’ll just let you go there and find something on your own this time and later, I’ll give you a list of my favorite spices and spice blends But there is one thing about my purchase that I have to tell you about! Along with a few spice refills, I purchased a book that is always advertised on The Spice House home page. The book is Herbs and Spices: The Cook’s Reference by Jill Norman. I have been wanting it since I first started shopping at The Spice House, but it’s not cheap. I finally broke down and bought it this last time and let me tell you, it is worth every cent! The book is beautiful, informative, and has moved to the top of my favorite cookbook list. Yes, it is more of a reference book than a cookbook but the last section is filled with wonderful recipes from around the world. I really can’t say enough about it! So, if you’re at all interested in learning more about herbs and spices and love gorgeous photography, put this book at the top of your wish list! It would also make a beautiful gift for anyone who enjoys cooking.

Whew! I’m done for now. Happy birthday Stephanie!!

Subscribe to Pinch My Salt by e-mail!

How it is that I’ve gone this long without tasting any of Nando’s Peri-Peri sauces, I will never know. But now that this wrong has been righted, I’m definitely a Nando’s convert. I like spicy foods and I like hot sauces but I wouldn’t call myself a connoisseur. I always have a supply of a couple different Tabasco sauces on hand (I’ve also tried Texas Pete’s and Louisiana brands but I’ve always been a Tabasco girl), but my pantry hot sauce collection doesn’t usually get much bigger than that other than maybe some Cholula and a mild tomatillo-based green sauce. And of course, there’s the occasional Asian chili paste and I am now always fully stocked with Italian chili paste (crema di peperoncino). But really, considering the variety of hot sauces available in this world, my tiny collection doesn’t even scratch the surface.

I had never even heard of the Peri-Peri pepper (also known as the Pili Pili, Piri-Piri or African bird’s eye pepper). My chili pepper knowledge just doesn’t really go beyond jalape?±os, haba?±eros and the Italian peperoncini that I’ve become totally addicted to since living in Southern Italy. But now that I’ve tasted a few of Nando’s sauces, I want more Peri-Peri! I’m curious to know how many of you are already using Nando’s sauces or perhaps have even eaten at the restaurants. Apparently I’m one of the few who had never heard of Nando’s! I mean Oprah, Ricky Gervais, and Nelson Mandela are all fans…where have I been?? Oh yeah, in Sicily.

But if you haven’t yet tried the sauces, it seems that they are widely available in stores. The Nando’s Web site has a nifty little store finder to help you find one close to you. And if, like me, you can’t get the stuff in a store, the sauces can easily be ordered online!

So, here’s what happened. I got a nice e-mail from Dave over at Nando’s Peri-Peri asking me if I would like to taste some of their sauces and maybe review them on Pinch My Salt. At first I was a little skeptical of accepting the free sauces. I was torn between really really wanting to get free stuff in the mail and not wanting to feel obligated to write a review for a product that I might not even like. So, I didn’t respond at first. But then I did a little research on the Peri-Peri pepper and finally curiosity got the better of me. I wrote to Dave and told him that I would love to try some of the sauces but that I wouldn’t review them unless I was really impressed with the product. Dilemma solved.

When I got the package in the mail, I was excited to see that I received not one but three different sauces to try! One was a big jar of Roasted Red Pepper Cooking Sauce (mild), one jar of Garlic Peri-Peri Sauce (medium), and a jar of Peri-Peri Marinade (hot). I wasn’t so sure about the cooking sauce and marinade because I’ve tried to get away from store bought sauces but when I opened the jars and tasted each one, I must say that I was really impressed with all three!

So, here’s my review for all of the Nando’s sauces: YUM! Go get some now!

Ok, now that the review part is out of the way, let’s move on to what I do best…creating recipes, cooking, and eating!

A very strange thing happened in the moment I tasted the Roasted Red Pepper Cooking Sauce, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I think it was the first time that a single taste of a new ingredient instantly inspired an entire recipe! I immediately knew this slightly sweet, slightly spicy, mouth-wateringly tangy sauce would taste great on a pizza and I knew for certain that the pizza should be covered with cheese, grilled chicken, pineapple, and fresh cilantro. I just knew.

