Holy crap mint grows fast.  We ran out of sugar and limes, so mojitos were no longer an option for using up the mint that’s been going nuts in the planter out front.  I found this easy grilled chicken recipe on the kitchn, and it helpfully uses almost an entire cup of mint in the marinade;  shallots and vermouth are also key players.  The longer you can marinate this the better… we let it sit for two hours, and thought it could easily go another.

Chris says:

I heart having mint so readily available.

Lisa says:

I know… I can’t believe how much they charge for those little packs at the store…

Chris says:

I like this… although now I want to add rum and lime to it and make it mojito chicken.

Lisa says:

Yum!

Chris says:

And hey, it’s like I don’t even have to brush my teeth, my breath is so minty fresh!

Lisa says:

Um… how about you still brush.

Chris says:

I’m just sayin’.

Lisa says:

Yeah. Me too.

Grilled Mint Chicken
2 large shallots
3/4 cup chopped mint leaves
3/4 cup dry vermouth
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs

Mince the shallots and mint leaves. Crush or muddle the mint leaves and pour the liquid ingredients over. Whisk thoroughly. Pat the chicken thighs with salt and pepper then put in a bag or bowl and cover with marinade. Marinate for at least two hours. Grill, brushing with extra marinade, for 10-12 minutes over medium heat or until they are only faintly pink in the center.

2 Servings

Sig suggested I submit this for Grill It!, this month’s Monthly Mingle event … sounds good to me!

We recently picked up the full-color edition of Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue Bible, and this is the first recipe we’ve made from the book. If this one is any indication, I’m guessing we’re going to have a great time grilling this summer! In this recipe, shrimp is briefly marinated in lime, salt, and white pepper, and then dipped in mixture of the same. Very simple, and it came together extremely quickly.

Chris says:

I love grilled shrimp — it cooks so fast that it’s in my mouth that much sooner.

Lisa says:

I really like the dipping sauce. Very limey.

Chris says:

It’s been a while since we’ve had shrimp and left the shells on — a bit messy while eating, but they seem more flavorful.

Lisa says:

It looks like I ate a ton of food with all these shells on my plate. You know, we could probably use these shells for something.

Chris says:

Yep — if you don’t want to toss them, you can use those shells to make paper or dress wounds.

Lisa says:

Um, okay, I thought you were going to suggest making a shrimp-shell stock…

Chris says:

Oh. Yeah. That makes more sense.

Salt and Pepper Grilled Shrimp
1 1/2 lb pounds large-jumbo shrimp, deveined, shells on
3 tbsp fresh lime juice, plus 1 large lime, quartered
3 tsp coarse salt
3 tsp ground white pepper

Rinse the shrimp under cold running water, then drain and pat dry with paper towels. Place the shrimp in a large glass baking dish, sprinkle the lime juice and 1 tsp each salt and white pepper over them, and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the lime lengthwise into 4 wedges. Put a lime wedge in each of 4 small shallow bowls or dishes. Place a small mound of salt (1/2 tsp) on one side the lime wedge and a mound of white pepper (1/2 tsp) on the other. Set aside.
Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high.
When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the shrimp, in their shells, on the hot grate and grill, turning with tongs, until the meat is firm and pink, about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer the shrimp to serving plates. To eat, squeeze the lime wedge over the salt and pepper and stir two or three times with chopsticks; peel the shrimp and dip it in the lime mixture.

4 Servings

Tonight’s recipe came from Fitness Food, and was just delicious! Chicken marinated in yogurt and tandoori spices grilled and served with a rice made with cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, and currants. This one’s a keeper.

Lisa says:

This is *so* good.

Chris says:

Yeah, super good! I always wondered how the chicken turned that color when I’ve had this in restaurants…

Lisa says:

How *did* it get that color?

Chris says:

From the tandoori spice mix… I found a few recipes online; you’ll never guess what makes it that red — food coloring!

Lisa says:

What the? Really?

Chris says:

Yep, nutty. Mmmm, the lemon really brings out the flavor in this marinade.

Lisa says:

It rules. By the way, I love this rice.

Chris says:

Even with the currants?

Lisa says:

Yep — I usually don’t like fruit in stuff, but these are small — they add a nice texture to the rice.

