I don't know; just buy some fish and we'll figure something out.

This is frequently my answer when Nate calls me from the store to ask if I have any plans for dinner. Now, sometimes I do have plans, and I am ready with a list, but some much more often I am totally distracted at work or have worn myself out mowing our postage-stamp of a lawn in the 117 degree sun...and I just can't get motivated to plan something. Happily, some of our best dinners are borne of this menu apathy, and tonight was one of those nights.

I will admit to having a pretty well-stocked kitchen, so I realize that the throwing together of this meal might require a trip to the store for many people. But hey, I like to eat, there you have it.

Menu:
Fish Tacos with Grilled Pineapple and Chili-Honey Butter
Kitchen Sink Beans


Fish Tacos with Grilled Pineapple and Chili-Honey Butter

Fish tacos. So easy. Infinite variations. You basically cook some fish/shrimp, put it in a corn/flour tortilla, and top it with something crunchy (cabbage, lettuce, zucchini, shredded cucumber, shredded carrot) and something sweet (pineapple, mango, mango salsa, peach, etc) and something creamy/cheesy (avocado, cheese, sour cream...). Enjoy. Maybe if you're feeling particularly fancy, you'll marinate the fish in lime juice or sprinkle some chili seasoning on before you grill.



serves 2

1/2 lb cod or other firm white fish, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium zucchini
1 c pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 lime, cut in half
2 T chili-honey butter
6 corn tortillas
shredded green cabbage
sour cream
salsa

1. Thread two skewers with the pineapple chunks.
2. Cut the zucchini in half. Using a vegetable peeler, mandoline, or really sharp knife, shave the zucchini lengthwise into very thin, flexible strips. If you use a knife, you might not be able to get the strips thin enough to fold; if that happens, they'll be more flexible if you blanch them in boiling water for a minute or so.
3. Thread the fish and the zucchini onto skewers, folding the zucchini like an accordion and squishing it between fish pieces.
4. Melt the chili-honey butter in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Squeeze the juice from half of the lime into the butter.
5. Heat the grill to medium and grill the skewered fish and pineapple for 2-3 minutes per side or until done. Baste all of the skewers with the chili-honey butter as they cook.
6. When you are ready to fill the tacos, warm the tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds; cold corn tortillas are stiff and will break if you try to fold them.
7. Divide the fish, zucchini, and pineapple among the tortillas, squeeze the remaining lime juice over them, and top with the cabbage, sour cream, and salsa.




Kitchen Sink Beans

So, Trader Joes makes canned Cuban-style black beans that are really good. This was my last-minute attempt to replicate them after I realized that we didn't have any in the pantry (so perhaps I am not that well-stocked...)

serves 2-3

1 15-oz can black beans (or pinto, or whatever, really)
bits and dregs of almost-empty jars of salsa from the back of the fridge
salt
chili powder/adobo seasoning/taco seasoning...or whatever seasoning tastes good

1. Heat the beans in the microwave for about a minute.
2. Stir in as much salsa, salt, and seasoning as you need until it tastes good.
3. Serve inside or alongside the tacos.

Scallop Ceviche with Pineapple and Basil

I'm back, again, for a brief spell, AGAIN. We're off to Texas next weekend for a wedding, which will bring our flying mileage for the summer to somewhere around 50 kerbillion combined. No more travel for this aero-phobe for at least a couple of months!

After a week of rich fare with my family in Chautauqua, NY (referred to variously as Brain Disneyland, Grandma Sleepaway Camp, or Kulture Kamp for Grown-Ups...), I was ready for some light, homemade food.

I'd been craving ceviche again, so I thought I'd try my hand at some new flavors. It was mighty tasty, if I do say so myself! I'm a fan of the scallop ceviche, and may not ever stray; I did add some poached shrimp this time just to add volume.

Scallop Ceviche with Pineapple and Basil



serves 2

4 oz bay scallops, sliced into bite-sized pieces
4 oz raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 T fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp grated lime zest
1/2 c fresh pineapple, diced
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
2 T red onion, minced
2 T fresh basil, minced

1. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil (enough to cover the shrimp). Add the shrimp and poach for 30 seconds, or until just pink. Immediately remove from the pan and plunge into a bowl of ice water. When cool, cut shrimp into 1-inch pieces
2. In a bowl, combine the shrimp and all remaining ingredients. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve cold.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Aaahh I have nothing witty to say tonight. On to the food.

I had two chicken breasts defrosting in the fridge and nothing exciting planned. I needed something quick that could be thrown together after getting home from a late day at work (which usually means walking in the door at 7:30 at the earliest). I found this recipe on EatingWell.com and it fit the bill.

It helped tremendously to have Nate get things started when he got home (thanks, man) so we could brine the chicken and use the grill, but you could easily skip the brining step, use boneless breasts, and either broil or saute them for speed. I just happen to prefer brined* chicken breasts, and I really like to grill.

The chicken recipe originally called for drumsticks, but I used bone-in, skinless breasts and drizzled the dipping sauce over them just before serving. The glaze is sweet and has a subtle hint of mint, and would probably also be really great on grilled shrimp, grilled fruit, or maybe even grilled pork tenderloin.