I don’t make pizza at home very often because I live in Sicily and I can go out and get really good pizza anytime I feel like it. Since I don’t have a wood-fired pizza oven, nothing I make at home will compare to the pizza here I can get here. But this pizza would be different. I wouldn’t be trying to replicate a Sicilian pizza. It would be my very own Nando’s Grilled Chicken Pizza and I couldn’t wait to taste it!

For the pizza dough, my trusted recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It uses both white and whole wheat flours and I think the flavor is the best of any pizza dough I’ve tried. For the grilled chicken, I marinated chicken breasts in Nando’s Hot Marinade before grilling them. I would have preferred to grill some fresh pineapple for this pizza but the pineapple at the store near me was just too expensive. Crushed pineapple worked fine (make sure to drain it well) but I will definitely try grilling some pineapple next time.

I have a pizza/baking stone in my oven and I highly recommend using one if you want great pizza from home. Put the stone on the bottom shelf in your oven and preheat it to 500 degrees. With the stone, you need to allow lots more time for the oven to come to temperature. I usually let it preheat for a full hour. And if you’re going to use a baking stone, you’d better invest in a baker’s peel too! Ok, now you’re ready to bake some pizza!

Nando’s Spicy Grilled Chicken Breasts:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to a uniform thickness
Nando’s Peri Peri Hot Marinade
salt
fresh ground pepper

Place chicken in a shallow container and pour on enough marinade to evenly coat all sides of the chicken pieces. They don’t have to be swimming in marinade, just make sure all pieces are coated on both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Preheat grill. Remove excess marinade from chicken pieces, season both sides with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place chicken over direct medium heat and cook about 6 minutes per side or until thoroughly cooked. Remove to a platter and let cool. When cool enough to handle, slice into bite size pieces and set aside for use on pizza or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pizza Dough:

1 1/2 C. warm water (NOT hot water)
2 t. active dry yeast (I use instant yeast)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 t. salt
1 C. whole wheat flour
3 C. all-purpose flour plus extra for kneading

In a medium bowl, mix yeast with the cup of whole wheat flour. Add water and oil and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, stir salt into the remaining flour and then add flour to the wet mixture, a little at a time, stirring, until a shaggy dough is formed. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter or board and knead with well-floured hands until smooth (about 5 minutes should do it). The dough will be sticky but try not to add too much extra flour, a moist dough will result in a lighter crust.

Put the dough into an oiled bowl and turn once to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a towel and set aside in a slightly warm place (on top of the fridge is usually good) for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a counter and cut into four equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, place them on a lightly floured surface, then cover with a towel. Allow to rest for another 30 minutes.

Shape the dough: Place a large piece of parchment paper on your work surface and dust it lightly with flour. Working with one piece at a time, and using floured hands, press the dough into a disc and then starting from the center, push the dough out using your fingers and the heel of your palm, trying to keep the circle as uniform as possible. Make sure the dough is not sticking too much by lifting and turning it occasionally and sprinkling extra flour as needed. Flatten dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick (or even thinner if you can manage it). Make sure to leave a rim along the outside that is slightly thicker than the middle. You should end up with a pizza that is approximately 10” in diameter.

Cover and let rest for 10 minutes before adding the toppings. Start rolling out your next crust while the first one is resting. If you are not planning on using all four crusts, wrap the extras loosely in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. When you are ready to use it the next day, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. If you want to store the dough longer than overnight, wrap it well and freeze it.

Pizza Toppings:

• Nando’s Peri-Peri Roasted Reds Cooking Sauce
• Nando’s spicy grilled chicken breasts, chopped
• Crushed pineapple, drained well
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Fresh cilantro, chopped

Now for the fun part! The amount of toppings is completely up to you:

Spread a few spoonfuls of Nando’s Peri-Peri Roasted Reds Cooking Sauce evenly over the pizza dough. Next, sprinkle drained crushed pineapple over the sauce. Add shredded mozzarella and cheddar, chopped grilled chicken, and a little more pineapple. Top with a few extra sprinklings of cheese.