Tandoori Chicken Skewers & Rice
——————————–
1 1/2 tbsp tandoori spice powder
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 2/3 lb chicken breast fillets
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger, finely grated
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 bruised cardamom pods
1 stick cinnamon
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp currants

Place the spice powder, yogurt, lemon juice, and chicken in a glass dish. Mix well to combine, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Prepare 8 bamboo skewers by soaking them in cold water for 30 minutes.
Prepare the rice: rinse the rice in cold water until it runs clear and set aside. In a saucepan over medium, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and cumin seeds and cook for 5 minutes or until onions are softened. Add the rice, cardamom, cinnamon, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the currants, and stir. Season with salt and set aside for 10 minutes before serving.
While the rice is doing its thing, add the chicken to the skewers so they are evenly distributed. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat, and spray with cooking spray. Add the skewers and cook for 12-15 minutes, turning frequently, until done. Serve the skewers on the rice with mango chutney, lemon wedges, and cilantro.

4 Servings

Tonight we made a recipe based on one found in the Mushroom Lover’s Mushroom Cookbook. Tuna that’s been brushed with a truffle oil marinade is cooked to medium-well and served over a salad with grilled portobello and shiitake mushrooms.

Chris says:

A little goes a long way with that truffle oil; that really adds a lot of flavor.

Lisa says:

Yeah, you can totally taste it. This dinner rules — I like it better than the other grilled tuna salad we had.

Chris says:

More filling?

Lisa says:

Totally. Of course, that could be because I’m making little sandwiches out of it with this awesome herb baguette.

Grilled Tuna and Mushrooms with Mixed Greens
——————————————–
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp truffle oil
coarse ground sea salt and ground black pepper
2 tuna steaks, about 1″ thick, 8 oz each
8 oz mix of portobello and shiitake mushrooms
6 cups mixed greens
1 bunch chives, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/2 inch dice

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, truffle oil, and lemon juice until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste, measure off 1/3 cup of the dressing, and reserve the rest.
Rinse and pat dry the tuna, then sprinkle both sides with salt and ground pepper. Brush the tuna and mushrooms on both sides with the 1/3 cup of dressing and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat a grill to hot, or heat a grill-pan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Grill the mushroom slices for about 3 minutes on each side, then set aside. Grill the fish until medium-rare, about 2 1/2 minutes on each side.
Toss the greens, grilled mushrooms, chives, and tomato in a bowl. Add as much of the reserved dressing to the salad as you would like. Divide the salad between two plates, and top each with a tuna steak.

2 Servings

Tonight I made another recipe from The Olive and The Caper, and this time it featured both of those ingredients. Swordfish marinated in lemon and olive oil is skewered with onions and bay leaves, grilled, and served with an olive and caper tapenade. I followed the recipe as listed below, except that I used less oil than called for. We had asparagus and broccoli cheese couscous on the side.

Lisa says:

Everything’s salty — this is my dream dinner! I usually don’t like olives, but that tapenade is really good. The marinade on the swordfish is so flavorful!

Chris says:

Wow, this rules. I didn’t think bay leaves were used in anything but stews and sauces for flavoring. You can really taste the flavor of them on the onions. Yeah, the tapenade is pretty salty, and so is the couscous — actually that couscous is pretty vile.

Lisa says:

Yeah, I can’t tell if I like it, or if it tastes like vomit.

Chris says:

There’s a winning endorsement… I’m just glad we also had the asparagus. Let’s definitely make that swordfish again, it was delicious.

Swordfish Kebabs with Olive and Caper Tapenade
———————————————-
1 cup lemon and oil marinade (Recipe Follows)
8 to 10 bay leaves, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 pound swordfish, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 large onion, quartered, layers separated
2 cups Olive and Caper Tapenade (Recipe Follows)

Marinade:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
Stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Olive and Caper Tapenade:
3/4 cup pitted Kalamata or other Greek black olives
4 large cloves garlic
4 anchovy fillets, preferably salt-packed
3/4 cup capers, drained
1/2 packed cup fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until chopped as fine as possible.

Place the marinade and the bay leaves in a dish that is large enough to hold all the swordfish chunks in one layer. Add the swordfish and onion and turn to coat it in the marinade. Marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Turn the fish once or twice while it is marinating. When you are ready to cook swordfish, heat a grill to medium-hot. String an onion section, a piece of bay leaf, and then a swordfish chunk in a skewer. Repeat, in that order, until the skewer is filled, ending with a piece of onion. Fill all the skewers in this fashion. If there are extra onion sections left over, thread them on a separate skewer and cook them along with the others. Place the skewers on the grill and cook, turning once, just until white curds form on top of the fish and the centers are still a bit pink, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the skewers to a platter and let them sit for the juices to settle, 5 minutes. Arrange the skewers on a platter and serve right away, accompanied by the tapenade.