*a note on brine: I will now grill chicken and shrimp only if they've been brined first. It keeps the meat so moist and juicy, you pretty much can't dry it out, which is always a danger with chicken and shrimp. A 30 minute brine for each is really all you need, and I usually stick with salt and sugar. Sometimes I'll throw in maple syrup, or a lemon, or some chili powder...I don't know if I can actually taste the difference, but it makes things seem fancier.

Menu
Sweet and Sour Chicken Breasts
Corn on the cob
Grilled pineapple
Steamed broccoli
Sliced tomatoes
Grilled Peaches with Honeyed Ricotta

Sweet and Sour Chicken Breasts
adapted from EatingWell.com



Chicken
4c warm water
2 T kosher salt
2 T sugar
2 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts

Glaze
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1. Stir the salt and sugar into the water and dissolve. Place chicken in a bowl, pour the brine over it, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the grill to medium and grill the chicken until done, about 10-15 minutes per side.

3. While the chicken cooks, make the glaze. Whisk together the orange zest and juice, water, honey, 1 T vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, and coriander in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1 tsp vinegar and add slowly to the orange juice mixture, whisking constantly until thickened, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in the mint.

4. Slice the chicken and drizzle the glaze over each serving.



Grilled Peaches with Honeyed Ricotta




1 peach, just ripe and still firm, halved and pitted
2 T part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp honey
1 tsp chopped mint

1. Mix together the ricotta and the honey and place in the refrigerator.
2. Place the peach halves on the grill, cut side down, for 3-4 minutes or until grill-marks appear.
3. Serve the peaches warm with a dollop of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with mint.

I has a hard life.

113F, 3% humidity

That's right, 3%. That's why they call it a Dry Heat. Perfect grilling weather! We don't even have to light the grill! We just throw slabs of meat out on the pavement for a few minutes.


No, just kidding, I actually lit the grill. I like having grill marks on my chops, and that's really hard to do on concrete.


Tonight's dinner for Elaine is brought to you by Mark Bittman. Both the main dish and the salad were adapted from his leaden tome, How To Cook Everything.

The salad was lovely, and I far prefer almonds to peanuts, so I would repeat that. Baby arugula is peppery and holds up really well to the spicy dressing. This was a perfect foil to the slightly sweet honeyed pork.


I'm rediscovering pork tenderloin lately. It's super-lean, fast-cooking, doesn't need much prep, and stores easily (it's tube-shaped and slides neatly into the freezer). It also makes great leftovers. Pretty much any recipe that calls for chicken can be made with pork, and vice versa.

Menu:
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Honey and Cumin
Tender Greens with Peanuts and Tomatoes
Grilled corn on the cob
Steamed broccoli
Grilled pineapple slices

Tender Greens with Peanuts and Tomatoes
How To Cook Everything

2 servings

2 c coarsely chopped young, tender arugula, dandelion, mizuna, romaine lettuce, or other greens (trimmed, washed, and dried) (I used baby arugula and did not chop it)
1 1/2 tsp peanut oil (I used 1 tsp dark sesame oil)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 c roasted peanuts, with or without salt (I used 2 T roasted, unsalted slivered almonds and a few grinds of the salt shaker)
1/2 cup cored, peeled, seeded, and chopped ripe tomatoes (Feh! Who does all that to a tomato? Just chop it up and throw it in.)
juice of half a lime

1. Place the chopped greens in a bowl.
2. Place the peanut oil in a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Add the chili powder and cook, stirring, until the chili powder darkens, 30-60 seconds. Add the peanuts, toss, and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Add salt if necessary.
3. Toss together the greens, peanuts, and tomatoes. Taste for salt and add more if necessary. Sprinkle the lime juice over all and serve.


Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Honey and Cumin
adapted from How to Cook Everything

1 lb pork tenderloin
juice of half an orange
2 T honey
1 T orange juice
1 T ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. Prepare the grill.
2. Squeeze the juice from half an orange over the tenderloin and let marinate while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, combine the honey, 1 T orange juice, cumin, and garlic powder and mix well. Set aside.
4. Sprinkle the tenderloin with salt and pepper and sear over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes per side. Baste the tenderloin with the honey mixture and cook about 3-5 additional minutes per side or until cooked through to your liking. Watch carefully to avoid burning the rub, as honey will char easily.
5. Remove from grill and rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately.
(This recipe originally called for chicken breasts rubbed with olive oil. I did not find that the tenderloin needed oil at all, nor do I think chicken would. I bet this would be really tasty on chicken thighs, too. Also, you can substitute sherry, white wine, or water for the orange juice in the basting mixture.)

Grilled corn and pineapple have become summer staples around here lately. They're both very tasty, very easy, and not too bad for you.

Corn: After the meat is grilled (or while it's on the grill), arrange the husked corn over the coals and grill, turning about every 3 minutes, until the kernels start to brown.

Pineapple: Place sliced pineapple over the hot coals and cook about 5 minutes per side until char marks appear to your liking. This caramelizes the sugars deliciously. Alternatively, eat it raw. It's great either way.

For an easy dessert, serve grilled pineapple over vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or minced fresh basil macerated with sugar. This also works well with grilled peaches.

Sparkle sez: I can has tenderloin? Or corn, I'm not picky...