Slide pizza peel under the parchment paper and then slide pizza and parchment directly onto a hot baking stone in a preheated 500 degree oven. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until crust is very well browned and pizza is bubbly.

Sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro liberally over the pizza, then cut and serve!

I would like to thank Nando’s for giving me the chance to try out these wonderful sauces! My next post will feature one more Nando’s recipe…Honey Garlic Wings featuring Nando’s Garlic Peri-Peri Sauce so stay tuned for part two! But until then, you can check out a couple other Nando’s reviews by my friends Curt over at Bucky’s Barbecue Blog who tried out the sauces with some smoked chicken thighs, and Kristen at Dine and Dish, who reviewed Nando’s Curry Coconut Sauce…YUM!

I just got my first camcorder and had the opportunity to try it out in the town of Niscemi during the Feast of St. Joseph celebration or, La Festa di San Giuseppe, as it’s known here. I’ll have more photos and videos soon but I wanted to share a quick look at the grilled artichokes I got to eat for lunch!

Enjoy!

Subscribe to Pinch My Salt by e-mail

I created this salad quite a while ago but haven’t posted it because I haven’t come up with an exact recipe. Each time I make the salad, I change the ingredients and amounts, trying to come up with the perfect combination. But it seems that it tastes just as good each time. So, I’m just going to give you a basic recipe and some general guidelines and you can either come up with your own “exact recipe” or you can keep changing it up like I’ve been doing.

I started experimenting with this salad because I was trying to replicate the mexican caesar salad from El Torito, a chain restaurant here on the west coast. I haven’t had it for years but I’ve never forgotten the cilantro dressing. Since I was in Italy when I started my experiment, I ended up using olive oil, pine nuts and parmigiano reggiano cheese. What I came up with is basically a thin cilantro pesto and it’s REALLY good on salad and meat! I think the only resemblance my recipe has to the El Torito salad is the main cilantro flavor and the tortilla strips. But it’s similar enough that I no longer crave the other one.

The photo above doesn’t show the fried tortilla strips but I think they really add a lot to this salad! I suppose you could try crushing up some tortilla chips but I highly recommend frying them yourself. The addition of carne asada is optional of course. You can go without and the salad makes a great side dish or you can add the meat and it makes a nice light main course. You could also try adding some grilled chicken breast if you prefer. I chose steak because it really stands up to the strong flavor of the dressing. In fact, if you aren’t much of a salad person, this dressing is wonderful drizzled over some grilled steak.

The amounts that I have listed for the salad dressing are what I tend to use most of the time. You can start with what I’ve listed and then adjust things to suit your own taste. If you are a garlic lover, add more! I’ve found that one clove is enough for me since it’s raw. If you don’t like a strong garlic flavor, try using roasted garlic (If you use roasted garlic, you should add several cloves because the flavor is so mild). I made this dressing once using roasted garlic and avocado and it was really good although much mellower in flavor than the original. The amount of olive oil you use is really up to you. Just taste it as you go and don’t forget to season it well with salt and pepper!

The recipes:

Simple Carne Asada

skirt steak
lime
olive oil
salt pepper

1. Dry steak with paper towels.
2. Squeeze half a lime over each side of steak.
3. Brush steak with olive oil on each side and sprinkle with a little fresh ground pepper. Let sit for 30 minutes.
4. When your grill is hot, sprinkle meat with coarse salt then grill over medium high heat for about 6 minutes per side or until it is done to your liking.
5. Let sit for ten minutes and then slice thinly across the grain.

Cilantro Pesto Dressing:

1 clove garlic, crushed
1/8 C. pine nuts, toasted*
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
juice of one lime
splash of white vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper

1. In a food processor or blender combine garlic, pine nuts, cilantro, lime juice and vinegar. Process until everything is well-combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
2. While machine is running, pour olive oil in a stream until dressing reaches desired consistency and flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dressing will be on the thick side.

* To toast pine nuts: Put pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shaking pan or stirring nuts frequently, toast until they take on a light brown color. Don’t leave them unattended because they will burn quickly! As soon as they are toasted, remove them from the pan to a small bowl to cool. Make sure you toast enough to use both in the salad dressing and in the salad itself!

Caesar Salad:

Chopped romaine lettuce
toasted pine nuts
shaved parmesan (parmigiano reggiano) cheese
fried tortilla strips*

1. Just before eating, put lettuce in a salad bowl.
2. Top with desired amount of pine nuts, cheese and tortilla strips.
3. Add some cilantro dressing and toss well.
4. Divide salad among plates or bowls and top each serving with sliced carne asada if desired.

* To make tortilla strips: Heat some oil in a deep fryer or in a deep skillet or dutch oven. While oil is coming to temperature, stack a few corn tortillas on a cutting board. Cut the stack in half and then slice into thin strips. When oil temperature reaches 350 degrees, fry tortilla strips in small batches, stirring them so they don’t stick together. Drain on paper towels and toss with a little salt while still warm.

Related Recipes:

• Orange Cranberry Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese
• Green Salad with Lime-Mint Dressing

Around the Web:

• Grilled Caesar Salad from Christine Cooks
• Beef, Radicchio and Green Bean Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing from CookThink
• Cilantro-Lover’s Leftover Chicken Salad from Kalyn’s Kitchen

I decided to get out and grill something before I missed the deadline for Carnival of the Grill…a blogging event hosted by Men in Aprons. I usually don’t need an excuse to fire up the grill but lately I’ve chosen to stay in my air conditioned kitchen and have kept my distance from fire-producing objects. Luckily, the mercury seems to be dropping and it’s actually pleasant outside in the evenings again.

So last night, in honor of my return to the grill, I opted for something fancy. And by fancy I don’t mean complicated, I mean expensive! But it’s nice to splurge once in a while and the thick beef tenderloin steaks looked so good that I couldn’t resist. Although I love a good porterhouse and rib eyes are always a good bet, there’s nothing like biting into a perfectly grilled tenderloin steak.

Usually I don’t do much to these steaks…a little olive oil, some salt and pepper and they taste amazing. But occasionally I wrap them in bacon and last night I took it a step further and crowned my effort with a slice of spicy, smoky compound butter. I was inspired to make up this butter a few days ago after visiting 101 Cookbooks. I love my smoked paprika from The Spice House and am always looking for new ways to use it. It tastes amazing in this butter and I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner! By the way, if you like to make your own barbeque rubs and you have never tried smoked paprika…go buy some now!!

Yes, a steak wrapped in bacon and covered in butter might sound like a heart attack waiting to happen but beef tenderloin is very lean and we’re only talking about one slice of bacon and maybe a teaspoon of butter. It’s not something I do often but adding a dab of compound butter to grilled meat takes it to a whole new level. Try some sage butter on a grilled pork chop if you don’t believe me!

On to the recipe…

Bacon-Wrapped Beef Medallions

4 beef tenderloin steaks, 1 1/2 inches thick
4 slices bacon
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

• 1. Take steaks out of fridge and let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. While steaks are coming to room temperature, get your grill ready (gas or charcoal).
• 2. Rinse steaks and pat dry with paper towels. Tightly wrap one slice of bacon around each steak, securing with with a toothpick. Brush a thin layer of olive oil on each side of the steaks and season both sides with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
• 3. Place steaks over a direct medium-hot flame and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Move steaks to indirect heat, reduce grill temperature to medium, and continue cooking until the interior temperature reaches 145 degres for medium rare (medium 160, well-done 170).
• 4. Remove steaks to a platter, top each steak with a slice of Spicy Smoked Paprika Butter (if using) and resist the urge to cut into them for at least 10 minutes!! It is important to let ANY meat rest for 10 minutes after it comes off the grill so that the juices can redistribute throughout the meat. If you cut it right away, all the juices will run right out.

Spicy Smoked Paprika Butter

1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup) at room temperature
1 T. smoked sweet paprika
1 t. chili powder
1/4 t. chipotle chili powder (or substitute with cayenne pepper)
1/2 t. powdered cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
salt to taste

• 1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients into butter until well-combined. Add salt to taste and mix well.
• 2. Spoon mixture onto a sheet of waxed paper, roll it into a cylinder and twist each end tight. Refrigerate overnight or place the wrapped butter in a freezer bag and freeze until ready to use.

The butter will keep in the freezer for 6 months. When ready to use, defrost in the fridge to make it easier to slice.

Make sure you visit 101 Cookbooks to check out some other ideas for making and using compound butters.

Subscribe to Pinch My Salt by e-mail

I stumbled across a crazy site by the name of Steve’s Hot Dogs one afternoon and found this great recipe for grilled peaches. The actual name of the recipe is “The Best Damn Peaches You’ve Never Had…” and now I can say that they come pretty close to the best damn peaches I have had. These peaches were brushed with oil, grilled, filled with crumbled blue cheese and drizzled with honey. Unfortunately I didn’t have the Tupelo honey that was specified in the recipe but the bees in Sicily do a pretty good job.

Even if grilled peaches aren’t your thing, be sure to head over there for some interesting recipes (squirrel stew, for one), Samuel L. Jackson references, and the terrific beverage recommendations that accompany every recipe (”Serve with your favorite Cabernet Sangiovese and have yourself a Champagne Jam like the Atlanta Rhythm Section or with the Atlanta Rhythm Section”).

Once you try these peaches, you’ll probably be hooked on grilling fruit. I love to grill apple rings after they have been brushed with oil and sprinkled with a little cinnamon and sugar. Be creative. Just about anything you put on a grill is going to taste pretty damn good! An interesting article about grilling fruit can be found here.

Subscribe to Pinch My Salt by e-mail

I was looking at NPR’s Kitchen Window food column and found this recipe for spice-rubbed flank steak with cajun swamp sauce and it sounds really good! Since it’s Saturday, I think a barbeque is in order for tonight! I was planning on making some chili today using tri-tip instead of ground beef (I went a little crazy buying tri-tip one day because they had a good deal on it at the commissary). But I can make the chili today and eat it tomorrow. It will probably be even better if it sits overnight.

Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Cajun Swamp Sauce

Hanger steak also is excellent prepared this way.

2 medium garlic cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (optional)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

1 1/2 pounds flank steak, trimmed of excess fat

With a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and ginger into a paste. (You can use a flat meat pounder or mince very well with a large chef’s knife). Add the remaining seasonings. Salt to taste.

Pat the steaks dry with paper towels. Rub the paste all over. Cover in plastic wrap and marinate steak for about 5 hours or, better, overnight.

Oil the grill grates. When the grill is hot, cook the steak for 5 to 8 minutes on each side for medium-rare (depending on thickness). Test with a meat thermometer — 145 rare, 160 medium. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes.

With a very sharp knife slice the steak thinly with the grain and serve.

Cajun Swamp Sauce

Adapted from Steven Raichlen’s book Barbecue Bible: Sauces, Rubs and Marinades (Workman 2000).

Makes 2 cups

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Creole mustard (or other moderately hot mustard)

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 to 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce (optional)

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 rib celery, minced

3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 scallions, chopped (discard tough green parts of stalks)

Coarse sea salt or kosher salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir. Taste for seasonings. Store in a sealed container — this will keep for several weeks.

On to the pizza and octupus…

Last night we went to dinner in Catania at a restaurant called I Vicere’ It was my first time at this restaurant and the food was really good! They are known for having excellent seafood AND excellent pizza (in my experience it’s usually one or the other, not both). I’m not a big seafood eater but I had a good pizza. It had tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, sliced potatoes that had been cooked with olive oil and rosemary, crumbled sausage and parmesan. I might be leaving something out but it was such a good combination! I love potatoes and rosemary on the pizzas here! Our friends ordered tons of seafood and I even tasted the octupus salad which was a first for me. It’s basically just chopped up baby octupus with olive oil, lemon, parsely. I think it was raw, but I’m not sure. It was hard for me to pop one of those little tentacles in my mouth but I did it and even chewed and swallowed